‘Motivation’ Articles at , Page 16

A Runner’s Motivation: Combat lulls in motivation because the key to running your best is consistency

Posted on January 2, 2013 by Cait — 24 Comments ↓

With running there really is no ‘off season’. There are quick lapses to allow for breaks, and don’t get me wrong, taking a break after a rigorous training cycle and racing season is INCREDIBLY important. However, at the same time, most athletes take only about two weeks before they get going again.

The ironic thing about running is that you can lose all that fitness you worked your @$$ off for pretty dang quickly; (Don’t believe me, talk to even a professional athlete when they go for that first run after their two week break!) yet, thanks to the miracle of muscle memory, consistent runners snap back into shape rather quickly too. So it’s about a two week hazing period after a break where the legs feel completely foreign and the lungs are screaming at you, but crest that hump and you start to hit your stride again and get into the swing of workouts.

If you’re not with a team running traditional seasons (ie: cross country, indoor track, outdoor track) you may be doing road races or training for a marathon. Trust me, there are no shortage of races to be had all year round. Is racing a necessity for being a runner? Hardly, I haven’t raced since Pikachu was giving kids seizures but I’m still a runner.

That said, many people need the excitement of a race as motivation to get in their runs and workouts. Lulls in motivation are something every runner deals with; though the trick to STAYING a runner is powering through them. Some ways to keep your running exciting and fresh, with or without a race coming up:

* Switch Distances: If you’re coming off of a marathon try training for a fast 5k. Working on your speed will always improve your longer races…think about it, the faster you can run a mile, the faster you can then hold a slightly slower pace for a 5k, 10k, and beyond.

* Go Long: Reflexively, if you’re coming off a string of 5k’s and 10k’s do some longer based threshold work and long runs as a half-marathoner or marathoner would do and you’ll improve your endurance. That will of course translate down in your ability to stay strong and close hard in those shorter races.

* Tackle Hills: If you’ve not done hill repeats or much hill running hit these suckers to improve strength. That extra strength will mean speed when you go back to the flats…plus, exploring new hilly terrain and trails can be fun.

Dreaming of cake works as motivation too! 😉

* Run Naked: No, not like that, but running without a Garmin or being overly hung-up on paces is a necessity sometimes. Run for effort and do fartlek workouts away from the track or marked trails. Here is a fix for the times where you may just be feeling burned out on workouts OR you find yourself getting so stressed out about times and splits that you really do start to dread your workouts. You should never dread your runs.

* Explore: Find new routes, find new people to run with, go outside of your comfort zone…anything that feels like you’re exploring your running in a new way. Often times running turns to routine, which can be helpful in some ways, but every now and again you need to shake up that routine to keep that running fresh.

* Basics: If you’re finding yourself feeling burned out or not sure where you want to go with this running thing, just roll with it. Remember WHY you run, how it makes you feel, think of some of your favorite races and runs and figure out WHY you enjoyed them so much. Go back to running like a kid would, just have freaking fun with it.

The reason I bring up keeping your running exciting and new to you is because our sport hinges upon consistency. There is no ‘off season’ for being a runner you see? Doing the same thing all-year round will inevitably bring times where the repetitiveness is just straight-up boring or unappealing.

Yes, there will be days where your running feels like a chore…BUT you do that chore for the day because not soon thereafter will be the days where your running returns to the ever-amazing passion that makes you feel right. You just have to stay the course and keep yourself motivated through those lulls.

1) What is one way you’ve kept your running fresh and exciting?

2) What are you currently working towards? Whether it be a race, a new kind of training style, getting speedier, etc.

3) When’s the last time you ran ‘naked’?

Runner’s Strip: The Pre-Run Routine – Get out the door and running before you grow a beard

Posted on December 30, 2012 by Cait — 40 Comments ↓

Sometimes it feels like it can take an eternity before we actually get out the door for that run. Between taking care of all those creaks and squeaks, making sure the ‘guts’ and bladder are ready to roll, and WHY does that darn Garmin sometimes seem to be looking for that darn satellite by way of hot air balloon?! This doesn’t even take into the account the times where you know you’re purposefully stalling…c’mon, you really don’t need to check Facebook AGAIN. 😉

It’s true, the runner’s pre-run routine may snowball at times, BUT I’ll tell you what, I like to run first thing in the morning and I’m also a total sucker for wanting every ounce of sleep so I’ve pared my routine down to about 10 minutes between eye ball crusty wiping and hitting the road. Here are some of my quick tips:

1) Lay all the gear out the night before. Shoes unlaced and sitting next to my pile of clothes, Garmin sitting (hooked up to the charger because I am petrified of it running out of batteries mid-run) next to my clothes.

