‘Motivation’ Articles at , Page 21

Booty-Lock: The Runner’s Struggle Against Fire on the Butt

Posted on May 23, 2012 by Cait — 10 Comments ↓

Run like your butt is on fire…

Surely it FEELS like your butt is on fire at times, no? Nothing like the booty-lock shuffle induced from going out at a pace you probably shouldn’t have. Payback for making that pacing mishap can turn downright ugly come the later stages of the race or workout.

But fire on the bum isn’t solely reserved for the pacing blunderers, no, I doubt you could find any 400 meter runner who is able to escape it on the final sprint for home. Sprinters aren’t the only ones, and us distance runners aren’t immune…the tough this is that when our booty-lock sets in we usually have to stick it out for longer than a few hundred meters. 😉

So today’s post is a little mix-up mash-up of sorts in tribute to fire on the butt and booty-lock. The first picture set the stage…and then we move to the next one:

See, booty-lock IS worth it when it means a PR. Remind yourself that as you’re battling the booty-lock shuffle en-route to the finish line…just get there in one piece and you’ll get your reward.

Fire on the butt for training: Plyometrics are awesome for that and doing them, intentionally setting those fast-twitch muscle fibers alight will see you reaping rewards in the speed and power department. Even distance runners shouldn’t shirk away for ‘sprinter’ stuff…if you want to get faster you have to train to get faster, no?

The booty debate? I think across the board runners take the cake both literally and figuratively when it comes to having the best legs. Maybe I’m partial, but I know I’m proud of my legs not just because they are muscular but also for what the DO for me. I know sprinters tend to be blessed with a little more caboose, but distance runners aren’t too shabby of a backside view either, what say you?

In the end it’s worth dealing with the fire in the quads, butt, and even arms alike in the quest for getting the best from ourselves. But envisioning actual flames off our tush, well that’s just for some haha’s and hopefully a fun distraction and motivation for you the next time you’re waging the war on booty-lock. 😉

1) Let’s have some awesome booty-lock stories…what’s been a time where you were doing the shuffle for home? Was it because of bad pacing or it was just par for the course and racing hard? Was there a happy ending?
A time that stands out in my mind was a tempo I was running on the track, I felt good early on and stupidly dropped the pace too drastically for the second and third miles…enter fire on the bum and all over those last two miles. 😛

2) Favorite booty or bum exercises that you do? Which are you a fan of and how often do you do leg/butt strength type work?

3) Weight in on the booty debate, what is your favorite body part thanks to running, is it your legs, butt, or something else?

Blinded By the Light: Visions on the run

Posted on May 21, 2012 by Cait — 8 Comments ↓

We have five senses. We can see the track as it veers left and stretches out before us. We can feel the rush of the wind as we cut through it in running stride. We can hear whatever noise that surrounds us, be it crowds cheering, traffic horns blaring or nothing but the whoosh of that wind. Our noses can also smell whatever happens to waft our way. Finally, we can taste the air as we deeply inhale what our lungs and muscles crave and we can actually taste the proof of our exertion, the sweat.

Sight, let’s focus on that one. There was a solar eclipse and for a moment, at the time when the sun shone unbelievebaly bright we are told to always look away or risk blindness. But let’s be honest, when we are told something is a definite no-no we HAVE to of course do it and look at this beautiful image that is such a taboo.

With running sight is a funny thing. There are runs where the entire time we’re struck by oddities that catch out attention on the route: things people do, things you catch them doing when they think no one else is looking…isn’t it great how a lone runner can become invisible to the world, the fly on the wall that can catch them in the moments they think they have all to themselves?

There are runs where I’ve been so wrapped up in other things that I’ve gone through the entire thing, gotten home, am taking a shower and honestly question how in the world I got out the door through the entire thing and back without any real memory of the events of the run. I was completely running on auto-pilot and my body knew the route all on its own, making each turn on muscle memory.

Other times vision is a distraction. There have been training partners in the past where I could close my eyes and paint a picture of their backs, about shoulder level, right where my eyes lock in during workouts and the entire time all I focus on is that tiny freckle between their shoulder blades and NOT letting a gap develop between me and that freckle.

I’ve done tempo runs on the treadmill and of course I HAVE to have something on the TV to distract me, but as the tempo progresses I’m paying less and less attention to the actual show but conversely I’m staring harder and harder at the screen. As I finish the tempo I have no idea what’s happening plot-wise but an outside observer would think I was completely engrossed in it…actually I’m just trying to NOT look down at the little screen closer to me, the one that really holds my interest but I can’t look at it. Because if I look at the treadmill’s screen I may risk something worse than just blindness, I could risk a chink in the mental bridge I’m trying to build to block out the pain. The fortress protecting me from myself, my own mind that would then tell me to stop.

