The TAPER. And Channeling the Taper-Time Feelings and Thoughts with Collage Journaling

Training for a marathon is a long process.  After months of training and focusing on a goal race, we finally come to the last 2 or 3 weeks and start our TAPER.  So many of us write about taper-time madness and the feelings and thoughts that come with this part of the training plan.  It is a time to start cutting back on the mileage and long workouts.  A time to absorb the hard work we've put ourselves through. And a time to recharge for the big day. 


Taper is exciting and maddening all at once.  With it comes a slew of emotions and feelings for me.  Mostly positive. My body and mind are tired as they should be after my highest peak week of training.  73 miles ending in a hilly 22 miler @ 8:00 pace will do that do a girl.  And I'm going easy on myself. 


Yesterday's "planned" 13 mile run was awful.  My body was slow and TIRED and it was a battle just to hold on to a recovery pace. I got home after my second attempt at fitting in my miles feeling knocked down.  But instead of feeling defeated, I had grace with myself.  


My after-run Runninghood facebook status:

"Some days we have it and some days we don't.  Today, I didnt' have it.  Body says: REST.  So, I'm going to listen.  I think this is true in so many things we experience...motherhood, our jobs, sport, relationships...We don't always have to be "ON".  Cut yourself some slack today (message to myself)."

I'm reminding myself to truly listen to my body and know that I make the best decisions for myself as my own coach.  Sometimes this means not following my plan and giving myself an unplanned down day.  That would be today.  If I feel charged later today then I'll fit in my recovery run.  If not, no big deal. It isn't the end of the world to miss a day if I feel I need it. And I'm pretty sure I need it. 

Instead of running, I felt drawn to my much neglected Running Journal that so many of you know me for. I felt the need to process some of these taper-time feelings that are stirring around within me...nerves, flickers of doubts, excitement for the big day, fatigue, etc.  I was drawn to some good ol' quiet, reflective and creative time Amanda/Runninghood style.  It's been awhile.  This training cycle has been mostly running and logging analytical data.  The facts.  But not so much of the feelings.  


Today was a great day to spend time in my Running Journal since I've had my older nieces around to play with the kids.  For me, my Running Journal time involved:

• Reading over my training runs and the data that shows all of my hard work...The numbers that are proof that my race goal is realistic and within my reach.  This really helped me fill my confidence cup.  
• Reading some positive e-mails from friends that believe in me.  
• Creating a collage based on flow and feelings about the upcoming Boston Marathon.   

Collage Journaling

Collage Journaling/Art is a great tool for me to use when I'm a bundle of emotions and mixed feelings.  It is a tool I've used often throughout my life when it comes to channeling my inner strength and focus.  Going through the process of creating a collage is very therapeutic for me and I almost always come out of it with a new clarity and calm.  You might remember some of the collages I did before the Newport Marathon last spring:

These are great to look back on even if I'm at a different place than I was then.  

The Collage Journaling Process:

1. Find a quiet and comfortable place to relax.  As a mom of three little ones, this can be tricky but today I had older cousins visiting so this turned out to be a very quiet and relaxing morning.  
2. Gather collage supplies:  magazines, glue sticks, scissors, paper or journal.  For me, a few old Runner's World magazines do the trick for words to cut out.  And of course, my Running Journal is where I put my collages.  
3. Go by FLOW and FEEL.  When I'm looking through my magazines with scissors in hand, I almost always have a strong FEEL for the image and message I want to capture.  As I'm looking through my magazines, I let my mind flow with the thoughts I'm wanting to capture.  If a picture or word jumps out and flows with what I'm "feeling" then I cut it out.  Sometimes when a word in itself is a great word for me but the color or size of it just doesn't flow, I leave it behind.  I know, it sounds funny but it all makes sense when I'm in the process.  
4. Keep it Open. Let your mind be open to including all sorts of messages in this collage.  You might be surprised at what you end up with when you let your your mind flow. Your collage isnt' something that has to be finished TODAY..keep adding to it. I didnt' finish my collage today but just starting it helped me to feel calm, focused and positive.  And put some of these "Taper jitters" in the trash.  

My unfinished collage journaling that I will continue to add to in the next few weeks.  

1. Have you tried creating collages as a tool for finding focus, reflecting or setting goals/visions for your life?  

2.  What are some things you remember about the taper time that comes right before a peak race?  

Amanda

Goals For Today, Success For a Lifetime

What is the framework for success?  What motivates us?  What works in helping us stay on track and experience success?  And most importantly, what makes us WANT to accomplish something?  