2) Hit the bathroom. I give myself about 10 minutes to let my guts wake up (I allow myself this window of email/website/Facebook time...but I look at the clock and stick to just 10 minutes.) and off I go.

3) Start locating. I hit the ‘locate’ button for my Garmin when I go into the bathroom to let that sucker start up. On my way out it’s done 99% percent of the time.

BOOM. I’m out…no more farting around for this girl. I will say that I have a finicky stomach so I eat a big snack before going to bed at night and then don’t eat in the morning. If you DO need to eat before your AM run:

* Nightstand nosh: I’ve had friends leave an energy bar on their nightstand and wake up in the night to eat it, then roll back to bed.

* Liquid nutrients: Drinking something with sustenance when you’re close to run time can often be easier than handling food if your stomach is sensitive.

* Nighttime bedding: If you need an extra hour or so before your AM run to eat, get to bed earlier and be strict about it. Sleep is incredibly important for runners, so don’t skimp there…you can use the extra morning hour to do things you would have done the night before. Getting sucked into YouTube gems included.

Here’s to getting to that run before that first Cup ‘o Joe wears off! 😉
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Check out my post on taking care of those runner pops, squeaks, creaks, and niggling injuries.

Check out my post on pre-run nutrition and finding foods that will sit well in your stomach and timing your fuel.

Check out my post on liquid nutrients.

Check out my post on GI issues for runners.

Check out my post on sleep for runners.

Check out more Runner’s Strip cartoonage!

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1) What usually takes the longest in your pre-run routine?

2) What are some of the runner rehab elements you do to take care of the ‘old bod’?
Plantar rolling and leg swings are staples.

3) Do you drink coffee before your runs?

Runners, Get Your Confidence On: Workouts to build the confidence you need to race your best

Posted on December 23, 2012 by Cait — 22 Comments ↓

I’ve talked a lot about how important confidence is for runners. When you step to the line of a race, and any workout too for that matter, it is confidence that helps quell those nerves. You tell yourself that you’ve battled through excruciating pain before and you’ll do it again to get to the finish line certain you left it all out there.

Confidence is often a tricky because in order to build it up you have to have accomplished certain distances, workouts, and runs. Though, in order to conquer those workouts you’ve got to have enough ~~confidence~~ guts to get out there attempt them, and then kick their butts. So it’s a bit of a revolving door, chicken and egg thing. Thankfully running gives us ample opportunities to cycle through those revolving doors (ie: umm, every day! Hehe) so if you do have a weaker workout, get through it and look forward to the next workout which you can demolish. The key here is, in order to escape bad workouts with your confidence intact; you have to LEARN from them but then push them out of your mind.

The confidence you get when you step to the line of a race should come from the workouts that you nailed. The mile repeats that you came in under goal-pace, the tempo run where that last mile you definitely hit through to a new level of pain tolerance, the 800’s where you surprised even yourself.

Over time a runner comes to have those ‘key workouts’ that stand out in their minds; the ones they’ve done time and time again and over the years it’s become a bit of a benchmarker. It’s often fun (and motivating) to see the progression over the years; at the same time these types of workouts can do much in the way of indicating you are set for a stand-out race.

My latest article up on Competitor: “Confidence-Building Workouts From the Pros” shares four of these confidence building workouts from some of the professionals. Josh Cox and Tera Moody talk about their staple marathon workouts, Sara Vaughn shares about her speedster 800’s and Renee Metivier Baillie did 500’s up at altitude to predict what kind of 5k shape she was in.

I had a lot of fun doing this particular article because I know that we ALL have workouts that we particularly enjoy doing because they make us feel ‘on’ and then when we step to the line of a race we know it’s ‘go time.’

Check out the article over there, but I’d also like to hear what kinds of workouts you use as benchmarkers, race predictors, or workouts you’ve done for years and you use the progress as motivation to keep on kicking butt out there! 🙂

1) What is one of your ‘key’ workouts that give you confidence or help build your confidence before a race?

2) When you step to the line of a race, what kinds of things do you do to bolster your confidence?

3) Have you done, or do you want to try, one of the workouts talked about by the elites I profiled in the article?

