Dimity Turns 50: 10 Rules for Workouts

Rule for Workout #8: Choose occasional goals—or adventures—that feel joyful and juicy.

I am turning 50 in May. While I’m not a huge birthday person, I realize being (nearly) half a century old carries a tiny bit of gravitas. In order to mark the impending occasion, I’m going to share a little of my wisdom monthly for the next five months; 5 months x 10 sharable nuggets is too perfect for my editorial brain to pass up.

Plus, my birthday does hold a special place in my heart, AMR-wise. The first blog post I ever wrote for Runner’s World was involved my birthday in early May 2007, as Sarah and I were beginning our training for the Nike Women’s Marathon. If I recall correctly, I wrote about how the run didn’t go as smoothly or speedily as I’d hoped, but it was good enough for a fat slice of chocolate cake. [Gotta say, not much has changed.]

Anyway, without further ado: 10 Rules for Workouts

1. Don’t think; just go.
   Yes, this one—an unofficial mantra around these parts—deserves the top spot. Because the more you stew about a workout, the more you procrastinate, the more you keep rewriting it at the bottom of your to-do list, the slimmer the chance you’re going to get it done. When you’re sliding out of a warm bed in the morning, creaking out of your desk chair at lunch, or detaching your leg from a crying toddler, do your best to turn off your brain and put your body on autopilot. When you’re done, everything you left behind will still be there. You’ll just be in a better place, both mentally and physically, to deal with all of it.
   

   Rule #2: All smiles after pool session when I nearly broke my own 48-hour rule. [Another rule? Remember that post-swim selfies, especially with transparent caps, are not particularly flattering.]

2. Don’t go more than 48 hours without a workout.*
   If you’re like me, a kind of gluey lethargy sets in around 36 hours and pretty much shuts down any momentum you had. It doesn’t have to be a tough or long workout, but it does have to get your blood pumping enough so you can remember that yes, these endorphins do a body, mind, and spirit good.
   [*If you’re not injured or sick.]
3. Two minutes of gear prep is invaluable.
   If you’re lying in bed and can’t recall if your GPS is charged, your favorite sports bra is washed, or what pair of shoes your orthotics are in, you’ve just set another log on the excuse fire. Sounds so basic, but if you’re a morning exerciser, taking two minutes in the evening to make a pile of running gear, or set up your bike on the indoor trainer, or check that your weights are in the place you think they are cuts down yet another road block. (And, although I’m not sure this has been scientifically proven, I’m confident the set-up actually starts the workout wheels spinning.)
4. Work out as soon as you can in the day.
   Note it doesn’t say 4:30 or 5:45 am. If you’re in the season of hands-on-toddler or a rooster-early job, then yes, you may begin and end your workout in the dark. That season has passed for me, but I’ve learned that a  workout before noon still serves me best: it gives me a necessary push into a productive, efficient, easier day. WHF seems to be a staple, not a trend, these days, so if you have flexibility, consider tweaking your schedule to sweat before lunch.
5. Keep decision making to a minimum—or embrace groups, best running friends, training programs, and the like.
   Even though 49 years of living has taught me what I like—the colors navy blue and orange; eggs for breakfast; nothing with eggplant, among other things—decision fatigue still sets in pretty much hourly for me. And if I approach a workout already feeling mentally weary and have to decide what I’m going to do, I can assure you it’s not going to be very fulfilling. Having some kind of a plan going in makes a huge difference. The plan could formed by a group (you show up, and the coach or another athlete tells you what to do); a structured training program; an individual coach; or even just sitting down on Sunday night and sketching out what you’ll do this week.
6. Aim for consistency, not perfection. 
   This is one on which I—and my injury-prone body—have reluctantly embraced over the past few years. And now I’m wondering why it took so long. [Quick answer: black-and-white thinking.] An object in motion stays in motion. An object that hasn’t done a workout in three days because the days were packed and there was only 30 minutes for sweating but the prescribed workouts were 60 minutes long is going to feel defeated and likely park herself on the couch. [And yes, that’s a long run-on sentence but you catch my drift.]
   

   Rule #7: Leaning into a race on Zwift last week. I counted down the miles as I forced my legs to push harder, but I felt so accomplished afterward!

7. Do your best to lean into the hard work.
   I used to get a little—ok, a lot—anxious when I saw a workout with intervals, hill repeats, race pace or anything else poised to tip me out of that comfortable, trance-like easy effort. Decades of gutting out tough workouts though, has made me realize that anytime a workout is broken up with intervals, effort blocks, or terrain changes, it actually goes by faster and significantly increases that I’m-a-rock-star! post-workout vibe. (And when—not if—you don’t nail a hard workout, remind yourself of #6: consistency.)
8. Choose occasional goals that feel joyful and juicy.
   When you need the push of a big goal, find something that gets you truly fired up. You’re going to need it when the mid-cycle training blahs set in. If you’re like me (squirrel! squirrel! squirrel!) remember there are plenty of other adventures and challenges that still demand accountability, structured training, and dedication. And about that occasional: pace yourself. I raced way more in my 20s and 30s than I do now. Back then, I loved the long stretches of the weekend for training and racing: quiet, my own music, the ability to go to Starbucks after and only buy myself a drink? Bliss. Now that I actually have to ask my kids to engage with me—read: I’ve got all the quiet and space I need—I am much more particular about my goals. One a year sounds about right. Two a year feels ambitious, but a good challenge if I’m feeling the juice and the joy.
9. Celebrate, reward, celebrate, reward.
   Back when race expos were a thing, I’d tell the crowd to drink the beer and have a slice of carrot cake the night before a race, because who knew what race day would bring? I’m still in the reward-yourself camp. Whether it’s $1/mile for a training cycle or a nap with the dogs after a long run, acknowledging that you willingly do hard things—and, of course, being grateful you can do them—is important.
   

   At the end of the day, it’s all about wearing a cape and using a lightning bolt as a virtual baton; we are all connected.

10. In the big picture, memories, feelings, experiences trump numbers.
    I’m all about keeping a PR-glow for weeks and checking your stats like 17 times post-run because did I just do THAT?, but in this sport where numbers reign supreme, disappointment can feel tangible when average splits slow, or knees don’t allow for double-digit runs anymore, or a super productive training cycle produces a far-from-PR race. To me, numbers are just one small slice of the miles and miles we run; the inner strength, the friendships, the confidence, the power, the strong quads, and the countless other ways we connect are much more important.

    What did I miss? What rules for workouts guide you these days?