Hi Runners. Happy Monday.
As we continue to add miles, I want you to remember that not every run is going to be perfect. Not every run is going to feel awesome.
It’s part of the sport. It’s part of being human.
I think we’ve all had those runs where the heavens are smiling down on us and everything feels awesome. You feel fast, your body is cooperating and nothing hurts. Your nutrition and hydration are on point. You feel like you could go for miles and miles. Or, maybe you haven’t gotten to that point in your running yet. Maybe you’ve never had a run where everything has felt great. That’s okay too.
Conversely, if you’ve experienced that perfect run, you’ve probably experienced a horrible run as well. One where your legs feel like lead, you can’t get a good breathing pattern, maybe you’re knees hurt. Or your hips. Or your entire body. There are so many factors that go in to making us feel great when running, that sometimes if one little thing is off, it can make us feel awful.
This past Sunday, I went for my long run. It was warm, but it was very windy. I overdressed. I didn’t eat well the day before. I may have too many miles on the pair of shoes I wore. The entire run hurt. I couldn’t catch my breath, I didn’t want to keep moving forward. I wanted to walk. I wanted to quit. The sun may have been shining, but I was not feeling sunny. But I kept going. Partially out of sheer force of will, and partially because I had to get back to my car and running was the fastest way to do that.
Sometimes, you have to be mentally stronger than the run.
If this sport were always easy, everyone would do it. But it’s not always easy. And some people would let that discourage them. But you are all stronger than that. If training for and running a 5k or a half marathon or a 10k were easy, would it really be worth it? It’s through trials that we grow as people and as runners. It’s through the good runs and the bad that we become better in both sport and in life.
It’s hard sometimes, but you can’t let one bad run discourage you. Grow from it. Learn what works and what doesn’t and keep moving forward.
You can do this.
Your challenge this week is Planks! This is one exercise that I can never encourage runners to do enough. Your core muscles are such an important part of running, so taking the time to strengthen them is crucial to long term success! Start where you are able. If you can only hold it for 20 seconds, start with 20 seconds. But I want you to work on growing that time this week. Each day set aside time to plank. Try to increase your time by 10 – 20 seconds per day. See where you end up at the end of the week!
Wednesday we are meeting at the Civic Center.
5k complete: 1.5 miles
10k: 5 min. walk/1 mile easy/1 mile tempo/1 mile easy/5 min. walk.
Half/25k:
Complete: 1 mile easy/6 x 400 m speed/1 mile recover
Compete: 2 miles easy/4 x 600 m speed/1 mile recovery
Saturday we are at Kollen Park. Please note the change from the schedule!
5k complete: 1.75 miles easy
10k complete: 3 miles easy
Compete: 5 miles easy
25k/Half:
Complete: 7 miles easy
Compete: 11 miles easy
Gazelle Sports - Holland 