Weigh-In Day May 27, 2011: Combating Boredom & Hitting Another Goal

This last week or so I've found myself getting bored really quickly with my runs. I had hit my limit with my 3 minute run/1 minute walk intervals, but it was a mental hurdle to switch things up. What if I couldn't run faster? Or longer? Or with hills? I haven't been running consistently in YEARS and pushing myself to go farther/faster/higher was a mental block that was keeping me from improving.

To combat my creeping boredom, I got out of the house and went to the gym. I used a different treadmill, watched something different on TV, listened to something different on my iPod (yes, I watch TV and listen to my iPod during the same run - I like to switch it up!), and allowed myself to deviate from my usual routine. I ran when it felt good to run.

Changing the things around me - like like the environment and the equipment - perked me up enough to run faster and longer. By keeping my body working, I kept my mind engaged, and I wasn't thinking about how much I still had left to do. When I was forcing myself to run at a slower pace than I was capable of, I went on auto-pilot and wasn't focused on my workout.

That's one thing I'm learning about myself with running: it's a lot of mind games. The hurdles aren't just physical, they're mental. When I challenge myself, I actually enjoy running more and see greater gains. Or, in the case of my weigh-in - a greater loss!

Weekly Weight Loss: -3.8

Total Loss to Date: -15.4

This loss happened over a couple of weeks, but I'm really happy with it. I've hit the 15 pound mark - Woohoo! - which is one of my goals, so I get to mark that one off my list. I'd really like to reward myself for hitting this goal, but I'm coming up short on what I should do. Any ideas for how I can reward myself for hitting this milestone?

Plus, the Race for the Cure 5k is coming up (next weekend!) so I'll get to check that goal off soon too. I'm raring to go for it. Anyone else going to be there next Saturday? I know a few other bloggers have signed up to be part of our Paint the Town Pink team and I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone there!

As for this weekend, it's going to be a long one for me - hooray for the start of summer!

UPDATED TO ADD: I'm not at my goal weight yet. 15 pounds is just a milestone "goal" for me so I still have a ways to go! Just wanted to clarify because in my excitement about hitting it I don't think I was very clear ... have a great weekend!