Some typical things I nag my kids about on an hourly basis:
*  Stop bugging your sister
*  Share with your brother
*  Use kind words with each other
*  Calm down and say that in a different way
*  Clean up your mess

In the midst of normal nagging and chaos this morning, I started to question myself as a mother and the effectiveness of my nagging, continual reminders and harping on my kids to do things the way I wanted.  And then it dawned on me.  Where was the ownership for them?  Where was I providing any kind of structure for them to OWN their behavior and work towards success? Something to be proud of and accomplish?   Somewhere along the road of motherhood, I forgot about the sticker charts and intrinsic and extrinsic incentives.  Instead of setting them up to take control of their behavior, I've turned into a dictator that holds all the power and hence all the weight of trying to make things happen.  I've resorted to bossing around, modeling poor behavior (yelling at them to not yell, losing my cool when I'm telling them to be patient, etc.), and expecting them to do things because I said so without putting the ball in their court to take control of their own actions.

I started questioning the things that motivate me to work towards success.  What makes me tick?  What makes me work hard to improve...be better at something, succeed in something challenging, push myself to keep climbing and becoming a more fulfilled person? I've always been a driven person and when I set new goals for myself, I usually meet them or change them as my life changes.  And that's when I realized... for as long as I can remember, I've lived my life with GOALS!  I live a goal driven life and I work hard towards the goals I set for myself.  Setting goals, visualizing them, and working hard towards them has been the framework for my life.

Some strategies I use to help me keep my goals fresh in my mind so I can visualize them and make them a part of my daily living:

1. Write them down!  This is always the first thing I do when I'm setting new goals for my life.  Seeing them on paper is the fist step to breathing life into them and seeing them grow into a reality. 
2. Put your goals up somewhere where you can see them.  When I first write down my goals, I write them in one of my journals.  I save my running goals for my running journal and personal goals are usually in my personal journal.  My husband and I even write our marriage goals in our shared journal.  
3. Create vision collages.  I create my vision collages with pictures from magazines, books, real life, etc. that create a visual to remind me of my goals and things I want more of in my life:  love, peace, healthy eating, to be a better athlete, spending quality time with my children, travel, spiritual growth, etc.  I put these collages on my bathroom mirror and in my journals.  
4. Self Affirmations.  I often write power statements to motivate myself.  I put them in places where I look often.  Notes of affirmation might include phrases like:  "You are beautiful and wise.  You will run fast! You are helping creating a magical and memorable childhood for your children.  Smile often.  Today is a joyful day to be thankful for!"  You might find these notes of affirmation on my mirrors, cupboards, walls, journals, car, etc. 
5. Celebrate success and progress.  I encourage myself and celebrate my accomplishments and new goal setting.  

Helping Our Children Live a Goal Driven Life and Experience Success
Our children are people too.  Little people, yes!  But they need the same types of structure in their lives in order for them to learn to live a goal driven life, feel successful, and take ownership over their accomplishments and hard work.  One of my earliest memories is when my mom had us illustrate all the fruits of the spirit from the bible.  She drew a box for each trait:  Love, Joy, Peace, Kindness, Self- Control, etc.  and we talked about them and then illustrated what each one looked like in our life.  This really helped my five or six year old brain make sense of what these characteristics meant for me in my life and to this day I think back to that day as one of the starting points for realizing how powerful goal setting and visualizing the life we want for ourselves can be.

Charts Charts Charts!
I've always been a fan of creating sticker charts with my kids to help them work towards goals.  We've done this with potty training, chores, working towards earning a trip to Disneyland, etc.  However, it has been awhile since I've created a sticker chart and I'm not sure why I've let it go for so long since it works SO WELL with my kiddos! A huge thing for them is SEEING their progress and having the visual reminder of their goals.

So, today we made a chart with some of their biggest goals.  We talked about what they wanted to improve on and decided that the most important things were:
Responsibility
Being Kind and Loving
Respect
Self- Control

Then we brainstormed what each of these characteristics meant and what it would look like in their daily life.  We included some of these on the chart (more as a reminder for me to be on the lookout for these things so I can reinforce their positive behavior).

After our brainstorm session and typing up of our chart, they wrote each characteristic in a box and then drew a picture that shows what this characteristic might look like in their personal life.

We made sure to post these pictures along with the chart up somewhere in their room where they can see it every day!  Now my part will be to remind them of their goals and remember to "catch them" putting their goals into action!

I was highly impressed with how seriously they took this activity.  And how excited they are about it!  I instantly noticed them catching themselves and changing their own behavior.  For example, my oldest daughter caught herself when she was about to chew her sister's head off for something and instead, she calmed down and said it in a very loving and nonthreatening manner.  The great thing is that they don't expect anything other than stickers and an encouraging word.  They were not promised some big prize or treats of every kind.  I'm sure at the end of it all, I might take them to do something special like get a cupcake and hot chocolate but the biggest reward is that they get to feel PROUD and SEE their accomplishments.  They get to SET their own goals and feel how good it feels to meet their goals and feel successful in life!  This is the true prize!!  Personally, this is what keeps me driven in life...the feeling I get from accomplishing something and doing things that make my life better for myself and those around me.


Do you make goal setting a part of your life?  
Do you write your goals down?  


Amanda