Recently I have decided that pasta is one of my favorite foods and should be eaten daily. Our new friend brought us dinner on Tuesday night and she made so much that we will probably get three nights worth of meals from what she brought.
I forced Billy to eat really early last night because I was having severe hunger pains (even though I ate half of that pan of banana bread) but he went along with it and didn’t even complain that we were eating dinner 2.5 hours earlier than normal.
I was reading a little bit from ‘Runners World: Complete Guide to Running’ today and I loved their article, ’49 Ways To Keep Going: There are reasons but no excuses for losing motivation to run.’ Here are a few of my favorites!!! Hopefully they help you out today if you are lacking motivation.
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New HRG BABY Post HERE!!
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What brand of ice cream do you usually buy at the store?
-I am all about Dreyer’s.
Are you full of motivation or lacking motivation right now with your running or working out?
Favorite type of pasta?
Any motivation tips to add to the list?
93 comments
Anne
When I am in a running funk I like to think,
“Run for all of those who can’t.”
It reminds me how lucky I am to BE ABLE to not feel like running and gets me out the door!
Becky
ohhhh, I really like that thought Anne!
Janae
LOVE IT ANNE!! That is so perfect:)
Melissa @ runscootsrun
Great tips! I like to leave my Garmin at home every now and then and just forget about pace/time/etc. and just run to run (I guess that would be my tip). I am full-on motivated now due to an upcoming race I have in October. Favorite brand of ice cream is from Stewart’s which is kind of like a 7/11 or WaWa but is popular where I grew up in Upstate NY…their soda and some other items are sold elsewhere as well (I saw their Cream Soda and Root Beer at a local grovery store where I live in NJ now). A close second is Ben&Jerry’s. :) Enjoy your day with Brooke today!
Janae
I totally agree.. sometimes the Garmin just needs to stay home. I must find this Stewart’s ice cream that you talked about… sounds incredible!
Laura @Running Maryland
OMG I grew up in upstate NY as well. Stewart’s ice cream is a MUST!!
Claire @ Live and Love to Eat
My motivation is that even a bad run or workout is better than none at all. :)
Janae
YEP!! Couldn’t agree more!
Heather @ run eat play
I don’t miss buying diapers at all! Your new friends are so sweet to make you guys dinner! Note to self: Make some friends.
I love Ben & Jerry’s Phish Food ice cream. It is my all time favorite ice cream!!
Janae
Seriously, I can’t even believe how expensive it all is… who would have thought?!?! Now I am craving Phish Food!
Becky
Thanks for the motivation tips. I needed them! I love pasta too. I had strognoff last night for dinner. I love all the pics of Brooke on your blog. She is a doll!
Janae
I LOVE strognoff… I haven’t had that forever! Thanks so much Becky!
Khushboo
So glad I read this post right now! I have half an hour left at work before I hit the gym and I am all the more excited to get my run on :)! Thank you!
Janae
It is so crazy how it is night for you when it is morning here:) How did your gym session go?
Racheal @ Running with Racheal
Blue Bell is my absolute favorite brand of ice cream and the only kind I have accepted during my pregnancy! My husband and I have a goal to try every flavor by the end of the summer. http://www.runningwithracheal.com/2012/07/blue-bell-challenge.html
Janae
OH MY GOODNESS…. Racheal, you are my kind of girl! Can I join your challenge too… you might have to send Blue Bell to me:)
Racheal @ Running with Racheal
I didn’t realize that Blue Bell wasn’t a national brand. I am going to research how to keep ice cream frozen during shipment and will keep you posted. :)
Lauri
Funny you talk about this – Lately I have been losing my running motivation! My routes are boring me and I feel like it’s moe of a chore than anything else. Some things I think will help me are doing some more speed workouts on the treadmill, finding new outdoor routes, and using the new Garmin I got for my birthday. As a matter of fact, getting that Garmin is my #1 motivation to keep going :)
I like any and all ice cream, for real. And I normally do not even buy it because of my lack of control around it. However I just discovered Breyer’s Oreo Birthday Blast. Run, do not walk, to the store and buy this. Now!! It is amazeballs!!!
