To all of you who made the run on Saturday, CONGRATULATIONS! The wind and cold was horrible, and every one of you in my group finished, with the exception of Roy, who had some really bad knee problems going on. (Roy, we hope you're okay.)
The next 2-3 weeks are mentally the toughest ones. You're slogging through some high mileage, the weather is uncooperative, and you're questioning your abilities to reach your goal. Once we reach higher mileage like this, you also start noticing aches and pains that weren't there before. This period is a bit higher in risk for injury, so you're a little panicked about that as well. It's okay. This is all normal and you're not alone.
The most important thing right now is to just keep going. These next couple of weeks are what your body will remember the most on race day. Once we peak with a couple of 20-milers, we'll drop from that point on and you're basically done getting your body ready for distance. Don't waste the opportunity to maximize your training right now by getting beat down mentally. Take the parts that hurt, that challenge you, and use them. Focus on overcoming them each week, make yourself face it head on. For me, cold and wind are the two things I really dislike. On days like last Saturday, I have to work very hard mentally to complete that run. I know from experience that an injury I have will hurt very, very much under those conditions, and I have to focus on making sure I don't allow that pain to rule the run. Our bodies have this amazing capacity to deal with severe discomfort, as long as the brain is on board. You just have to learn how to access the strength and resolve that's inside each one of us, and rely on it to pull you through. Putting in your mental miles is sometimes more important than your physical training.
Get rid of your mental crutches now. Take the gloves off and make sure you are prepared to run your race if EVERYTHING goes wrong. Stop acting like your watch is a God so when it malfunctions during your race, you're still fine because you don't need a watch to monitor what your body is doing. Quit comparing yourself to the person next to you and run your own race on your own terms. Finalize your nutrition and eating routines and do NOT change them, even if someone tells you they have a miracle pill that will make you run faster. Make sure your shoes are in good shape and you have a back-up pair. Decide what clothes you will wear in every possible weather scenario: hot, cold, wet, snow, ice, whatever. Getting all of these things out of the way will allow you to concentrate on the fun part -- running.
Last of all, try to keep the spirit of fun that attracted you to the sport in the first place. No offense, but none of us are candidates for the next Olympic team. Sometimes I see folks so wrapped up in a PR or shaving a few minutes off their time that they have lost all perspective. I'm not saying you shouldn't have goals -- I'm just saying you'll reach them alot faster if you retain a love of the sport and some purity in your own body awareness.
gijan
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"Quit comparing yourself to the person next to you and run your own race on your own terms."
ReplyDeleteThis is the *hardest* thing for me to remember. I found it so hard mentally to let the group slip away from me on the last 3-4 miles of the run last weekend, but I knew the wind combined with my "off" week prior was going to make it tough to keep up. I probably could have maintained with Z & Jason for a mile or two, but I would have paid for it later. I ended up keeping to my own pace and finishing strong (OK, I did walk most of the hill...) at the end. A little slower than the group, but still upright and smiling.
But you did it -- focus on that! The majority of the 10/11 min. pace groups were closer in time than it appeared. We all got separated primarily through time/access to water stops. You were right there with everyone, and finishing strong is a major accomplishment on that kind of day. Almost all of us cramped or had to walk a portion of Hidden Rd. No worries!!
ReplyDeleteFor us to all finish around our expected times was the highlight, all things considered! I think my Ipod I busted out for the first time is what got me home, a little CCR should get anybody moving, "travelling band"! Hey fearless captain GIJan, since Jbone and I are running 2 weeks prior for Austin, will we have time to hit up 2 20 milers? I adjusted the current cowtown marathon schedule 2 weeks earlier, and what we'd have left is a 20, a 10, a 12, a 6, and then the marathon on 2-15-2009. Should we knock off that 10 miler and increase the mileage? I promise to not hold you liable if I only make it to 25.9
ReplyDeleteHey, Z-Man! Tweaking the schedule is certainly allowed, but I'm not sure I'd do back-to-back 20-milers at this point. I think you and Jason just want to finish feeling strong? I'm attaching a link you'll find interesting. You know I'm a big proponent of cross-training and packing more into shorter runs to increase overall muscle strength as well as reduce risk of injury. If you want to up the 10-miler, you'll be okay, but I'd limit it to 15 or so at the most. You'll still be okay, but you might try inserting some pace games to get the most out of it. After that it's serious tapering time -- recovery is the key just as much as mileage. It's important to remember that being slightly undertrained and still strong will give you a better race result than being overtrained and tired, every single time. You guys have put in the miles, so I'm not worried about undertraining at all. Go ahead and read the below article and let me know what you think (cut/paste):
ReplyDeletehttp://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-244--12021-1-1X2-3,00.html
Make sure Jason watches that hamstring and his knees!
GIjan