Designing your workout or treadmill area for success.

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It is no secret that I have been doing a ton of running on the treadmill since I moved. I have a love/hate relationship with the treadmill or the 'dreadmill' as some people refer to it. I love it because it means I can run during the day when Griffin is napping without a babysitter or late at night when it is too dark and not safe to run outside. Not long after I began my many miles on the 'dreadmill', I soon realized how it received such a name, as the seconds seemingly took hours to tick by...

I have about an 8 x 8' space to store and use my workout equipment and there is no window as it is in our basement. I finally realized I needed to find a way to enjoy the space more because the blank walls and staring at a muted TV screen tuned to Dr.Phil on the other side of the basement wasn't working anymore. Honestly, it probably wasn't ever working. I run because it makes me happy, and those runs weren't achieving that, they were just something I wanted to get through. So the following are the ways in which I changed my space to be more successful for me.

1. Find a worthy distraction...
I've recently become obsessed with Netflix Canada and binge-watching entire TV series. It's so easy to lose yourself in the show and let the minutes tick by on the mill, exactly what I needed! It started with Breaking Bad and now I've moved onto House of Cards and Orange is the New Black.
I use my iPad, but there are treadmills that have access to Netflix, isn't that awesome?!

Did you know that if you were on the treadmill for a whole season of Orange is the New Black, you could burn 4, 995 calories? Whoa! A whole series of Breaking Bad could burn up to 38, 000 calories on an elliptical! Can you guess where I'm going to be when the new season of #OITNB comes out in June?

2. Make yourself comfortable.
Do something to make the space extra special. Get yourself a nice yoga mat for any floor exercises and some nice soft towels.

3. Surround yourself with inspiration.
Post pictures or quotes that inspire you. I also hang my race medals and bibs on the walls surrounding the treadmill.

4. Be prepared and be organized.
Set your alarm for when you're going to workout even if it is not in the morning. Have your hydration choice in a bottle ready to go in the fridge. I prefer Skratch and I keep it in a jug which I bring down to the basement with me when it's time for a workout. I like to pretend I'm going to 'the gym', it makes it harder to skip your workout for doing something else at home.

5. Track your progress.
Post a calendar or keep a journal and log your workouts, it adds a feeling of accomplishment for me. I got out of the habit of tracking my runs on dailymile a while ago and now that I'm doing it again, I really think it's helping keep me motivated. It's so satisfying to see the total mileage rise as the week/month progresses.

It's silly, but just a few small changes can make your space more inviting and easier to keep yourself accountable.

Do you workout/run at home? How do you keep yourself accountable and stay motivated?

What inspires you?

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Today I was once again amazed that someone else is impressed with what I'm doing... I still feel like running is challenging everyday and that I'm too slow, I think it's easier to forget how far you've come when you're focused on how far you have left to go.

When I started running a little over 3 years ago, I started slow and I took lots of breaks, everybody has to start somewhere right? I worked my way up and I ran my first half in a little over two and a half hours and I thought that was A-MAZING because it was for me at the time. Things have changed now, that was my FIRST, it would have been amazing so long as I finished.

10 half marathons later... I am fighting for a sub 2:15 half time. It's only 15 minutes right, but every minute I've shaved off is a result of hours and hours and kilometers and kilometers of running. Every time I hear about or read a blog about someone beginning their running and/or fitness journey, I am impressed and inspired. That first part is the hardest, convincing yourself that one day you will BE better and BE stronger, because you will. Even after I had my son and had to start running all over again, it was hard but it wasn't as hard as the first time because I'd already crossed that finish line, I knew I could and would do it again. 

As I embark on my 11th half marathon this Sunday I will be thinking not only about the 13 more half marathons I will be running this year but about THE MARATHON. The first one, I haven't confirmed which one that will be just yet, but every kilometer I run these days I think about how I am going to run 42.2 of them, all at once! The thing is at this point I know I can, and once I run that, where's the limit? Is there one or is there an Ultra in my future? If you want to learn more about an Ultra Marathon, my good friend Nikki from Slow is the New Fast is running her first Ultra Marathon this May.

Obviously there are a lot Olympians and pros out there that inspire us all breaking records and winning races but the people that inspire me on a daily basis are those that are just starting to run, making that decision to get up and go no matter the distance or how slow/fast you may be, you CAN inspire others.

What inspires you?