Don't look at the sun, it may blind you! 😉

Vision for a runner is interesting and seems to be solely dependant on the given day, the run, and what you want to accomplish. But you have to appreciate all of them in their given form, as a completely open people-watching addict it is awesome when you stride upon pure gold and catch sight of something you really weren’t meant to see.

Long trail runs could imprint images that you remember for the rest of your life and seem to be far more breathtakingly stunning because you are running. For the moments and races where you actually don’t see anything but a blur or the freckle of the runner in front of you, sometimes those non-images are the most beautiful but only because of what happens after you cross the finish line.

1) On your last run, what did you see? Was it an auto-pilot run, did you catch something hilarious, discover a new trail, or were you staring at a freckle?

2) Pick one of the other senses and can you call up a particularly interesting memory tied to is?
When I was in high school the throw coach would usually set up a BBQ and start grilling up sausages and any other slabs of meat he could find to reward his shot-putters and discus chuckers. Now, because the 3200 was always run at the very end of the meet when all of his athletes were done, by the time I had my 8 laps to do the BBQ was in a roaring, smoking, meat-fest state. The smoke and smell of sausage and cooking flesh would be wafting full force right at the first turn and it would make my nose and stomach churn! Hehe. But I couldn’t hold it against my throws coach because he was just too awesome of a guy. 😉

3) If someone tells you that you can’t do something do you then have to do it? This actually can work as the perfect motivator if someone tells you that you can’t actually achieve a particular goal.

The Fascination of Mental Toughness: When we pass the point of running and into training it’s the mental aspect that really comes into play

Posted on May 19, 2012 by Cait — 8 Comments ↓

Getting back into running after any kind of break is rough sailing. Be it out of injury, post-season recovery, yes, even some are afflicted by the lazy monster, can we get a collective, “Ouch” from the crowd? That said, battle through those first couple weeks and then soak in the awe of muscle memory.

Bent over and panting...have you seen this scene before?? 😉

Runners, once you’ve been at this long enough, have pretty much conditioned our legs to bend to our will. The quads, hamstrings, calf muscles, core, and even those biceps alike, know the motions thanks to the hours of repetition; they can to a degree function on auto-pilot. So we suck it up those first few awkward runs, try to not look at the pace and cringe too much, and eventually slip into a more reasonable state of shape.

Getting to our own ‘casual’ running pace doesn’t take too long but then, as with any other runner out there who wants to race or test themselves, the work is as hard as heck. Training involves the intervals, tempos, repeats and pain. Training involves the mind games; the pendulum between good days and the days when you feel like utter crap are more extreme and the exertion level is felt to a higher degree. Training is far more uncomfortable.

I tend to talk a lot about the mental games, the importance of tenacity; tips and tricks about how to get through tough workouts, talking yourself into a gamer state of mind, how to NOT let your mind hold you back from achieving what you want out of your body. I think the reason I do is that the topic on the whole fascinates me; it isn’t something you can quantify, gauge it like you can a certain pace, there is no formula, you can’t tell by looking at a person or by doing any number of scientific tests just HOW mentally tough a runner is and where they fall on some kind of grit spectrum.

We look to examples of harriers that exude grit and toughness; their pained expressions, their ability to race outside of anything their workouts would predict. Some pass out after they cross the line, others are acknowledged by their own competitors as bada** racers, “They are tougher than anyone I’ve ever seen or raced.”

I, just as other athletes and runners, tend to soak up quotes, advice, stories of epic races and duels, surrounding the topic of mental grit because it is so mysterious. Just as others I’ve finished plenty of races and workouts and wondered, “Did I give everything I had? Was there even a fraction of a second where I may have given in, eased up just a bit to the pain?” Because it’s one thing to feel like you were beaten by your body on a certain day, sometimes it is just not in the legs for whatever reason. But it seems to sting a heck of a lot more to be beaten by the mind. THAT seems to be the worst.

Yet when you know you’ve definitely won the battle of the mind THAT seems to be especially gratifying and even to a degree more admired than the actual time or outcome of the race. Odd how there have been races where the runner who gets the most buzz and acclaim, who we seem to admire the most that day, was the person who had the most guts rather than the actual winner.

No matter what point you are with your running, no matter how many years you’ve been at it, the level you race at, if you even race at all…when you crest the point of ‘comfortable’ running and into ‘training’ running we are all in the same boat. Exertion is exertion. Tons of factors come into determining the paces, times, and titles but we are all uncomfortable together. Thus we ALL gravitates to one variable that is a common place we can improve upon, the variable that fascinates and mystifies us all: mental toughness.

