Without Purpose You Are Lost

SNAPSHOT

Purpose drives the run

DIGGING DEEPER

The first question to ask yourself is, "What is the purpose of this workout?" With a vision of what needs to be accomplished, you can rid yourself of guilt and indecisiveness, staying on the right path to your goals.

Perhaps you feel guilty that you only have thirty minutes for your easy run today. Is your guilt justified? Well if the purpose of the run was to gain weekly miles and increase your overall fitness then you may need to accept that you only can run for 30 minutes today and will need to add on the extra missing 20 minutes to another easy run later in the week.  However, if the purpose of your run was to increase blood flow and recover from a hard workout the previous day then 30 minutes of easy running will fulfill that purpose very well. The extra 20 minutes that you will miss is unneeded running and be grateful that your busyness is keeping you from overtraining.

Or say you are returning back to training and your workout calls for 4 sets of intervals. You complete three of the sets and feel spent.  You could eek out the last one using your mental superpowers. However being satisfied with the three intervals you completed will cause improvement without taxing your body to the point of overtraining or injury.  This is when you become the smart runner who performs a solid workout and leaves the last one for another day.  Your purpose was to work hard at your fast pace. Mission accomplished.

A favorite for runners is "The day off, I earned it" purpose.  That is the day where you either read an entire book, wander through your home taking the time to do as you please, or snatch the coveted nap in the sunlight coming through the window.  The purpose in this day is pleasure and recovery.  It keeps you from regretting all the devotion and time you put into running.

The important question you must ask yourself each day is, "What is the purpose of this opportunity?"

SOLUTION

It takes guts and wisdom to run with purpose.

Book Review - Brain Training for Runners by Matt Fitzgerald

SNAPSHOT

The brain has a lot more to do with your performance than you realize.

DIGGING DEEPER

I have a fascination with how the body and brain work together.  Fitzgerald quenches my thirst for knowledge and supports my experiences with his brain training theories.  

'The actual cause of running fatigue is a reduction in muscle activation by the brain that is influenced in part by declining energy stores.  This phenomenon is believed to serve as a protective mechanism that prevents us from running to the point where we seriously harm ourselves.' (page 3) 

The half marathon race is a good example of brain training.  On the course, you will see runners that can keep a consistently fast pace throughout the entire  race.  Then there are the runners that hit the wall at 11 miles and can't go any farther.  Their bodies revolt and stop running.  For them, it turns to intervals of walking and running until the finish line appears.  

What is the difference? Why are some runners not hitting a wall?  Fitzgerald contends that they have taught their brain to not shut down but instead trust that the body can endure the activity.  

How?  Practice. Putting yourself in the same position physically and mentally that will be expected during the race will prepare the brain for the challenge.  This makes the brain gain confidence that you can go from start to finish at the desired and practiced pace.  There are many ways to simulate the fatigue accumulated during a race.  

My favorite half-marathon workout to train your brain is a tempo/easy miles/tempo combination.  Start with 20 minutes of easy paced miles as a warm up.  Go into your tempo pace for 20 minutes. Slow down to an easy pace for the next 30 minutes.  Finish the workout at a tempo pace for 20 more minutes.  The fatigue that is accumulated during the first 70 minutes will simulate the challenge of a race pace without having to actually run the race. During the last tempo, you will gain by training your brain to withstand the pressure and continue on.

SOLUTION

Train realizing "It is all in your head".