The Art Of Talking To Yourself

   There's many different skills that can help you as a runner. I've managed to develop some really good ones. Some bad ones too, but we'll save those for some other time.

   One skill that I've picked up is the habit of early, adequate hydration. Every morning when wake up I immediately slam 24 ounces of plan water. Throughout the rest of the day I typically shoot for drinking at least another three of those. This keeps me well hydrated through my day and when I'm out running. It was challenging when I first started trying to drink that much water so quickly. But I've been routinely doing this for so long now that I don't get bloated anymore. Every time I go to the bathroom and see clear pee I think to myself, BINGO I'm hydrated like like a MF! 

   Another good skill that I've developed is learning how to shuffle through my iPod's running playlist through whatever running belt I happen to be wearing without looking. It can be downright aggravating to have to stop, open your running pouch, pull out your iPod, shuffle to a different song and then put it back. Being able cut all of that nonsense out of the equation makes for fewer, if any stops and allows me to call on some quick motivation to surge up those damn endless hill that my coach loves to torture me with every other week.

   Out of all of the skills I've learned, one of the best is learning to talk to myself. Many people write off the benefits of positive self-talk as hogwash. But the rewards are tangible. It's well known that running is a physical as well as mental sport. I couldn't agree more. Depending how I'm feeling mentally can greatly affect how my run goes.  If I'm feeling great, it's like I'm flying down those roads like the Flash himself. If I'm feeling like garbage, it's a battle to just get out the front door.

   I'm just like everyone else. I've got lots of things to shuffle in my day to day life. The list of responsibilities goes on and on. Because I have to be to work so early in the morning, knocking out my daily run right when I wake up just isn't a possibility. That means my run won't happen until the late afternoon when I'm done with work. By this time of day I'm pretty much exhausted. But it's my only time fit in any type of workout. So it gets done then. There's solid evidence that a runner's perceived exhaustion level is just that, perceived. Positive self-talk can help you combat the fatigue that you think you're feeling. I've come to realize that how I feel isn't a good gauge of what my body can do. Even now there's running days where I'm pleasantly surprised that I was able to run like I wanted to through my workout, despite feeling tired. 

   If you're a runner then you're most likely a "Type-A" personality. I fit the definition of "Type-A" person to a T! This mindset has allowed me to accomplish some fairly amazing stuff in my life and with my running. But that inner voice can sometimes be a demon that points out my worst faults and grinds me into the ground when I least need or expect it. By using positive self-talk I can deflect some of that negative thinking. They say that you yourself are your worst critic and that statement rings true for me. I can use positive self-talk to emphasize the things that I'm doing right and build on those, instead of destroying all of my hard work by beating myself up.

   One technique that many elite runners practice is self-visualization and positive self-talk is an aspect of this practice. If you can mentally visualize yourself overcoming that hill, running at that desired mile pace, finishing that distance and use positive self-talk to further assist those images then you're already ahead of the game. I've been doing this for a long time and it truly works. In my experiences distance running using this technique to break down the longer runs into smaller, more manageable bits allows me to focus on the immediate physical work at hand. If I started out each marathon visualizing and telling myself that it was 26.2 miles long, then I'd get tired just thinking about such a long distance!

   So next time your out there on your run try saying something nice to yourself. It may just help you run a little better and the strange looks you'll get from people are priceless! 

   As the summer closes in on the month of August, I just wanted to remind everyone that this bog was never supposed to be a stand alone project. Yes, in fact there was supposed to also be a video podcast linked to it. But, as we all know, my life can get in the way of doing anything recreational. Enough is enough! My good friend Zen Runner is sponsoring an exciting challenge for the month of August. He's calling it ZENVEDA and the idea is simple, podcast or post a video everyday for the entire month. I couldn't think of a better way to get the video podcast off the ground! I'm not sure if the blog will have many post for the month, but I'm dedicating myself to putting out an episode each day! So starting in August be on the lookout for my tired, but smiling face!

             

   

New Shoes, New Attitude

   I've always been the type of person who chooses to remember the past more fondly than I probably should. Most times this isn't a wasted effort because I'm the type of friend that you can call at 3 AM for help & I'll be there in 15. Loyalty isn't lost on some people. I'm not perfect and I'm smart enough to realize that nobody else is either. There's times when people are going to be disappointing. Those special moments may not always live up to your expectations. But ultimately it's the positive things that I seek to remember. 

