Don't Be a Dropout

When I taught high school four years ago I found myself as the co cheer leading coach. To those who know me in depth it made perfect sense for me to be part of a cheer squad and for those that don't know me, well my five foot ten and three quarters frame was probably conspicuous at most. See, I'm a total cheer leader at heart. I love the under dog. I always want people to reach their goals. I'm genuinely happy for you if you get to go on vacation, made it to your goal weight, are having a baby, or any other amazing event that is to be completed. I believe in you. Genuinely! I think everyone can do what they set their mind to. Anyone. In any circumstance also. We humans can achieve amazing things. I'm tall. I mean 4 inches above average tall. I'm convinced I didn't make cheer leader for the Smithson Valley Middle School Mustangs in the seventh grade due to this fact. It couldn't have been because I slipped doing my round-off and made the judges laugh out loud. No, it was because I'm tall I'm sure. So my point for this cheer post is that I am going to be your cheer leader and I believe that each of you can and will find a runner in you. Whether you ran in high school, have never run at all, or have completed a marathon or two, I know you can do this. So, here are some tips and ground rules to keep you going so you won't be a dropout. Psychologist Lynn McCutcheon, the author of Psychology for Runners, conducted a survey and found that the five main reasons for stopping were:

1. Time constraints 
2. Bad Weather
3. Preference for another type of exercise
4. Inability to stick with a schedule
5. LACK OF RUNNING PARTNERS TO KEEP YOU COMPANY

Since we won't be having any trouble with number 5 (there are 51 likes on facebook who are starting with us) please be very aware of the other 4. If your concern is time you might consider waking up 30 minutes earlier to complete the workout or telling your spouse of your goal to complete this running program and asking for help with dinner or the kids so you can keep running a priority. What is your bad weather back up plan? Do you have a treadmill close? Scope one out if not. If you find yourself needing advice on what to do if you find yourself struggling to keep up please feel free to post on the Gotta Run page so that we can all encourage you in that area. 

Thank you to each of you who will be running with me virtually. Remember to run 4 days per week. I will be running on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Friday. I can't wait to run with you!