I love fun shapes of pasta – Rotini, Elbows, etc. I also love gnocchi!!!
Janae
I am a big fan of doing speed work on the treadmill and new routes will always help! What kind of Garmin did you get?
Lauri
I got the 210…It has the heart rate monitor too so I’m assuming I can turn of GPS and also use that to track my heartrate during exercise classes? I do love it so far although I’m jealous of the new one you got to review that comes in fun colors and is cheaper!
Janae
Yeah, you can definitely do that! I am so happy that you are loving it!!!
Jessica R
I love love love ice cream. I am into Edy’s Slow Churned which I think is the same company as Dryer’s. It’s so lovely and creamy. Yesterday was my birthday and my husband surprised me with some slow churned ice cream. It really is the small things that makes me happy.
I finally got the boost of motivation I needed this week. I have been lagging for a while and I am only a few weeks away from a half marathon. I just started adding in the Insanity workouts and while it tires me out and I am not working out twice a day it really has kicked me in gear and feels great. Even with doubles I still have a rest day in there.
Janae
I am SO happy that you got that boost of motivation this week. Edy’s Slow Churned is incredible. HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY YESTERDAY!! I hope you had the best day ever and that your ice cream was amazing!
Lacey @ familyfitnessandfoodery
Thanks so much for the list! I am really lacking motivation today. I run in the evenings and am going to come back before and reread these. Anytime I need motivation I just go to my fave health blogs and they always give me a HUGE boost. I love blue bell homemade vanilla with fresh fruit. YUM.
Janae
I am so glad that they helped! Your ice cream combo sounds amazing. Have you always ran at night?
Lacey @ familyfitnessandfoodery
It really did!
Peaches this summer were the best with that ice cream. Death by deliciousness.
Yah I have run in the evening ever since I started in May. I live 30 miles from work and already have to get up super early. So, I run right after work in our PT room or if I have to dethaw anything for supper I go home take it out and run there while it gets ready. Works great with my schedule and it keeps me from thinking I can eat whatever I want all day because I want to be good in case something happens and I’m not able to run.
Emily
You should sign up for Amazon Mom and get your diapers off of there! My friend did it and saved a TON of money! :)
Janae
AWESOME! I am totally going to look into that, thanks so much Emily!
Lora @ Crazy Running Girl
I love Blue Bell ice cream!! I think you can only get it in the South (from TX) but seriously is the best ice cream I’ve ever had in my life. :) I am full of motivation these days… gearing up for Ragnar and my next marathon — woo woo!
Janae
I have never tried Blue Bell ice cream, will you please send me some;) I am stoked for you to do Ragnar!!!
Emily
I love blizzards!! I think I would like homemade ones better though. You can put as much ‘stuff’ as you want in them!
Where did you order the diapers from?
Janae
HEY EMILY!! You are so right about homemade Blizzards… I think today I will add a bunch more toppings:) We got the diapers from diapers.com. I think Billy found a coupon code too and I will let you know what it is as soon as he texts me back:)
Gina
Baby’s grow fast…hopefully you went up a size or two for some of your new huge supply? Also Target brand is pretty awesome & “in-expensive.” I actually like them better than huggies. Lastly, overnight diapers saved my life! I had a hard time when X would wake up for a night feeding and was HUNGRY NOW MOMMY, so you’d have to listen to him cry while trying to finagle a diaper change or do it after & pray he wouldn’t wake up to play;-) The overnight’s buy you a little more time…
Janae
I did… we went up a size and you are right, I seriously can’t believe how much bigger she has already gotten. Good to know about the Target brand, thank you! I hadn’t even thought about the overnight’s. We have the same issue where she just wants food when she wakes up and I don’t want all the crying to wake up Billy!
Candice
Great tips!! I agree with all of them and I actually think that it is normal to hit plateaus and just get worn out of running, mentally there will be great runs and there will be bad, horrible no-good runs. Taking a step back, giving your body a break can actually be beneficial every once in awhile.
