Running Lesson : Patience

    Patience could be the hardest and most painful lesson running has to offer. I have been running seriously now for 9 years and although running has delivered at least one lesson on patience every single year, I have yet to learn all the many secrets of patience. Let me try to save you some worry, injury, and overall dissatisfaction with your current fitness or state of mind.

    I am not a patient person. I approach everything I care about with what looks like a single minded intensity that can often leave me blindsided by some roadblock I was not expecting. In running it has always been injury. I recently saw a play on the popular quote, "Keep calm and carry on" that says, "I do not keep calm. I am Italian." This could not be more true for me. Although my passion is one of my greatest gifts, I sometimes wish I would have been given at least a small amount of patience. In this regard, running has filled the gap and taught me countless lessons to make up for my inherent deficiency. I am currently being schooled for the millionth time. About 3 months ago I decided I wanted to run an ultra (50k). I decided to start my runs at 12 miles after taking an 8 month hiatus from running because of plantar fasciitis. The first 3 weeks were great. I actually began to believe I was unstoppable. Week 4 taught me. It came on like a freight train. The ice pick in the heels was an understatement of the pain I was feeling every time I walked. Thank you running duly noted. Needless to say I still cannot run more than 2 days a week now 3 months later.

       Unfortunately, no one is invincible from the lesson of patience. It comes in many forms. As a coach, I run into it all the time. I call it the 6 week slump. In college we called it the "Sophomore slump." Here is how it goes: Week 1-3 we are super excited about starting a program. We are fully engaged in the "In it to win it" mentality with 100% dedication. From week 4-6 we start to experience the accumulated stress of starting the program. Often there is no notable gain in fitness during this time (it takes about 8 weeks to gain fitness from a change in stimuli). This is the moment where we question why the heck we started this program in the first place. Our motivation and patience start to waiver. Here is where we need to channel our inner patience. This is NORMAL! It will continue to happen throughout the training and even more extremely year to year. Be patient and keep repeating that your goals are worth it. Repeating your goals is often not strong enough because we can start to question our goals in the first place. Again be patient and go into what I call "Enlightened Robot Mode". Appreciate your mental and physical state. Enjoy the moment, your breath, and your ability. Let go of what you are getting out of it and settle into the methodical miles. One day you will look down at your fancy pace watch and realize your pace has dropped dramatically. Wowza! Smile and realize you have made it through running’s lesson in patience!

     I find this is running’s hardest lesson. You can and should apply it both in situations of injury and slumps in training motivation. You may be like me in that you will never be a patient person. That may be asking us to be something we are not naturally. If you are patient, please help us who are not to keep calm and carry on. Inevitably running will teach us this lesson, but maybe this can be a forewarning of what it will look like and a little consolation that we all will experience at some point. Here's to running and its many lessons!

Running Lesson: Self Integrity

Integrity: n. the state of being whole, entire, or undiminished

            Popeye always says, “I am what I am. I’m a sailor man, I flight to the finish ‘cause I eat’s me spinach. I’m Popeye the Sailor Man.” Who knew Popeye was teaching us a critical life lesson? This is an immeasurable lesson for personal development and the achievement of your goals. KNOW YOURSELF. Be honest with who YOU are. Popeye knows who he is, a sailor man. We are not all marathoners or 400m runners. We all react differently to different stimuli. This is SO important in running. There is no generic training plan to follow that will make you the best you can be. The best you can be lies in doing what is best for you.

            This is a great lesson for coaches as well. Listen to your athletes. Listen to what they don’t say. Listen to their training logs. Listen to their sleep patterns. Listen to the enthusiasm or dread in their voices. Listen to how they react to your training. Know your athletes and coach them accordingly. Some athletes want structure some need the freedom of input and some need lots of miles and some need lots of cross training. It is as much mental as physical. Be intuitive and have integrity. This requires diligence and unwavering dedication. Be a great coach not just a good coach.

            The same is true for athletes. The difference between good runners and great runners lies in their ability to know themselves and train accordingly. Yes I know talent plays a huge role in greatness, but if talent could be leveled then self -perception and integrity would be the distinguishing factor between good and great. Why is this? If you know yourself and your body you will do those things which work for your body and mind. You will only put your energy into those things that make YOU better. You are not Ryan Hall, Sonya Richards-Ross, or the guy on the starting line standing next to you. Why would you lie to yourself about it? We all react differently to training both physical and mental. Be the best version of yourself by understanding and being confident with who YOU are. This takes time, but your efforts in this pursuit could not be better spent on anything. If you are new to running or still haven’t quite found the best version of yourself and want to know yourself more quickly, get a great coach that aligns with YOU.

            To know thyself is the greatest weapon for capturing your goals. Be honest with yourself, eat that spinach, get strong, get confident, get YOUR goals.