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!
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!
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