Janae
You are so right.. it is totally NORMAL!!! How are you girl? I seriously love following you on Instagram, your kids are the CUTEST!
Yellow Haired Girl
I’m LACKING in motivation. Big time. I haven’t been myself … usually I work out in the morning. I’ve hit snooze 3 out of every 4 times (roughly) in the last few weeks. I promise myself I’ll go for a run or whatever after work … and then plans/life get in the way. That’s why I originally committed to working out in the morning! Ugh! I need a reality check ;)
Fave pasta? Allllll pasta, girl!
Janae
I am a snooze button addict. Girl, you’ve totally got this and I am sure your motivation will come back asap and you will get those morning workouts in again!
Librarian on the Run
Great post! I will have to grab that issue of Runner’s World! I stumbled on your blog via another blog and I couldn’t believe that you used to live in Utah!? I may be moving there in a month!? I’m a bit worried what to expect! Take care and love your blog!
Janae
HEY!! Thank you so much for your comment! When are you moving to Utah? What part? I absolutely love it there and if you live near my parents we will have to meet up and hang out. Let me know how the move goes!
Librarian on the Run
Thank you for replying!!! I’m thinking it’s going to be within the next month – probably be there for sure by the end of September – if my husband gets the job that he thinks he will :) If everything goes as planned, it should be up in the most northern part – Logan, UT? He’s a military vet – and this will be his first non-military job, so we are hoping he gets the location! He’s always wanted to live in/by mountains/forests – so I’m thinking he’s going to be in HOG HEAVEN if this goes well!
PhatJosh
I actually love to try a new pasta every week for my carb load. I really like Gnocchi. I don’t know how to serve it correctly, but it goes really well with a tomato sauce and cheese.
I love angel hair spaghetti, spinach pasta and bowtie pasta (when I want to feel fancy). I want to try stuffed shells, but I’m not sure what to stuff them with? But, I’ve learned, the hard way, not to carb load with whole wheat pasta (it goes unsaid).
Gosh, I feel Forrest Gump naming off shrimp.
Janae
I want to try a new pasta every week, that is such a great idea! Spinach pasta is amazing and I want some stuffed shells too! Hope you are having a great day and I am sure you had an amazing run already!
Librarian on the Run
Gnocchi is great in cream soups – I know Olive Garden serves one all the time with pieces of chicken and some spinach in it! It reminds me of knoephla soup – something that is passed down in my family!!!
Shauna @ Balancing Bites
My favorite ice cream is Blue Bell. Unfortunately, they don’t sell it where I live. Dreyer’s is my second favorite. I like all pasta. Yum. I get my diapers through Amazon’s subscribe and save. Every penny saved helps. I’m definitely lacking motivation in my running. I have a month before my marathon. I’m hoping once it cools down my motivation will pick back up.
Janae
I need to try Blue Bell.. everyone loves it!! I am going to look into Amazon, we went through diapers.com. Your marathon is coming up, you are going to rock it! I hope it cools down ASAP for you.
Mallory @ ifgravityhappens
I love the oreo comment! Yumm! DQ Blizzards are pretty hard to beat so it must have been pretty fantastic!!! I also think that the “there are reasons but not excuses for losing motivation to run” is awesome to remember! I can’t run right now either but the motivation is still there and at times i feel like a failure but I always have to remember there is a REASON to me not running not an excuse! :) I love your posts!
Janae
It really was amazing, I will have to make you one:) I am so sorry you aren’t running right now too and YES… we both have to remember there is a REASON that we aren’t running:) Have an incredible day Mallory!
Amber
Where did you order diapers from? I am expecting my second in a few weeks and I am NOT looking forward to buying diapers again! It sure adds up fast :-)
Janae
HEY AMBER!!! We got them from Diapers.com. There are coupon codes that you can get too and I will let you know as soon as I hear back from Billy! It really is so crazy how expensive it gets. When are you due?