Carpe the Run

Posted on December 19, 2012 by Cait — 22 Comments ↓

Run every interval like it’s your last.

Run every mile like it’s your last…and be grateful for it, even if in the moment it feels like he##.

Step to the line of every race like you are among friends…well, the friends that you still want to kick the @$$es off of. Competition IS your best friend because it makes you run faster.

Take every day and decide if you’re going to be a runner or a lazy bum.

Remember there is more to being a runner than just running…do the core, stretching, weights, drills, and all the ‘boring extras’ because in the end it will make you a better runner.

Cherish the miles spent with your training partners. Even the silent miles because the irony is you can sometimes learn more about a person in those silent footfalls than in most other ways.

Slog through the bad runs because they are tests to makes sure you deserve the good runs.

Being a runner is a state of mind; we do the action because it reaffirms who we know we are inside.

1) What is one way that you remember to be grateful for your runs?
Umm, injuries have a sick way of giving people perspective, in that regard they can sometimes be blessings in disguise. Remember that next time you want to burn that elliptical into the ground.

2) When is the last time you had a kick butt run with a training parter/friend? Was it a long run, regular run, or an interval session you ground each other to the ground in that sickly, good way?

3) What is one day you will carpe the diem today? In running or otherwise?

Running Can Be Scary As He**, Don’t Let Fear Hold You Back

Posted on December 7, 2012 by Cait — 25 Comments ↓

Running is scary sometimes. Not in the ‘BOO!’ the Oogittity-boogitty Monster is chasing you, though that would surely get that turn-over moving, but in the fact that with running you must constantly be putting yourself out there.

Part of that funny feeling in your stomach and flurry of nerves that greets you on race day, and to a degree on hard workout days, is fear. Us runners don’t like to consciously admit that is what it is, because ADMITTING that there is fear works against us; burying that fear and words like ‘can’t’ are appropriate coping mechanisms to get us through those hard workouts and races. Words like fear, can’t, tired, and pain shouldn’t be leaking into our mental vocabulary.

Though, we can’t deny that these feelings exist and in order to overcome them DURING the races, the workouts, the long runs we have to be able to UNDERSTAND where they are coming from.

The fear comes from knowing there is the chance of failure.

Being afraid of failing, coming up short, losing, embarrassing ourselves in front of others, and having solid proof that we are not capable of something are what stop a LOT of people from accomplishing things they ARE capable of. What’s more are those feelings are the things that derail them from even trying in the first place. The truth is that it’s SO much easier to never try because at least that way we will never have concrete proof that you failed. But that not trying is just a cop-out.

Running can be daunting as he** mostly because it can be hard as he**. No two ways about it; in order to achieve those goals you have to PUSH yourself, open yourself up to the chances of failure, of having to look that fear of starting dead in the eye and not blink.

Runners butt up against that fear on a constant basis, which is another reason it takes an insane amount of guts and fortitude to stick to our sport. Every time you go out for a run, the inevitable fact is that yes, you will be uncomfortable. Discomfort is like the base line for any run and it only goes up from there.

Fear of pain is a primal instinct, your body doesn’t WANT to hurt that bad. It is hard-wired to do all it can to avoid pain; in workouts and races we run towards that pain. The days we come out the mental victors are the days we must be insanely proud of and REMEMBER because the next day we’ll have to face the same pain again and strive to come out on the winning side again.

Running is like the revolving door in that sense; you don’t just beat out the pain and fear one day and then sha-bam you’re on the elevator to the top. You have to KEEP passing through the same gates, and yes, there will be days you wind up ‘wimping’ out mentally and take the wrong door. It happens to the best of us…we do ‘fail’ sometimes.

Though we can’t let ourselves be so consumed by the fear of failing that it screws with our mind. People can get hung-up on the times they aren’t so proud of and let the seeds of doubt bloom into this heinous Venus Fly Trap that eats them alive every time they step to the line. Recognize that there will always be highs and lows in running; you savor the highs and you stick through the lows.

To get through the lows it is comforting to know that 1) EVERYONE has them 2) EVERYONE is denying that little bit of fear mixed in there during pre-race/pre-workout jitters and nerves 3) the revolving door of running will always grant you another chance regardless of outcome.

Fear should never rule you, nor should the times where you maybe did wimp out mentally; that’s why during that warm-up and as you battle through that hard workout and races, fear should be banished from your mind. In those moments there is no such thing as fear, as can’t, as pain, as failure.