That’s the one that can leave us questioning ourselves almost the most, “Did I get the most out of myself today or was there a point where it was my mind holding me back?”

1) What point are you at with your running; are you running just to run or training? Both are fulfilling in different ways and neither one is necessarily better or worse here.

2) Are you particularly interested in the mental aspect of running? What about it do you think piques your interest the most?
I love hearing recounts of runners telling me about their toughest races or workouts; I could hear ‘beastly’ moments and workout feats from people all day long. 🙂

3) Would you like to share one of your own beastly workout or race stories??

“I’m Better Than You” — Being confident in yourself doesn’t mean you have to be an ego-maniac

Posted on May 17, 2012 by Cait — 13 Comments ↓

Running takes confidence. Running also builds confidence. Yet at the same time confidence is a tricky thing and something many of us struggle with. Reaching for our goals and accomplishing great things demands that we confident in our abilities yet at the same time society tells us to not be overtly or overly confident. The latter examples are what we then coin ego-maniacs, these are the people we joke about having heads too big for their britches and they take up a whole room between their bodies and their egos.

I will beat you. 😛

So we grow up with mixed signals about what is enough confidence and what is too much; usually it comes down to thinking highly of yourself but never actually voicing that you do. To put it out there means you are bragging and nobody like a bragger. What to do what to do?

Sports and running promote self-esteem because you can quantify the progress you make; hard work and perseverance lead to improvement and reinforces that work ethic. Yet, it’s not uncommon for runners to be afraid that they don’t measure up; doubting themselves as well as wondering what in the world they are doing thinking they can actually DO such-and-such. These are normal feelings and everyone has them to a certain degree at times, but get stuck in that circular, negative thought pattern and you wind up stuck.

To practice and promote a little self-confidence I thought we could play a fun little game. I’m going to call it Find Your Inner Rapper. Generalizing I may be, but I tend to think rappers are often pretty confident in themselves. I’m going to call myself Rev Runna CC…now pick your own name and let’s roll out.

* I want to to beat you. Pick a phrase that would be something you’d say at the staring line of a race, a workout, or even just going out for a run. Examples: I’m going to break 21 minutes in the 5k. I will not give up on this workout. I’m not going to let this dude next to me pass me. I’d like to go at least 30 minutes without walking for this run.

* Ditch the clutter. Check that phrase you came up with and cut out any of the following: like to, give up, I’m not, want to. Basically you want to pare out any unnecessary adjectives or verbs that aren’t calling immediate action…your phrase should be as short and to the point as can be. Why? Here’s a change to some of examples above: I will beat you. I will break 21 minutes. I will crush this workout. I’m better than him. (ie: guy next to you) I won’t walk. See the differences here? They all call action but they ALSO are all positive, reinforcing words. Even saying “I will not give up” includes the option of giving up and has you thinking it…ditch it.

* Crime and punishment. Rappers are not all thugs but for our game the rest of it goes that you mess with some of the ‘rules’ of society. Have fun out there, represent. (How many stereotypes can I cram in here and pretend I’m hard core??)

Remember folks, society may call it a faux pas, but it’s not a crime to see a runner on the street and think to yourself, “I could totally whoop on him.”

It aint a crime to warm-up with a friend, wish them luck on the starting line but when the gun goes off treat them as any other competitor and run your best. Just so long as regardless of outcome you wish them well and then cool-down together.

It’s not a moral offense when asked what time you want to run and not stumble, stutter, pause, or include the words: might, we’ll see if, I doubt I can but, probably won’t but we’ll see if. Let’s be short, to the point, and call on those action phrases.

It’s more than okay to blast your pump-up music and sing horribly off-key; even if there are profanities. I’ve found some explicit lyrics are at times called for to properly get your gamer face on.

Don’t feel bad if you find yourself smirking and filled with pride when you drop the sucker behind your panting like mad. You’re faster than him and you know it.

The bottom line is: THOUGHTS are not a crime. You can’t be penalized for thinking something even if it’s the most egotistical thought in the world. In fact, get a little cozy with some of those phrases and build up your runner self-esteem. You don’t need to say them to be fierce…just act on them.

Word out yo.

1) What’s your runner rapper name?

2) What ego building phrase did you come up with?

3) What crimes did you partake in? Others not listed are begging to be shared!

4) What thoughts do you promise to not feel guilty about all in the sake of boosting your running ego and drive to improve your performances?

5) Am I dork for this game?
A resounding yes from the crowd, please.

