Have you ever given yourself an excuse not to run – especially when it comes to a long run? It’s hard enough having to face 20 miles of road time and when it comes to having any kind of active social life, late nights, etc… getting the training runs in seem near impossible. With the LA Marathon now less than 30 days away, I can’t really afford to cut myself any slack. I printed out and posted a list recently of reasons to run with a hangover for motivation. Thought it would be good to share here:

1. NO training plan allows for hangover rest days. (Need to find a training plan? Check out: 27 Ways to Run Better Every Day)

2. GUILT will increase 100 fold if you skip a run.

3. Alcohol the night before = carbo loading. (See also: The Beer Runner Blog)

4. No Pain No Gain – think of it as conditioning, or some sort of moral test of dedication. Or… Just watch how Stallone gets it done Rocky-style then go.

5. What Would Kara Goucher Do? I saw this month’s cover of Runner’s World Magazine and am once again completely in awe of Kara Goucher – an amazing female athlete who doesn’t look mannish one bit. Kara wouldn’t miss a run. She probably wouldn’t have a hangover to begin with either!

On the agenda for this week: my first of a few 20 mile+ runs for the LA Marathon. Also my first 10k race in a while.