We can understand where these feelings are coming from, but after that, all the focus shall be placed on overcoming them, of putting ourselves out there day in and day out.
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HERE is an article on how to channel pre-race nerves to your advantage.

HERE is an article on how to use the art of visualization to improve your hard workouts and races, another part of mental training.

HERE is an article on why it’s good to put yourself so far out there it’s scary.

The winner of the Ambler Heat Beanie is John Gash. Send me an email at captaincait@hotmail.com and we’ll get you sent out your swag! 🙂
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1) What are some of the other emotions mixed in there with pre-race and pre-workout jitters?

2) How do you set your goals for running, races, times, etc.? How do you make sure they are big enough to ‘scare’ you a little bit?

3) Name a time where you definitely pushed through to another level of pain tolerance? Brag on your fine self! 🙂

Runners, Let Us Issue Insincere Apologies to Our Legs

Posted on November 29, 2012 by Cait — 20 Comments ↓

I’m a runner so I’m pretty sure my legs hate me. I take advantage of them, I use them more than they’d like me to. If you catch them on a particularly brutal day they may even try to convince you that we’re in an abusive relationship. Don’t listen to them though, because deep down they like it.

Sometimes those bugger legs stage a revolt.

To be honest my legs don’t even really have THAT much to complain about, I mean it’s not like they are Jordan McNamara’s legs or anything. Now THOSE poor stems are getting worked; don’t worry, at least McNamara’s offered an apology via Twitter:

“I cringe to consider what expletives my legs would use if somehow enabled to speak. Truly sorry boys!#ActualSincerityMayVary”

Do you think his legs accept? Do you believe they can even try to fool themselves into believing for just one second that this professional runner is in any way going to issue forth an apology that comes with a promise to not do the very same thing again? Well, if those legs are foolish enough to give themselves false hope than I really can’t feel bad for them. Neither should you.

And you better not feel bad for your own ‘abused’ legs; I mean let’s be totally frank here: those legs complain but at the end of the day they LIKE it. Those legs were made for running, have become so adept at putting in the miles that they could function on autopilot. Heck, for many of those miles they do…us runners and our wandering minds.

That pair of running legs don’t just crave the excretion we put them through they are downright ADDICTED it. Their deep-rooted desire for those endorphins borders upon obsession, probably has crossed over to straight up obsession on more than a few occasions.

The onslaught of lactic acid that poisons them is a bittersweet thirst, one they struggle to swallow as quenched. They hate the taste BUT they crave the after-taste…the post-torturous rush of ecstasy, of times and goals satisfied.

True, sometimes even the aftertaste is a tough swig to swallow; running is wrought with highs and lows. You suck down the medicine of days filled only with mediocrity and the acrid taste of flat out despicable performances. Those epic fails sting and burn all the way through…but…

…but they make the days when you suck down the bitter lactic acid and PUSH through until you are blessed, yes blessed, with the sweetest nectar of fulfillment worth it.

Runners, we can apologize all we want to those ‘poor’ legs after the fact, but they are just insincere apologies and any promises to relent are just as flimsy. We don’t plan on changing…and those sickly ‘abuse’ addicted legs wouldn’t have it any other way.

1) If you were to issue forth an empty apology to your legs, how would it read?
I’m sort of sorry that we seem to be heck-bent on this running.

2) Do you follow Jordan McNamara on Twitter? Umm, if not, go fix that now! 🙂

3) If you could give a ‘taste’ to the lactic acid what would it be? Then what would you assign the taste of fulfillment when following?
Lactic acid: Lasagna, bananas or meat loaf. Hate both and have funny stories as to why.
Fulfillment: Pop-Tarts…c’mon did you really expect something else? 😉

No One Is ‘Born’ a Runner: Don’t use ‘bad’ genetics as an excuse not to try

Posted on November 27, 2012 by Cait — 28 Comments ↓

So often I’ve heard people lament, “I’m just not a runner.” Like it’s a fact, something you’re born with like red hair or green eyes, and there’s just no point in even trying to put up a fight. Lost cause, game loss on your end.

This actually kind of bugs me because I feel as if the people saying this are a bit disillusioned; like running is actually EASY for some folks just because they popped out that way. Fun fact: even for the most genetically blessed ‘runner body type’ running is anything but easy.