Let’s Get Hyped: 5 Strategies to Talk Yourself Up into the Running Zone

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Cait — 16 Comments ↓

Handling pre-race (or pre-hard workouts for that matter!) anxiety and nerves is something every runner deals with. There is always a certain level of pressure regardless of the situation; some pressure is a good thing because it allows us to elevate our game to the necessary level.

There is a swell of emotions all warring inside ourselves regardless of outward appearances; the difference between the runners that you can see this tumult in their faces from those you can’t is how well the athlete is able to channel, compartmentalize, and utilize these feelings to their benefit. All of the nerves, the wanting to do your best, the fear of wondering if you’ll be able to handle the pain, wondering if you’ll beat so-and-so, hoping you hit a certain time, questioning whether you need one more bathroom stop…all of that is normal, but depending on how you handle and cope with everything going on inside your brain translates to how well your body is able to perform.

Running is a mental sport. Here are five tips that I feel work to getting a handle on your brain before a race or hard workout so that you can put them to work, to HELP you step up and be the gamer you want to be:

* Visualization: I did an entire post on this but the power of self-visualization is one that I feel is huge. the thing though, is that it works with practice and something you should be doing before the actual event/workout in order to hone your skills. Start in a quite room and imagine going through the race or workout just as you’d like it to play out; from the last stride of your warm-up to battling through that last interval. Anticipate the pain and practice staying relaxed. Do this enough and begin imagining on your warm-up for the race and workout and then remember how that relaxed feeling felt.

I SWEAR it doesn't hurt that much. 🙂 Just keep telling your legs that.

* Mantras: Many runners have a short phrase or saying that means something to them. It can be anything from ‘I am strong’, ‘Smooth, relaxed, fast’, ‘I am going to kick butt,’ to others like ‘Make it one more step then one more mile’ or ‘Chocolate chocolate chocolate’ chanted in time with your footfalls. The thing is to pick something that resonates with YOU so that when you repeat it to yourself when you’re tired, hurting mid-race, or nervous just before the starting gun. It reminds you of the runner you want to be and that your hard work is FOR something.

* Repetition: Constants feel safe, they are orderly when other things may be feeling out of our control. Having something we know we can rely on because it is always the same works to relax us and give us something even, sane, and logical to focus on. It works as a distraction. Have a warm-up routine including easy running, drills, strides and stretches that you do THE SAME way each and every hard workout and race. Get it honed to the point where your body can go through the motions on auto-pilot; though as you go through each step just focus on the moment, the single drill, the process. Then push any anxiety or jitters out of your mind…stay in the present and let the future take care of itself.

* Talk do your body: This one is a tip to do during the actual workout or race at the point where the hurting starts up. Rather than acknowledge that pain is present and only going to get worse (I mean let’s be honest we all know it will…hehe!) check in with the physical. Remind yourself to relax your jaw, your shoulders, check that your arms are swinging front to back and not across your body, do a form check. Count your strides and make sure you are being efficient there, ensure that your breathing is controlled and even. If you have to, shake out your arms for a quick way to relax any tension built up there. Channel your thoughts to physical things you can control and not the pain.

* Confidence: You might think you can’t force confidence in yourself but hear me out…to get to the starting line or point you are already has taken a lot of hard work. Running isn’t for slackers, so take confidence in your abilities and all you’ve done thus far. Think back to the hard workouts where you fought the pain and won out; remember beastly long runs you never thought you could do and you ran; remind yourself that you’ve done such-and-such workout before and that HAD to hurt a heck of a lot more than whatever you’re about to do. Finally, remember that running isn’t a ‘luck sport’ and that you’ve done all within your power to achieve the goals you set…be confident in yourself and your abilities and then be excited to perform at the level you DESERVE to.

The truth is that every single runner thinks the same sorts of things before a race and yes, even hard workouts. Everyone has doubts at times, nerves, and the same hopes that they do excel and perform well in whatever they are getting ready for. But you have to tune out all that white noise and chatter to zone in to the frame of mind necessary to achieve those things.

1) How do you hype yourself up to the gamer level for races or hard workouts?

2) How do you channel the nerves and use them to your advantage?
I would force the race out of my mind two days out from the event and then only begin to think about it again when I started my warm-up. From there I’d stay in the moment and focus on the routine of things.

3) How do you stay confident in yourself and your abilities?
Remembering other workouts where I was really tough and did well helps me a lot.

Running Motivation and Keeping Perspective: Don’t take your running for granted as it’s not always a ‘given’

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Cait — 27 Comments ↓

It’s really easy to take running for granted. To just expect that it will there waiting for us, that our next run is available at our earliest convenience. We can take advantage of it all we want, get a little miles grubby sometimes, blow it off other times, but no matter how we treat it assume it will come crawling back to us like a pathetic lover.

