Many of us have wrapped up our racing seasons some time in the last month or so. Those of us who haven’t likely will be in the next month or so.
So the logical question to ask at this point is – what next? What do we do between now and spring?
While I would strongly encourage that you take advantage of the winter to build a solid base in order to make your spring goals more attainable, that’s not what I would recommend immediately after your last race of the year.
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We all have them. Certain times when stress is higher, the schedule is busier, maybe things are so hectic that even your sleep suffers.
Maybe you have a deadline you need to meet at work. Maybe something is going on at home or in your extended family. During the holidays, there are simply so many things going on that we can feel overwhelmed.
When these things happen, what do you do with your running? Do you back off or “just plow through”?
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Eliud Kipchoge, arguably the greatest marathoner of all time, did it! This morning in Vienna Austria, he ran a marathon in 1:59:40. Not the world record because this was not a record eligible event but an astounding performance regardless.
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October is my favorite month of the year as a runner. The weather is cool and crisp, the trees are changing color, all seems right in the world.
These past few days have reminded me how much I enjoy October and I’ve made sure to take some time to let it all soak in.
Have you done the same recently?
…An interesting question to think about: can changing your self-talk actually help you run better? I’m sure many of us just answered “yes”. If you have negative self-talk, that’s not going to help you run faster. Positive self-talk will, though.
What about more subtle differences? Can slight changes in how you think of things during races help you? As it turns out, they can.
Also of note is that more positive references were used in the study. “You/I have to do it” was replaced with “You/I can do it” for example. While it doesn’t seem like this was addressed as part of the test, I have a suspicion this would also make a difference.
This is just one small study but it’s worth trying.
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