I hate February. It is 28/9 days in hell as far as I’m concerned. Every year without fail I get sick on Valentine’s Day. It might be psychosomatic at this point, but does it really matter if I feel like shit? I remember, as a kid, getting my valentines sent home in my sad little shoe box that we’d decorated in art class the week before. And while my classmates were skipping out on math, eating cupcakes the room mothers delivered and playing “thumbs up seven up” I was whimpering and sniffling under the covers. Pathetic, I know.

All this is to say that winter sucks. And winter in Chicago can really suck. So why run outside? Isn’t that just masochistic? Maybe, but it makes me feel like I’m beating winter. HA! Suck it winter with your long dark days and sniffly noses and grim frozen faces. You don’t scare me. And there are benefits, believe it or not. Chief among them is not having to run on a treadmill. My special version of hell is running on a treadmill at Bally’s while being forced to watch Conveyor Belt of Love and knowing some skeezy gym rat is judging my galumphing ass. Winter in Chicago can actually be really lovely, in a forbidding kind of way. The trails are empty save for a few other lunatics and it’s nice to share a nod and smile with them that silently says:                                                                                                   

                                  “Hey crazy-pants!”

                                  “How ya doing loon?”

                                  “Rock on with your bad self.”

                                  “You too, my friend.”

But how do you do it? How do you actually get out there and run? How do you tap into that incredibly mysterious dark matter called, “motivation?” Everything I read about it is like describing the financial crisis. No one really understands how it works or how to get it and keep it (or they claim to know and dazzle you with a bunch of words that mean nothing). They just know when you have it and when you don’t. Here’s what little I know and what’s been working (most of the time) for me.

Give yourself an “out.”

Before every run I tell myself that if I really feel crappy I can skip the run. But I hold this to a high standard of crapitude. I have to be absolutely hysterically tired or actively throwing up to really just skip that easy. I only get so many “get out of run free” cards before my training starts to suffer and I compromise my ability to complete the race. So far, knowing the race is out there helps me psychologically. It is a big part of the “m” word. As my high school orchestra conductor used to say before singling us out for impromptu solos, “Fear is a great motivator.”  But feeling like I can stop any time I want gets me through each step.

I tell myself, “Just put your clothes on and see how you feel. All you have to do is put your clothes on.” So I do. And 7 times out of 10 this is enough to get me running. I’m dressed, why not just go? If it isn’t enough I move on to the next step always careful to leave the “if you really don’t want to” door open. “Just go outside,” I coax myself. And usually the weather isn’t as bad as I imagine. I know once I get moving I’ll warm up quickly.

Every run in the weather leads to more confidence. I’ve run in single digits and 30 mph wind. I’ve run in 85 degrees with humidity. Every experience teaches me something new about myself and gives me more confidence. If I can run in a Chicago winter full of black ice and face-numbing windchills, well I can do a lot of things. Conditions on race day are sure to be better than they are right now.

Don’t give yourself an “out.”

Sometimes warm and fuzzy coaxing just isn’t enough. Sometimes you have to put away the momma with the hot cocoa and blankie and bring out the drill sergeant who doesn’t give a damn about your excuses. “What is your major malfunction?!” When I’m too whiny for the coaxing method or I have to run because I’m so behind in my mileage, I strand myself somewhere without a bus pass. Usually this is after work. I have my husband meet me and take the car away. Now the only way home is walking or running. And walking in this cold will just prolong the agony. That’s another benefit to winter. I think it improves your times. Getting in out of the cold can be very motivating.

Forgive yourself now.

Ok. You’re gonna screw up. You’re going to blow off a run you shouldn’t have. You’re going to cut a run short here and there or run at a slower pace than you should have. You’re going to forget to cross-train. You’re going to occasionally drink too much wine with dinner or eat McDonalds right before a run (which I do NOT recommend) Forgive yourself. Right now. Do not wait and beat yourself up for a day or even an hour. Forgive yourself and move on. Because dwelling on “Omg I screwed up,” will just lead to “I’ll never get back on track,” which will lead to, “I should just give up now and not humiliate myself on race day.” I was in this sewage cycle of thinking not very long ago. Cut it out. Give yourself a break. Nobody trains perfectly. Not even Dean Karnazes or Kara Goucher.

Visualization

This is something sports stars talk about a lot and sometimes it sounds very – I don’t know- Tony Robbins or something. But imagining what it will be like to cross the finish line, wear your medal, smile for the post-race photo, enjoy that post-race beer can be very powerful. The more detailed the daydream, the better. See the sights, smell the smells, feel the feelings. At the very least it will distract you for awhile.

Bribery

I am so not above bribery. I spend the last few miles of any run planning what I’m going to eat when I get home. Fortunately for me, this is often breakfast, my favorite meal of the day and the easiest one for me to eat healthily. But if a Portillo’s chocolate cake is what it takes to get the run done, then so be it.

(Food porn picture here)

Eat it, winter!!