Getting a little too relaxed with your running relationship...taking it for granted?

Losing perspective is an easy trap to fall into, you get overly confident and secure in your body and its abilities, happens to the best of us. You’re feeling amazing in your workouts, you can no longer vividly recall the hot sting of an injury and being stuck cross-training, and running has turned into a ‘given’ in your mind.

A given. Thinking of it like that can lead to some lulls in motivation as well; naturally there are days where you’re not exactly relishing the thought of lacing up and sweating out the miles. That tempo run isn’t looking so tempting, you’re drained from a long day at the office, you’re wrestling with the urge to just blow off the date you had with running. You think, “Eh, who cares, I know it will take me back and be there waiting next time.”

That’s not true; and any time you need a little perspective on that talk to a runner who is just coming back from an injury. Their zest and zeal, their monstrous craving for any amount of running has reached a pinnacle point and their motivation is just as high.

For a moment, let’s imagine a charted line. An injured runner and their mood, their outlook on getting to run; when they first get the green light to go that line shoots up in a rocket climb. Each day they eagerly anticipate their sweat time and as they are able to run more and more it becomes a little more comfortable, familiar, repetitive. Time goes by and the line gradually evens out, it’s not flat-lining, but it’s leveling off.

Months and miles stack up and this runner’s line maintains normal ups and downs like an EKG; the small spikes and dips are the usual days when you feel great and looking forward to that run, the other days where your legs are tired and you need to force yourself to get out the door and into that first mile.

This is a good, steady state to maintain of course, you don’t want to be constantly injured but there is NOTHING like an injury to give your frame of mind a little kick in the butt. Injuries, when you come back to finally running, are like hitting a little ‘reset’ button in your brain. You promise yourself that you will no long be overly greedy with your miles and workouts, that you will be thankful for each one you can do, cherish them.

But let’s be honest, after the ‘newness’ starts to wear off we all get careless eventually and slip into the little ways we can abuse our running relationship. Not huge offenses always: more instances of motivation lulls, skimping on the stretching or exercises we are supposed to do to keep us healthy, these types of things.

Though when we start to act the snotty high school boyfriend to our meek, running girlfriend we need to check ourselves:

* The next time you’re not looking forward to that grueling track workout…remember the last time you were injured and how you focused on the big running goals you wanted to achieve when you got back. Time on the cross-trainer was made bearable because you imagined that when you could train again you’d put everything you had into it. Remember there is a runner out there currently on a cross-trainer making those same pledges; now that you’re on the other side of the fence, make good on the goals you set for yourself and start that first interval.

* Next time you are not thrilled to be going out for a run, you’ve had a long day…remember there is a runner out there, fresh off an injury excited to be able to just run for 10 minutes. Force yourself to at least match that, more times than not you’ll keep going longer.

* When you are stuck on the cross-trainer…remember there is a runner sidelined and just out of surgery. Stuck in the bed they are anxiously awaiting the green light to do just something.

* The post-surgery runner in surgery…remember that it is a contiguous cycle, you’re at one of the low points but it will climb back up. Now is the time to set your sights on the future, set the goals for yourself on your road to recovery. Of course they need to be smart, baby steps but always have something to focus on ahead of you. Then when you are back and running, looking at that hard workout, remember your time spent setting those goals.

The running cycle…can we cue the Lion King background music here for the circle of *running* life? 😉

Motivation will always be spiking like that EKG chart but don’t let yourself forget that running isn’t always a ‘given’ and it can be taken back a lot faster than you think. Be smart with your training and try to give yourself some ‘imagined’ perspective shifts rather than waiting for a stupid injury to give your brain the ‘reset’ for you.

1) What part of the running cycle are you in right now? Props to everyone at the top…shout it loud and proud!
I’m at the early coming back stages. 🙂

2) What are some offenses you are guilty of in taking your running for granted?
Wow, so many…but I like saying the term miles grubber so I’ll list that one.

3) How do you maintain perspective with your running; balancing smart training decisions and ensuring you get that next run in?

4) Name one thing that helps motivate you to get your run/workout in when you’re in a motivation lull.
Think of how I’ll feel when I’m done.

Running Curiosities: The quest to understand how to get the most from ourselves

Posted on May 13, 2012 by Cait — 13 Comments ↓

Running curious. What could that mean? Well, if you’re like me you have had some pretty odd thoughts pop through your brain during all of those miles. But I’ve also seen some pretty crazy, even incredible, sights while running too.