Amber
Oh, that would be great if you could pass on those codes! I am due in six weeks, October 10th, which seems so far away but I am sure it will be here before I know it!
By the way, I think I mentioned this before but I don’t remember hearing from you, but do you remember me? My parents, the Ainges, lived behind your parents. I am older than you (I was a year younger in school than Dan) but you probably remember my sister and brother, Brittany and Brycen. I just love reading about you and your family. Your parents were some of the sweetest people I knew. I was only in the ward a year before I graduated and moved out, but they are some of the few people in the ward that I remember!
Also (sorry this is so long!) but you and Billy remind me SO much of me and my husband. We had our little boy right before he started law school. I went from working full-time to being a stay-at-home mom and having a husband that was VERY busy with school. You might know how that is :-) He graduated last April and we are so happy to be done, but I just wanted you to know that I know how hard it is. Three years of no money, student loans, and lots of school work can seem like a really, really long road but I promise it will be over before you know it. I am so excited to see what lies in store for your cute little family!
Janae
AHHHH YES YES YES of course I remember you! This makes my day! I was so sad when you guys moved:( How is everyone doing? Dang, we need to live in the same city so we can hang out! That is so awesome that he is graduated and thanks for the encouragement… I am going to need it:)
Karla
I am a huge fan of this ice cream http://www.breyers.com/product/detail/113869/reeses-chocolate
Bryeres Reese’s peanut butter cup ice cream and
http://m.benjerry.com/flavordetail?productId=617
Ben and Jerry’s cinnamon buns….yum!!!
My motivation to run is knowing that I will feel less stress about life when I am done. I’ve noticed when my body is tired from running my mind is too tired to worry.
My favorite pasta is bow tie.
Janae
Those links just made me drool BIG TIME!! Cinnamon buns?! That is brilliant. Yay for less stress!
Chels R.
Those motivation tips are on point! I love elbow macaroni…I make a skinny mac n cheese that is off the hook! ;-)
Janae
I must try your skinny mac n cheese right this second! Come be my personal chef please:)
LANIE
You should check out AmazonMom.com. It is through Amazon however you can sign up for subscribe & save items like diapers, wipes, etc… and they are shipped to your house directly, no shipping charge and you set the frequency. We found the prices comparable and at times, they allow you to apply paper coupons. Also Target diapers and wipes (blue and white box) are the best!!
Janae
LANIE! Thank you so much. I am going to check out AmazonMom.com right now. That is awesome that you can even set the frequency, that is so cool. Good call on the Target diapers too! Thanks so much and hope you are having a great day!
michelle kim
Loved the running motivation blurbs.
Favorite brand of ice cream is probably SkinnyCow because of the less-guilt factor. Once in a while, I’ll go extremely full-fat with the Haagen Daaz.
Janae
OHHHH Haagen Daaz is the best. Hope you are having an amazing day Michelle!
Laura @Running Maryland
I am 120% motivationless lately. All I want to do is sleep. I went from unemployment to 830-5pm work and the last thing I want to think about is doing anything but putting on my pjs. I have a 10k and half in my future and I still cant get going. Since moving away from my running group I am just full of blah.
But there is a silver lining to my cloud. I looked in the area for some volunteering opportunities and guess what?! There is a program called Cancer to 5k where cancer patients and recent survivors get together for a 12 week training program led by a running coach. They need running volunteers to work as a running Sherpa–a guide to get them through the run and then through a 5k race in Oct. So I signed my name on the dotted line and start on Saturday. I am hoping this helps turn my rut into some great runs :)
Janae
Girl, I am sorry you are lacking in the motivation area right now. You are working so hard right now and it is TOUGH to get out and run when you are so tired. I bet your body will get more used to your new schedule and you will be out running before you know it. WOW, your volunteering program sounds incredible. You are inspiring me to get out and do something like that. Let me know how it goes!