Though, without going off on a wild tangent there I’ll keep it short and say this: regardless of the genetics and body type stereotypes anyone who puts in the effort WILL improve. The awesome thing about running is that, ultimately, the biggest obstacle to overcome is self-motivation. [Haha…like that’s an easy obstacle! I just mean you CAN always work on that one.]

I think a lot of people need the reality shock of ‘wow, this isn’t easy’ (and it’s not for anyone) and then to realize it comes down to YOU stepping up and gettin ‘er done. Genetics, yes, may ultimately decide just HOW fast you eventually get or how many miles you are healthfully able to put in, but the ability to improve rests in your hands…errr, legs.

Trust me, I’m the most coordinationally challenged person alive, not tall enough to dunk, not bendy like a gymnast, not graceful enough for dance…but dang it, I’m OCD and self-motivated, so running fits. With the drive and will ANYONE can be a runner.

That whole, “I’m just not a runner” thing is quite a tired excuse, don’t you think? 😉

1) What do you say to people who profess they just ‘aren’t a runner’?

2) Do you sometimes wish you could shout at them, “Ummm, what, do you think it’s just easy for some people?!” Hehe. Or, how do you react when someone says something flippantly along the lines of, “Oh, well you look like a runner” like they assume it’s something easy for you?

3) If you could pick out a genetic trait or physical attribute that you’ve OVERCOME to improve your running what would it be? As in perhaps this trait wouldn’t naturally set you up for being a ‘stereotypical’ distance runner. (ie: owl with short legs)

The Dual Personalities of Runners: Switching from ‘life’ mode to ‘race’ mode

Posted on November 17, 2012 by Cait — 20 Comments ↓

Runners have a kind of dual personality thing going on, which is really quite interesting. Not the doctors in white coats and clipboards kind of multiple personalities, but rather, a stark difference between ‘life’ and ‘training/racing mode’ personalities.

The ‘life’ side of runners is typically one of being slightly awkward, but in a lovable way. That thing about smiling at strangers, I think runners are typically more apt to have a smile quick at hand. Maybe it’s the fast-twitch muscle response that just carries over into our cheek muscles.

It kind of throws people a bit, especially these days when more and more people seem to be kind of ‘hard’ or harsh. I’ve found that runners, be it by choice or perhaps a bit of childlike naiveté, tend to give people the benefit of the doubt and will go out of their way to help others. Sometimes it bites us in the bums, but at the same time I’d like to think we, and those around us, are better for it overall.

I used to have a friend who said she could tell someone was a runner by the way they walked, an extra kind of bounce in their stride. Runners tend to walk faster than ‘normal people’ too, sort of like walking with purpose; or probably more correctly we get bored of walking because it’s just too darn slow and getting places takes forever.

Runners do tend to vary in that some are incredibly shy and not overflowing with words until you know them while others, ahem like me, probably make up for those lost words and then some. I love the sense of humor of runners; quirky could be an understatement, we relish in poop jokes, chaffage stories, making fun of ‘normals’ who partake in ridiculous behavior…ummm, jogging in jeans?! Runners can be snarky, sarcastic, and you have to be in order to get through the times when the miles are just downright painful.

That last part ties into the other side of runners. The training and racing personality, we’ll call it the ‘go time’ mentality. Here is where a runner can become stoic, intimidating, closed off from everything else. Hyping oneself up to last through lactic acid onslaught, to mentally push their body past its comfort level; so far past comfort the body screams it is in agony.

To do that, to withstand the he** that is running on legs coursing with actual poisons eating at the muscles, making them want to stop, you HAVE to be hard. There has to be a part of your brain that is able to shut out ‘sanity’ and run towards insanity.

Runners are competitive; we thrive around those around us who are BETTER than us, who can help push ourselves past our perceived limits. Your competition is there to help you but you also want to beat them, no? When that gun goes off, runners are adept at stuffing down the ‘life’ side of themselves and slipping fully into the races. For when the gun does go off, your performance ultimately is up to you, and while there can be a team aspect, running is highly personal in that regard.

This is not cold, nor calloused; it is the truth. The best runners are able to shut out personal feelings between the start and finish line and realize it is NOT a personal slight to want to beat a friend, a training partner even, or Joe the Bag Boy. Going one step further, the best runners can then snap right BACK into ‘life’ mode the second the finish line is crossed and congratulate those around them regardless of placing.