Though running curiosities may not be limited to these two interpretations either; does running not teach us to be curious in wondering what could be? How much can we accomplish? What are we capable of, how far can we reach, how high can we dream? What goals can we achieve and how much can we overcome?

Running is a constant battle of the mind and body, mostly taming the mind or manipulating it in a way to keep going; going one second faster, going one step further, another PR, another mile. Your mind says, “No,” but you have to still encourage the body to “Go.” Go, Dog, Go! 😉

The longer you’re at this mental game the better you become at blocking out the distress signals from your brain; though it’s not always a linear learning curve, there are ups and downs. Like an EKG chart, some days you’re more ‘on’ and there are other days where your whining mind might win out too. That’s okay, we all have weaker moments, we are after all human. Just remember how you feel after those ‘weaker’ days, let down and frustrated, and the next time you feel the urge to give in remind yourself that you will, in fact, regret it later despite what your negative mind is yelling at you in the moment.

There are so many curiosities in running, intangibles that science is constantly trying to define, pinpoint, dissect, discover, and track, all in the effort to give us the answers to our questions. Why do we have days where our legs feel like lead for no apparent reason, why are there days when we feel magical and like we are running inhumanly, effortlessly? What’s the perfect way to taper, the smartest training plan, the perfect runner diet…why, why, why…

That is why all of those running magazines, journals, blogs, websites, and labs are there and why we swallow them up, devouring the information to fuel our training regimen, to further fuel this running addiction. To get the best from ourselves.

Running teaches us to get the best out of our bodies, but also our lives. That self-motivation, tenacity, resiliance spills into reaching and pushing ourselves to do better in other areas. Curious how that works.

1) What are some of the strangest things you’ve experienced on a run, seen, thought about, been a part of, or otherwise?
Have to say you should check out some of the awesome and hilarious things that went on during Britt’s run the other day! 🙂

2) What does running curious mean to you?

3) How does the curiosity to push yourself further translate to personal running goals? To other areas of life?

4) What is a physical curiosity tied to running that has sparked your interest as of late; an article you read about a certain workout, product, food, etc?

A Backwards Plot to Running: Would knowing the outcome sway your decision to start?

Posted on May 9, 2012 by Cait — 16 Comments ↓

8:34:23 – She crosses the line, looks up at the clock. Slightly bends forward, hands on knees for just a moment before rising and looking up again, this time to the woman who beat her, then back at the track again.

8:00:02 – Crack. The starter gun goes off.

7:23:46 – She starts off on her warm-up, sweats on. Over the course of the next 45 minutes she’ll slowly strip off the layers until she’s down to just her singlet and racing shoes.

5 Days Earlier – Last tune-up workout. She finishes feeling sharp, confident, shares a laugh with her training partner as they cross through the line on the last interval just as the sunset dips below the stands of the local track. “That’ll do,” yells the coach from the sidelines…the laugh comes because she just muttered under her breath to her teammates, “That’ll do, Pig.” They all got the reference.

17 Day Earlier – It’s colder than usual, her skin pricks a bit as they all start out on their long run. Some of her training buddies, best friends, are wearing long sleeves but she’s only in a tank top…she knows she warms up fast and hates being overly hot.

45 Days Earlier – The rain is coming down hard, it burns her face as she makes a turn straight into the line of fire and she swears there has to be a little hail mixed in there. Blinking like crazy she laughs and thinks, “Only 10 more miles to go!”

53 Days Earlier – Just before shutting out the light she closes her eyes and thinks of a day in the future, not so far away, but one she’s had in the back of her mind for weeks, months, maybe years. She thinks of a time, the one burned in the back of her mind, it’s a time and a title, a finishing place that she envisions. She opens her eyes, looks to the wall on her right and the same time stares back at her, inked in black on a flimsy little post-it. It’s been hanging there for so long it’s lost it’s sticky and is taped to the wall with duct-tape.

I was watching a show last night and it was one of those backwards plot episodes and it got me thinking, “How would a backwards plot play out related to running?” What if we were able to watch our entire race play out but in rewind, we’d watch the finishers all sweaty and panting, some happy others disappointed, some puking, and ourselves mixed in there as well. We’d then see who makes which moves where, who went out too fast; our own moves, our own mistakes or smart moves. Then all of them, and us, at the starting line poised to start.

When you’ve got a certain race, time, title you want, one you’ve been focusing on for so long, I can see where having this ability to look into the future would be a little tempting. To know the outcome before you started, heck, to know the outcome before you even tried, maybe months or years prior. The question then begs to be asked, “If you did know how the race played out, would you even start? Would the end result be the deciding factor on if it was worth it to you to get to the line? Either way, would you sacrifice the journey?”