Laura @Running Maryland
Thanks! I am going to start this Saturday so it should be a great day for a run. I know my schedule will work itself out but right now hanging in my pjs with my hubby and eating gummy worms and ice cream are all I feel like doing after work lol
Lizzy
I saw the funniest shirt on facebook today – it said “if you see me collapse, pause my garmin.” made me think of you! too funny!
Janae
Oh my goodness! I need that shirt right this second. That is hilarious and I really do think that way ha!
Karen
I just love reading your blog. Its always so uplifting :) Whenever I’m lacking motivation I remind myself of all the people out there that are running faster and further than me with way more obstacles to overcome. That usually gets me to lace up the sneaks!
Janae
WOW! Karen, thank you so much for your comment… you made my morning. That is an awesome way to get yourself out the door, I will be copying you!
Annette@FitnessPerks
I am all about just DOING it & getting out there. Right now I am in recovery from my half ironman though, so I am doing less intense things. Gotta have rest/reocvery time too!
YAY for ice cream! YUMMMMMM :)
Jordan @ Whimsical Desperation
Mmmmmm, pasta…I love angel hair, love rice pasta, love a really really good bolognese sauce…I could eat different forms of pasta every day!
I’ve been really into sorbet recently. (Avoiding lactose, SAD, but regular ice cream is too painful.) Mango sorbet from Trader Joe’s is delicious!
chelsea @ averytoday
i just did a 7 mile hike a few days ago (so intense that the first 1.3 miles…you increase 1,000 feet). it was kind of a big deal for me and i kept reminding myself that we will never actually know what we are capable if we don’t push ourselves. that was my motivation. and eating a whole box of mac-n-cheese afterwards.
jan
Look for the “open box” dipes on Amazon.com. They are super cheap and the diapers are just fine, even if the outer box is beat up.
Stephanie @ nowirun.com
FULL of motivation right now! Just started training for my first half-marathon on Monday… my son switched schools Monday… I went back to work (I teach) on Monday… LOTS going on and it’s so much fun! :)
I buy whatever ice cream is on sale. We usually end up with Lucerne. My boys love it. <3
My favorite type of pasta is PASTA. So good. Sometimes with butter and parm, sometimes with a spicy sausage sauce, sometimes with a creamy sauce and shrimp!
Rene Hall
I’m positive your Blizzard was better than DQs! Last time I went there they only blended the top part of the ice cream so all of my candy was in the first part and the last part was just vanilla.
I am full on motivated right now! I did some speed work with some extra speedy people and that always gets me to work harder. I love how supportive they are of me, even if I can’t always keep up.
Molly
Janae,
I have a request. When you get back to teaching spin, do you think you could make a podcast of one of your classes? You could even do it at home. I listen to spin podcasts at the gym when I can’t do a class and was thinking how much I would LOVE to hear your voice as my teacher! Just a thought/request!
P.S. Brooke is the cutest baby in the world. She has WAY more hair than my 2 year old Niece!
Amy
i love oreos SO much its a sickness….you just gave me a terrible/awesome idea to make a blizzard…hey im only pregnant for like 1 more week so i can live it up right? hahah say yes!
IDK My BFF Jes
I have got to get that book!
I’m a die hard Blue Bell fan! I also love to make my own blizzards: Blue Bell homemade vanilla with butterfinger!
I’m motivated! my fall schedule consists of a 5k, 15k, half marathon, and I might add another half on!
Depends on how it’s cooked. today I’ll go with macarooni because I’ve been craving it!
I always tell myself that I’ll be better for working out. That once I get going I’ll enjoy it. Or I think about how good I feel after.
Katie @ Peace Love & Oats
I’ve got TONS of motivation right now – my FIRST MARATHON!!! I’ve got 2 more PDRs to go (18 on Sat and 20 in 2 weeks) and then it’s taper for 3 weeks and then the marathon! AHHHHHH!
Christie
Love Edy’s Slow Churned Cookies n Cream..just ate a few spoonfuls too :)
So it’s not that I’ve been lacking motivation, its been every run has been so draining and hard to get through @ beginning of last week, and by end of the week was having serve back/flank pains I skipped my last long run before my Rock n Roll Half (disappointed). Pain kept on through w/end so I went to the ER on Tuesday and there’s something wrong with my right kidney. But good news is today I was cleared to run on Sunday, I just have to pace myself and drink water at each fuel station.