Personally speaking, my best and favorite races are the ones where you warm-up with your friends and training partners, grind each other to be your best in the race, then cool-down together. It’s the melding of the two runner personalities.

We are people; but we are not ‘normals’. We are better, because we are runners. [Wow, does that sound elitist?! Bwahaha!]

1) What’s a common ‘life’ side of runners personality trait?

2) Do you tend to be able to shift to a more competitive side of yourself when in hard workout and race mode?

3) What is your stance on racing friends and teammates, do you agree that it’s nothing personal if you are both out to beat each other?

4) So I’m not the only runner elitist around here…lol…name one reason runners might be a little cooler than ‘normals’. And I DO have non-running friends that I think are awesome, so please, no hate mail…mmmk.

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The Race Isn’t Over Until YOU Say It’s Over: How to decisively pass your competitors and come back from being passed

Posted on November 3, 2012 by Cait — 16 Comments ↓

The race isn’t over until the finish line is crossed. Okay, while that sounds like it merits a, “No sh*t, Sherlock,” snarkism…hold off for just a tick and read where I’m going with this. However long the race is you’ve signed up for, there is always time to make a move on your competitor. Don’t give up until you have, in fact, crossed the finish line.

Racing, as with running, isn’t just a test of who is physically superior. It is also a test of who has the mental capacities to FORCE their body to its limits. There is also a test of who is a ‘smarter’ racer, who can put up a poker face the best or who can tell when their competitor is just bluffing. Then you put the hammer down at the moment when your competitor is at their weakest and hopefully crush them mentally. Force them to give up.

How do you crush your competitor mentally? Decisive moves. What’s that mean? It means when you pass them, you don’t just pass them, you blow by them. You gather yourself right before you pass, drop your shoulders, look at relaxed as possible, breath as evenly as possible, hide how tired you are and surge. Run hard and fast straight past them and keep up the pace to immediately put distance on them. PROVE how strong you are feeling, SHOW them you are obviously feeling stronger than they could possible be, and FORCE them to give up right there. DO NOT, ever, look over your shoulder or give them a shadow of hope that they might be able to keep pace with you. Sounds mean, well, racing can be mean. It’s a test of who can get to the finish line the fastest.

The reason you want to surge and instantly put distance on them is because if you weakly pass someone, if they are smart they will just tuck right in behind you. As we know from racing and running, it’s FAR easier to let someone else do the pacing work and just pull you along. If you weakly pass someone you’re potentially just doing them a favor. If they are smart, they will gather their own reserves while you lead and decisively pass you and try to drop you. See why it’s all about decisive passing?

Now, on the flip side, here is how you should handle getting decisively passed yourself. I wouldn’t leave you left hanging without some strategy for the other side of things, because we’ve always got to be prepared for anything.

When someone makes a move on YOU and passes, know that they probably planned this. This is their attempt to CRUSH your mentally. Get mad, do whatever you have to to get fired up and determined to stick with them. Don’t give in and be the person who gives up before the finish line is ever crossed. Like I opened with, unless you’re crossing the line there is still distance left. Stay FOCUSED.

FOCUS on their back. Burn a hole into their shirt with your eyes.
RELAX, shake your arms if you have to, control your breathing and do a form check.
DECIDE if you need to make up any lost distance to match their pace NOW or if there is still a long ways to go, hold off and gradually reel them in. Here is where you need to check in with yourself, see how you’re feeling, assess your pre-race game plan, and make a choice.
SURGE if it’s late in the race and you haven’t got time to reel them in. Make up the distance you can and make it your goal to be able to tuck right in behind them.
MOVE. Make a move of your own if you are able to get to them; and remember you want it to be DECISIVE. If they ‘spent’ themselves the first time they passed you, it might be easier to crush them mentally; they probably didn’t expect you to come back.

Back and Forth: Passing is a two-way street and you can get into a back and forth sort of game; which can be fun, infuriating and incredibly mentally taxing in addition to the physical. Here, just keep thinking, “It’s not over until I say it’s over,” and don’t let any of their passes crush you mentally. Far easier said than done, I know, but that’s just how running is. Sometimes you do wind up being the one who got passed and dropped. But each time that happens you get a little bit stronger, physically and mentally, and hopefully it ignites a fire in you to keep training. That way you’ll be the one doing the decisive passing and crushing your competitors.