   Sometimes though embracing the past isn't such a good thing. Running is a prime example of this for me. Yes, I have been what I consider a successful runner. No, I haven't won any Olympic races. The professional running community will most likely never hold the nickname of "Sandman" up there with the same reverence as "Pre". But I've ran quite a bit, seen a lot of cool things, met a ton of fine people and raced my ass off. 

   I've always been a highly motivated runner who sought out what worked and when I found with it, I stuck with it. Now this is where the trouble starts. When you first start running it's OK to rely on the things that work best for you. You've gotta build the groundwork. As the miles go by along with the years you most likely will change physically, but you may still be thinking like the old you.

   Take my back injury for example. I never thought that I would be the type of person to get that kind of injury. I was healthy. I exercised like a rock-star. Nonetheless it hit me hard and put the biggest brake on my running, personal and professional life. It wasn't fun by any means. But looking back I can now say that it was a good thing. It helped me realize that I'm not the same person that I was 13 years ago. Somewhere along all of those miles I changed. 

   Change for a runner and guy like me can be a really scary thing. Even the positive ones can sometimes terrify the shit out of you. So, I think that I built up a super sturdy wall and blocked all of those new things out running and living just like I always had. It worked really well up until when you have a lot of time on your hands and nothing to take your mind off all that stuff bouncing around between your ears.

   No matter how fast I wished my back would heal so that I could get back out there my recovery was and still is painstakingly slow. I used to think that when people with these types of injuries described the recovery process like being a toddler learning to walk again that it sounded ridiculous. Well, now that I've enjoyed it myself, I can say that analogy is spot on. It really was like starting over again. Only this time I wasn't a new runner. I had 12 years of experience and over 25,000 miles under my belt. After some initial attempts at re-starting it became clearly evident that what used to apply wasn't going to work anymore. Luckily I just happened to be friends with the amazing Coach Judy Mick. I doesn't sound like being a guinea pig is all that great idea. But it's one of the best decisions that I've ever made! 

   On December 2, 2002 I started officially recording my runs. One of the best pieces of advice that I got from a veteran runner was to go to a running store and get fitted for the right pair of shoes. One of the first things that you learn when running is that just as varied as we are as individuals, are shoes should be too. What may work for me may not work for you with regards to running shoes. Price and flashy colors aren't always good indicators that a pair of running shoes is right for you. I can still remember going to one of our local running stores and going through my first shoe fitting. Looking back I was 12 pounds heavier and while not a complete couch potato, fitness wasn't something I embraced a whole heck of a lot. The store employee fitted me into a Brooks Beast size 10.5. Since then I've owned 28 different pairs. It really is a great shoe designed for heavier runners. It's what I like to call the Cadillac of the Brooks line. It costs about a million dollars a pair. But it's so sturdy that it'll give you maximum cushion, superior motion control and may even deflect bullets in emergencies. 

   After a lot of work over the winter and spring I'm finally back to being able to comfortably run some distance. I even managed to get some really good races under my belt and the running streak is restarted. Most of this is due to Coach Judy's guidance. Yes, I've done some things the same as I have in the past. But only after bouncing them off of her. We've tweaked stuff here and there. I think that it's been a learning experience for both of us. I'm just glad that she put up with my complaining when we first started!

   So with all of this new change in mind I decided to take a leap and registered for my first marathon in two years. About three weeks ago Coach Judy started me on her marathon training plan. It's nothing like I'm used to. I now realize that I was running a lot of junk mileage back when I was self-trained. Much shorter runs (right now) coupled with some hills and speed-work are the name of the game.

   As I hone in on my birthday in late August I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm a little nervous. Shortly after that I'll mark one year since I got the back thing. Just in time before my comeback marathon. Most days are good. Some a little more challenging than others. What the future holds is sometimes terrifying.   

   But re-inventing yourself is never an easy thing. I'm not saying that you should forget the past and charge blindly into the future. What I'm saying is that I've failed more times than I can remember. It's OK to restart if you have to. Every day is an opportunity to judge what you learned making your mistakes against what works. It's also important to realize that what may work now, may not always work in the future. 

   So when those terrible things happen that knock you on the ground, dust yourself off, explore some new things, keep taking those big leaps of faith and try on a new pair of shoes. Hope is powerful thing. I may never be the runner that I once was. I may never be the same person. But I'll be trying my hardest wearing my first new pair of shoes in 13 years. Somewhere along those miles I out ran who I used to be and to realize that feels good. I'm someone new, someone different and it's time for a new way of looking at things. Smile, laugh and have a great run! I'll see you out there!