Run Rut

So last year I talked about my butt rut. You know, that Homer Simpson indent in the couch where my butt nicely settles? I have to admit that indent is still there but it’s not nearly as deep as it used to be and it isn’t quite as comfortable either. After reading a couple of blogs over the past few days, I have come to find that I am in a run rut.

Er, a workout rut. I mean, I keep doing the same workout over and over again. Because I run outside and don’t have a gym membership, I have been using the weather as an excuse for not running. I can’t let this happen anymore. I’m starting to figure out that I need to throw a wrench into my run workouts and start working on some cross training again.

One of my original running goals was to run a mile without stopping to walk. I know I can do that now. Now I can run over 2 miles without walking and that feels great! I would like to work through the winter months improving my distance as well as my speed. This is where I am going to change up my running workouts. I am going to start working on speed through interval training. I tried using Runkeeper.com on my iPhone yesterday. I think the program has some great coaching tools for the free app but to really use the program, there is a monthly fee, which I am not planning on using. Maybe there are other running applications out there for my phone. Any apps that anyone can recommend would be great. I’m hoping a new running goal will motivate me to do something a little different in those workouts. I hope to find an event in the Spring to work towards. Maybe a 10k would work?

Now for some diversity in my workouts. Last Christmas I received two great gifts. One gift from my hubby was a really nice indoor trainer for my bike. The second gift was the Biggest Loser for the Wii. Both are going to be my alternatives through the winter months along with some weight lifting. I won’t have an excuse to not work out. The weather cannot be an excuse when I’m inside. I want to try to run outside when I can. I am still going to plan my workouts around the weather but I want to start looking at the weather for the week and plan around it. I want to plan the inside cross-training days for when it’s really cold, snowing or raining. Instead of my every-other-day mentality I’ve had all summer, I want to get 5 days of exercise completed each week. I don’t want to commit to an hour each time but at least getting some movement in each of those days would work the best.

I feel slightly like I am getting in over my head. Am I going to be disappointed if I only exercise 3 days one week?  Will I blow off the rest of the week? Maybe I will set this as one of my weekly goals in the next couple of months. I’ve been successful so far. Why can’t I set myself up to be successful with this too!?!?