Some people may instantly say, “Yes,” if they knew they lost or fell short of their goals, maybe to them it wouldn’t be worth it to dump time and energy into the training. Maybe they would think, “Well, all that running and stuff wasn’t really worth it, I never did hit what I set out to do. The smart thing would be to invest that time elsewhere and put it to better use.” I guess I could see their point of view.

Even if you knew you were going to win, to come away with a new PR, would you just want to cut ahead to the finish? Skip all the workouts and runs along the way and just get to the good stuff? I don’t necessarily think you would if you really thought about it; no, I think you’d actually want to live in each and every second, footstep of that race, so you can relish it looking back. It would be reinforcement of all the hard work, sure, and motivation to keep striving going forward, that too. I think skipping all the hard stuff and grueling workouts to get to that point would cheapen those memories a bit too, strip down the meaning behind what you achieved.

I had a person once tell me, “You’re one of those runners who likes the training just as much as the racing, and it kills you every time you have to taper. You do it because you want to race well, but I know it drives you crazy too.” I own up to that, I’m stir crazy if I don’t work off all that energy, and I still love running even though I can’t remember when my last race was.

Every run, the crappy, the awesome, the in-between, the hilariously ridiculous due to elements, the ones you honestly have no idea how you got through because they hurt so bad, and those spent silent alongside someone but the entire time you’ve spoken with them unlike any other are all worth it in my mind. You learn, you meet people, you experience. Even if you knew how each and every workout and run was going to play out, say you were able to ‘see’ which were the ones you would crush and the others you would fall flat on, I’d still do them. Though I wouldn’t really want that magic eight ball eye for the bad ones! 😉

For racing, I think the unknowns keep us going, the quest for our goals. Sure, we fail sometimes, but we have other chances, other goals, no need to just chuck in the towel and call it all a waste. Even if you never hit something, or miss out on that title, time, team victory, the workouts and runs leading up to that point, no doubt you created lasting memories and are things I wouldn’t call a waste.

You also certainly learned about yourself too. Was that a waste?

In the end the journey is worth it too, not just the last second and ending credits. Nope, no backwards plot for this runnerchick.

1) What would a backwards plot running style look like for you, or what would you liken it to? Would it be a different take on the concept that I have?

2) If you could have the power to know the outcomes beforehand, would you take advantage of that or rather not know?

3) Would the outcome sway your decision or motivation to even start?

4) Racing aside, if you knew how every run was going to be or feel, would you decide to just not go out on certain days?

The Big Three: Talent vs. Work Ethic vs. Mental Toughness- Which matters the most?

Posted on May 2, 2012 by Cait — 13 Comments ↓

What makes the most successful runners, is the talent, hard work ethic or mental toughness that matters the most? Sure, genetics come into play, one can’t overlook that as a factor, but running isn’t the kind of sport where you can make it to top off of pure talent alone. Eventually even the most talented ‘slackers’ hit their glass ceilings and get outpaced by the runners who refuse to let their genetic short-comings stand in their way and rely on dedication and perseverance.

Then there is grit. There are runners who make running look ugly, each step painful and torturous, mostly because it is, but they battle the pain, embrace it, run towards it even unlike their competitors can. There are also the types of runners who tend to rise to the occasion, when they toe the line they are able to step it up to a new level and perform even better than their workouts may have predicted. I like the term Shalane Flanagan has used, these are the ‘gamers.’

All runners possess each of these but to varying degrees; of course we’d like to be blessed with all of them to the utmost but we can’t, so let’s not get greedy. However, which would you say is the most important, which would you say should be factored in the most, and which is the hardest to make up for?

Talent. You can’t fake that, you can’t really change much of it either…you sort of have it or you don’t. Fast-twitch to slow-twitch muscle fiber ratio tends to predispose you to the event you’re best at; with certain training and exercises you can increase or build up the kind you may be lacking in, but to at a certain point you’ll max out. Your max heart rate and VO2 Max are other things you can only improve on so much before you’re tapped out. Form; some runners take to it naturally and make the act look effortless, even beautiful. Here there is a lot more ‘wiggle room’ and with diligent work and practice even the ugliest runner can improve their form.

Work ethic. Running can’t be faked…you can’t luck your way into the hole in one equivalent of a fast race. A prime example of this is when you see the young age-grouper kids tearing it up and winning off of talent, they get to high school and even there they can excel for awhile. But come senior year and college, if they are used to being able to skate by with skipped runs they get a cold slap of reality when they can’t win so easily any more. Here is where they can either learn and find the motivation to re-dedicate themselves and they gain that self-motivation if they want to continue to thrive; if they don’t then they can settle. The hard workers, these are the cases where ‘unknown’ runners hit their big coming out moment and get thrust into the spotlight. The thing is, they’ve been flying under the radar for a long time, diligently working away, taking the loses or back of pack status in stride and then all of that hard work finally pays off.

