Speaking Of Motivation...

The Hospital Hill race director has been sending occasional emails to registered participants for added motivation. She recently wrote about the hills on the course and how they aren't that bad. (I'll wait and see for myself.) And today's email was about the power of words. Here's part of the email:


"My favorite part of my job is interacting with participants. Sometimes it is over email or the phone. Sometimes I get lucky enough to meet you face-to-face at an expo or a clinic. I love hearing your stories about setting goals, overcoming adversity and crossing the finish line. Your words inspire me to work harder to make Hospital Hill Run even better!

Every so often a conversation will start with, “I am ONLY a walker,” or “I am JUST doing the 5K.” Let me tell you, I am not a fan of ONLY or JUST! Actually, both words have been banned from my vocabulary.

The great thing about Hospital Hill Run presented by Price Chopper is that everyone has the same start line and finish line, and everyone in any given race passes the same distance. If you are participating in the 5K, you will cover the same 3.1 miles as everyone else participating in the 5K. Everyone in a race receives the same medal, too, whether that person is the first or the last participant. The same is true with walkers: same medal, same miles and same streets. There are no shortcuts to the finish line; everyone covers the same distance.

Words are powerful. They can empower someone to do extraordinary things or make someone feel like he or she is not good enough. I say we all need to kick ONLY and JUST out of our vocabularies. Change your words, and you will change your attitude. And, a great attitude gets you to the finish line every time. Anytime you doubt yourself, email me, and I will be happy to remind you!"

Beth Salinger
Race Director
Hospital Hill Run presented by Price Chopper
June 2, 2012www.hospitalhillrun.com

I talk about the power of words all the time at my job. The words we use and the words we choose (consciously or otherwise) say a lot about our mindset and can have a strong impact on our thoughts, feelings, and actions. Sometimes it sounds like nitpicking, but intentionally choosing words that are positive and avoiding words that are negative and limiting can make a world of difference. Ms. Salinger's email perfectly expresses the importance of positive thinking and word choice for someone that wants to get the most out of an event like a race.

Pic Source

However, because I'm taking the "better safe than sorry" approach to the hills in this race, I took her previous email with a grain of salt and hit Top Notch for some hill repeats. There was nothing spectacular about this morning's run... just the knowledge that it will pay off later.

Tuesday
Goal For The Day: Hill Repeats
Distance: 2.92 Miles.
Time: 25:33. 8:45 Avg. (8:13, 9:00, 8:19*).
Route: 4 x Top Notch.
Conditions: 48 degrees. 7:28AM.
Run Details On Garmin

Notes: I felt like I was moving a little slower today but a quick comparison on my Garmin page shows today was pretty similar to last week. Morning runs are tough enough, but a morning run after an evening run & swim is pretty rough. It takes a while to shake out the cobwebs. I also passed 10,000 views on my blog today. Crazy!!!

Daily Miles: 2.92 Miles.
2012 Totals:
  Run - 287.46 Miles.
  Bike - 0.00 Miles.
  Swim - 7,450 meters.