Pasta: baked ziti with spicy italian sausage. OR Rattlesnakee pasta :a light jalopeno alfredo sauce, with grilled chicken, shredded cheddar, and topps with japs
kim@hungryhealthygirl
Dreyer’s is a favorite of mine too, but Blue Bell wins out (it’s a Texas thing). ;) Any kind of pasta is my fav and I’m with you; it should be eaten daily. I really like tip #6. I like doing part of my run easy and part of it fast and breaking that up different ways….it makes the run go by super fast.
Kari @ Running Ricig
OMG That homemade blizzard idea is genius!
Chelsie @ Balance, Not Scale
My motivation has never been higher (AMAZING 11 mile run today — 3 weeks out from a half marathon), but I love those motivators. #26 & #33 fall truest to me.
Rotini is totally my pasta of choice. Preferably rotini made with kamut grain. SO yummy!!
When I’m lacking motivation, I like to make a new goal (whether long or short term), and that helps me re-focus my efforts.
Stephanie @ Steph's Miles
Good call on make-your-own Blizzard. ;) You can make it any size you want, too!
Jessie @ ...y'all.
#34 is so true … plus, I always tell myself that if I seriously do want to just go home after running around the block, that’s one block more than I would have done if I stayed on the couch.
Holly
What a good idea- about ordering diapers online instead..never thought of that. Is it even cheaper than going to Costco/ BJs for them?
I had pasta for dinner tonight too- definitely my favorite meal. :D
Umm, can you please make me a Blizzard????! That sounds SO good right about now!! :)
Katie
whole wheat pasta is literally all i will eat anymore. i don’t like regular noodles now; they taste too.. i don’t know, slimy i guess? (i worked at an italian restaurant and literally had pasta at least 2 times a week!)
annnd we just rented “the hunger games” from red box, so tonight will be spent watching that and eating homemade blizzards thanks to your delicious suggestion. yum!
Shannon
Love pasta too and I thought I would share with you a recent new way to us pasta recipe and it’s so yummy and perfect for a law student/new baby budget:)
http://www.yumsugar.com/Spaghetti-Garlic-Olive-Oil-Chili-Flakes-21398824
Hope you like it…by the way that isnt my blog I just found this recipe on pinterest and its so goooooood I’m sharing it with everyone:)
Losing Lindy
wow I just posted about my lack of motivation
ok I am going to give you unsolicited advice ( I am so good at giving it)
You need to use coupons and buy diapers on sale. Target.com has target coupons you can stack with manufacture coupons. (Stacking means you can use them at the same time on one item)
Also, I used Target diapers during the day, and name brand at night. And when she starts wetting through at night, buy a size up and use that size only at night. It has more absorbency
Siobhan McCarthy.ca
I’m full of motivation right now and I love it! When it comes to pasta I LOVE Chicken Fettucine Alfredo but I will never turn down a rose or a original red tomato sauce. Mmm, I want pasta now!
Katie
If you don’t mind me asking where do you buy the diapers online!?
Janae
Hey Katie! Diapers.com is where we ordered them an they give you 10$ off on your first purchase!
Katie
Thank you! Will come in handy once the little one arrives!
Irina @ Chocolatea Time
Great advice!! My main motivator is pretty simple – I remind myself how much I actually like running and how much I want to improve as a runner. This usually gets me out the door, even if only for a few miles!
Vanessa
Diapers are SO expensive! I hate when I have to buy them…I just keep thinking “Oh jeez this is 25 cents a DIAPER!” lol luckily we have some of the cutest cloth diapers instead and it saves us SO much money and I dont have to worry about sizes or if this pack is going to last us..ect..
Great tips on motivation, I KNOW I could use some these days. I especially like the one about going out for jsut a run around the block, becuase I know once I get out there Ill go farther.