The race isn’t over until you cross the finish line.
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In case you missed it, check out: ‘5 Ways to Make Sure Your Race Doesn’t Suck’

After all that passing, if you’re a runnerchick, be sure to get yourself my Get Chicking shirt! 😉
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1) How would you describe a DECISIVE pass versus just merely passing someone?

2) How do you handle getting passed and how do you stay mentally focused and not give up?

3) Do you have a good story of a back and forth passing situation? Do share!

4) Who raced this weekend?? Who ran?? 🙂

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5 Ways to Make Sure Your Race Doesn’t Suck

Posted on October 31, 2012 by Cait — 35 Comments ↓

Ah, the thrill of race day is what some runners live for. Take all that adrenaline and exited-nervousness and it’s a schmorgesborg of energy. With race day comes the (hopefully mostly) self-imposed pressure, expectations and hopes to run your best. You’ve got big goals you want to achieve and you hope that by the time you cross the finish line you’ve hit those. Here are 5 ways you can stack the odds in your favor to step away from the line satisfied.

1) Game Plan: You need to go into any race with a concrete idea of how you’re going to run and the goals you want to achieve. You don’t want to have to try and make decisions on the fly; in the middle of a race you don’t want to be wasting mental energy on wondering what to do. Plan how you’re going to run, the splits you want to hit, how you are going to react if someone surges or your competitors make a move. Go in knowing if YOU plan to make those moves and what you will do if someone covers them. With race plans you need a few because you don’t know what others may do; you don’t want to be surprised in the middle of a race and freeze-up. You also don’t want to mess up your entire race by poor pacing. When you’ve got your race plans it’s even better if you’re able to use mental visualization to ‘practice’ them.

2) Consider Conditions: If you’re running amidst a hurricane you should obviously be drafting off of people! Not funny, I know. But when you show up to a race you need to check the conditions and adjust your race plan if need be. If it’s really hot and humid you may have to chuck the times you had planned and race off of effort. If it’s really windy you may want to hold off on taking the lead until later so that you can tuck in and conserve energy. The race day weather and conditions don’t DEFINE the race and you can’t let less than ideal conditions be an excuse for you to still not put the effort in; it just means you may have to adjust your goals and plans.

That girl’s drafting! 😉

3) Use Your Competition: Don’t ever be afraid of your competitors, embrace them because they will force you to step up your own game and race your best. Always be looking for that person faster than you, key off of them, sit behind them, focus on their back and don’t let a gap develop. Pick people off; if that back you’re focusing on is slowing down or you feel better then blow by that sucker and move onto the next person in front of you…always keep looking for that next person.

4) Avoid Mind Mutiny: There are SO many sub-topics here, for the sake of brevity I’ll give pointers here and direct you to other posts. Getting stuck in no-man’s land in a race stinks, but there are ways to salvage the race; don’t let feeling like it’s just you on the course be an excuse to give up…hey, the clock is always there! The middle of a race is the hardest, don’t let your mind check-out here…this, 99% of the time, leads to your pace slacking. Keep applying the pressure and focus. Do NOT focus on, “dang, this really hurts.” Duh, running hurts…that’s a reality, you knew that going in. So stop the self-defeatist thoughts and focus on what you CAN control (form, breathing, stride count, etc.) as a means of distraction.

5) Not Your Day, So What: Does that sound heinously tough love-esque? Well so be it…but the truth is we ALL have races where the legs just don’t show up that day. If the gun goes off and you feel like you’re pulling bricks, don’t automatically throw in the towel and give up. You NEED those mentally grueling races and workouts because getting through them makes you mentally tougher; then the days when your legs SO show up, you’ll be able to apply that toughness and you’ll be running faster. Overcoming the crappy runs are a huge mental test; give up too often and you set up a really bat habit that is tough to break out of. So if it’s not your day, yes, you may need to adjust your goals and plan but STILL put in the effort. Also, you’d be amazed at how your race can be salvaged even with ‘dead’ legs; that and miraculously your legs could show up mid-race…it’s happened.

So there you go…five ways to make sure that race you’ve been running your butt off for doesn’t suck. Of course there are many more…but I guess you’ll just have to keep reading (and running) to get more. 😉

1) What’s one way you make sure your races don’t suck? Or a tip you’d like to share?

2) What has been a time you had to adjust your plans due to weather conditions?

3) When has been a time that your legs really didn’t show up that day; how did you react and still put in the effort? Or, if you gave up, what did you learn from that experience and try to make sure you did better next time?