Mentality. Grit and mental toughness probably holds the most mystic as it can’t exactly be quantified or tested. There isn’t really a measuring system for it and even the ‘gamers’ can’t fully explain how they are able to step up, hone their focus, and block out the pain so well, they just do. I think that being able to block out the pain is certainly something that can continually be worked on and that our thresholds can always be pushed. I know there are times where I know for a fact I’ve hit a new level of pain. I think that comes from experience, hard workouts, races; these callous the mind. Visualization and other techniques are also at our disposal. Generally, just proving that voice in your mind telling you that you can’t is instrumental; your mind is often the biggest limiting factor but every time you ignore it and hit a new goal you reinstill that when it screams at you to stop and you can’t do something, it is only a farce. “You can’t run 10 miles without stopping,” the voice says…you do it, one point for you, a loss for the mind.

Runners fall across the spectrum on all of these; hard work and mental toughness are perhaps the two ‘easiest’ ones to manipulate and improve upon. There is always room to grow…what it often comes down to is practice, the motivation to get better, and then just getting out there and doing it day in and day out. How much do you want it?

1) Which of these do you feel is your greatest strength? Which do you feel is your weaker point?

2) Which do you think is the greatest factor in determining your running success? Which do you feel maybe matters the least?

3) Who are some runners that you feel are examples of harriers that have a strong ability in one of these traits?
For grit, Paula Radcliffe, Alberto Salazar, and Adam Goucher are just a few that instantly spring to mind.

4) Which do you wish you had the most of, admire in other runners the greatest, and what do you want to do to improve on that trait?

What the Heck Has Luck Got to Do With it? – Running is hardly a sport for the lucky

Posted on April 30, 2012 by Cait — 14 Comments ↓

“Good luck.” In the flurry of races this weekend, even I was guilty of rattling this phrase off to lots of my friends who were about to toe the line. Written, said, Tweeted, Facebooked…you name it, when someone we know is about to race these are our go-to words. The ‘bon voyage to vacationers.

Trackside view.

But shouldn’t we really be saying something more along the lines of, “Think of how many countless miles of hard work you’ve put in to get here.” Or, “You’ve busted your @$$ for this race, get out there and get after it. And when it really starts to hurt remember how hard you’ve fought to get here and refuse to give in to that voice telling you to ease back.”

We could say, “You’ve got this.” Or, “This chick/dude next to you, there is NO WAY they can tolerate as much pain as you…make them hurt and then when they crack blow that sucker away.”

Because in running, to actually get to the starting line it’s taken anything but bounties of luck. Sure, you could always argue this is the margin of luck, avoiding the rock in the trail that, would you have stepped on it wrong, you would have fallen down, twisted your ankle so bad that you would have been laid up and injured for months. There’s a wee bit of luck, sure, but that pales in comparison to the sweaty miles and days when you really didn’t feel like doing that workout but you did it anyways.

I say we should do away with the “Good Luck” as the steadfast, we should try to get a new phrase to catch on…I mean some people did get “that’s the bomb” circulating there for awhile. Something more fitting would be, “Race with confidence.” Because isn’t that what you really would rather hear at the staring line? I know I would…being told that I should be confident in all the training and hard work I’ve done would do much more in the way of quelling those nerves too. Run relaxed, run with confidence, because you know you belong at that starting line.

Good luck rattles off a little too easily. Sure the sentiments are there and always appreciated…but when it comes right down to it, running isn’t a sport for the lucky. You can be d@## sure that it doesn’t take luck to run a PR, a marathon, a four minute mile, an ultra, the best 5k of your life.
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I’m going to take a second to apologize profusely to anyone who has been trying to get on my site over the past few days and are only met with an error message or have been blocked. I’ve been sucked into tech/website h-e-double hockey sticks and been trying to get it taken care of! Please do come back despite my server crashing…would it be more tempting if I baited you with cookies, Pop-Tarts, and ice-cream??
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1) What would you rather hear at the starting line if it wasn’t “good luck?”

2) What helps you the most with nerves before a race? Do you get nervous?
I always got nervous before races even if they were small ones, but it was excited nervous. My mom always told me, “If you weren’t nervous, then I’d be worried…it means you didn’t care.”

3) What do you tend to tell people, friends, or anyone about to race?

4) Did you race this weekend? How did you get your sweat on?