Monday, August 6, 2012

Party with the Pity, Then Move On!

Saturday was an incredibly hot and humid day as I set out to run 11 miles with Team in Training in preparation for the NYC Marathon.  Needless to say, it was a tough run on Manhattan streets of steaming asphalt.  With the sun beating down on me and the sweat not evaporating, I quickly felt sluggish and my attitude plummetted.



I ended up walking some of the route, which made me even more frustrated with myself.  And having a coach, that I didn't even know, start lecturing me about walking made me want to throw in the towel and call it a day.

In the end, I pushed it and ran 9.6 miles.  And although that was pretty impressive for such a brutal day, all I could focus on was the 1.4 miles that I didn't run. 

How can I call myself a runner?  How will I EVER be able to complete a full marathon on November 4th when I can't even run 11 now?  I spiraled and spiraled into my own self-doubt and gloominess.

To top it all off, when I got home I had received an email which made me doubt myself as a writer and a member of the kidlit community.

Chalk it up to one crappy Saturday!

We all have days like this.  When nothing seems to be going well.  When we doubt why we are trying to pursue what we are trying to pursue.  And those negative voices are strong and seem to drown out anything positive that might be occuring (ie. a 9.6 miles run in horrible conditions). 

There is absolutely no way to guarantee to never have a bad day.  But, whether its a bad day of writing or running, its recovery that in my opinion counts!
  • Allow yourself the day.  It may sound weird, but when faced with a really terrible day, chalk it up as that and allow yourself the day.  However, vow that it is only the day and tomorrow HAS TO BE better.  Binge on chocolate, listen to sad music, gripe to a friend.  Whatever it is that you need to do, do it for the day.
  • Strategize.  Plan what you can do tomorrow to kick some butt and get back on track.
  • Sleep.  Nothing beats a good solid sleep.  Perhaps take a nap or just get to bed early at night.  But get those Zzzzzzs.  Your mom is right....everything looks better in the light of a new day.
  • Make no excuses.  The next day, kick butt.  Quite simply put.  Wake up and set out to make yourself proud.  Do what you can to succeed, even in a small way.
  • Learn.  Make note of what you can learn from your crappy day and take pride in your recovery.
Sunday morning I did a "No Excuses, No Walking" 5 mile run through Brooklyn.  Yes, it was hot.  Yes, I was sweating more than usual.  Yes, it would have been more fun to wallow some more and have brunch instead.  But I knew it was what I had to do to prove to myself that I can do this.  I am a runner.  I have bad days.  I get back out there and run again.

Today I am going to kick some butt in the kidlit world.  No, I will probably not be published by the end of the day, hence eliminating that struggle.  But I can find something small to do and succeed at to help get my self-esteem back on track.

Because despite one day, I am a writer.  I can do this.  I have a dream.  I have bad days.  I get back out there and write again.

16 comments:

  1. Thanks, Marcie. Just the kind of stop wallowing & get back to the writing inspiration I needed today. Now, to polish off that pitch!

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  2. Lovely post and a great reminder!

    Donna L Martin
    Www. Donnalmartin.com
    Www.donasdays.blogspot.com

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  3. Great post, Marcie. Sleep is the biggie for me. Outlooks always seem dim when I'm tired. By the way, I love your running analogies. I'm hoping to complete a half-marathon in December (a long distance for me, but hopefully doable if tackled a little bit at a time).

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    1. Thanks for Following, Lori. Everything is doable if you take one small step at a time. :)

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  4. Great post, Marcie. I definitely feel your pain, especially about the running in the heat. I am training for a half-marathon in October and was supposed to do 6 this weekend, but it was so hot, I only went 4.25! It was demoralizing. All day I was sure I could never in a million years get to where I need to be by October. But like you, I went out this morning and kicked some butt and now feel ready to conquer this thing. So YAY for the new day! And YAY for your 9.6!

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  5. Great "chin up & keep going" post! I kind of get the feeling all of us are tired of the heat and, thus, feeling tired about everything!! Thanks for the inspiration :•)

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    1. They don't call them the "Dog Days" for nothing! :) Thanks for reading, Penny.

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  6. Great post, Marcie! Thanks for the tips we should all keep in mind when things don't go our way. :)
    Hats off and Congrats to you on the marathon training...we are going hiking today...it's been a little cooler the last day or two, here in Colorado Springs.

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    1. Thanks, Vivian! Its amazing how many lessons learned while running can be applied to my writing pursuits, and vice versa. :) Enjoy your hike! :)

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  7. Great advice and good for you Marcie! Those days are awful. In terms of the writing, I fell like I've had about 3 years of those bad days. But every day is a new chance to do better :) Good luck! :)

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    1. Thanks, Susanna! It is encouraging to know that even someone as great as you has bad days. :)

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  8. Wonderful words of wisdom. It's all about what you do to move on - one foot in front of the other, one word after another.

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    1. Its all we CAN do, Genevieve. Otherwise its too overwhelming. :)

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