Technical, wet trails at Mt Work
but mostly it was a foggy rainy morning:
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Lazy Saturday
1 hour ago
Friday, September 24, 2010
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Productive paranoia?
What I have noticed about a lot of successful people, is that they are largely driven by paranoia. It might be a fear of losing to an up and comer(for athletes), losing out on a big deal(business person), losing an election (politician) etc...Of course, this paranoia is countered by a positive belief that they have the ability to win a race, secure the deal, or attract votes.
I was walking through a book store recently and was struck by the rows and rows of self-help books which touted the benefits of self-belief and positive thought.
While I agree that the power of positive thought has its merits, it can also lead to extreme apathy. If you take the statement: "If I believe, I will achieve" literally and you just sit there, wishing, hoping, willing the thing to happen, you will likely just sit there a long time. The thing may happen, but that is likely because some other catalyst caused it to happen. I may be wrong and perhaps we can affect "fate" (oxymoron?), through thought alone, or perhaps it is just a coincidence, I can't be certain, but some of these "coincidences" can be explained.
The simple act of sitting and thinking, is actually a positive act, which could affect others who see you sitting, or ask you what you wish for. When a child tells their parent that they wish for a new bike for Christmas, and when the day arrives, the bike is there under the tree, was it their wish that made the bike appear, or was it their vocalizing of their wish that made the bike appear?
How does this relate to sport and running? Well assuming that you have a certain amount of ambition, be it winning an Olympic medal, finishing an ultra-marathon, or completing your first 5k, there are a few steps that you can take to help you along the way.
On the paranoia front, set a goal that is realistic, but challenging. Something that pushes you to get out there and train, that drives you through those hard intervals and inevitable aches and pains that come with training. These goals should be individual and ones that you really want. I always find it much easier to train when I have a goal in mind, something that drives me. Sometimes these goals are internal, like a fear of suffering too badly in the last miles of a marathon,or more likely, the disappointment that I feel when I don't perform up to the standards that I set for myself; or they can be external, knowing that I will have to be at my best to be able to perform against a good field of athletes.
On the power of positive thought, visualization is a useful tool. Once again, it's a training tool that I use. Once I have a goal in mind, I imagine myself in that situation, simulating the event by training on courses that are similar to ones that I will race on and imagining how the race will unfold. I imagine the hard parts of the event and try to figure out tools that I will use to cope with the hard sections. I try to avoid imagining myself having a perfect day, because I find that those days take care of themselves. Rather, I focus on developing coping mechanisms for when things become tough. I have yet to have a race when I didn't have to fight an internal battle at some point, or have something unexpected come up. Often, it is how we mentally and physically handle these events that determine whether we achieve our goal.
Just like the child and their bike at Christmas, vocalizing your goal, telling people what you are trying to achieve can help prod you along as well. It doesn't necessarily matter if they are supportive, or dismissive of your goals, both can serve a purpose.
Supportive people will encourage you along the way and help bolster your confidence in your ability to achieve your goal. They can help pick you up when you come across hurdles on your road and sometimes they may even come along for the ride, joining you in training sessions, or spectating and cheering during your event. Dismissive people, those who call you ridiculous and put down your ability to achieve your goal can be destructive, but they can also be a driving force. There is nothing wrong with wanting to "prove someone wrong." This form of external motivation is often a big driver in stoking a fire inside of us.
A critical element in all of this is that the goal has to be yours for you to buy into it. I have raced when my heart isn't into it and tried to succeed when I didn't really think I could and if the challenge is hard enough, I find that I have almost always set myself up for failure.
This advice is far from new, in fact this recent string of "Tweets" by Scott Jurek show exactly the same line of thought:
"Psych Up" advice? Pick an event or goal that is inspiring & motivating to you, Weekly training goals, In races have A, B, & even C goals!
No injuries. Just not mentally or physically where I need to be to engage a race like Spartathlon and the performance I want.
Sometimes you need to trust your gut and draw on past experiences. Sorry no 153 mile #Spartathlon for me on Fri. Spartathloners, run strong!
In short, in order to properly prepare your body for the rigours of hard racing, no matter what your goals may be, make sure that your mind is into it. Adopt a paranoid attitude that constantly has you asking, am I doing the best job that I can? When you stop asking those questions and/or are afraid to vocalize your goals, be it to yourself, or to others, then it is time to reassess your expectations.
The main reason that I am writing this is that I am looking for something to inspire me. I have some goals for next summer, completing a 100 mile race and seeing what I can do over 50 miles, but I am looking for some short term goals that will help me along the way.
I was walking through a book store recently and was struck by the rows and rows of self-help books which touted the benefits of self-belief and positive thought.
While I agree that the power of positive thought has its merits, it can also lead to extreme apathy. If you take the statement: "If I believe, I will achieve" literally and you just sit there, wishing, hoping, willing the thing to happen, you will likely just sit there a long time. The thing may happen, but that is likely because some other catalyst caused it to happen. I may be wrong and perhaps we can affect "fate" (oxymoron?), through thought alone, or perhaps it is just a coincidence, I can't be certain, but some of these "coincidences" can be explained.
The simple act of sitting and thinking, is actually a positive act, which could affect others who see you sitting, or ask you what you wish for. When a child tells their parent that they wish for a new bike for Christmas, and when the day arrives, the bike is there under the tree, was it their wish that made the bike appear, or was it their vocalizing of their wish that made the bike appear?
How does this relate to sport and running? Well assuming that you have a certain amount of ambition, be it winning an Olympic medal, finishing an ultra-marathon, or completing your first 5k, there are a few steps that you can take to help you along the way.
On the paranoia front, set a goal that is realistic, but challenging. Something that pushes you to get out there and train, that drives you through those hard intervals and inevitable aches and pains that come with training. These goals should be individual and ones that you really want. I always find it much easier to train when I have a goal in mind, something that drives me. Sometimes these goals are internal, like a fear of suffering too badly in the last miles of a marathon,or more likely, the disappointment that I feel when I don't perform up to the standards that I set for myself; or they can be external, knowing that I will have to be at my best to be able to perform against a good field of athletes.
On the power of positive thought, visualization is a useful tool. Once again, it's a training tool that I use. Once I have a goal in mind, I imagine myself in that situation, simulating the event by training on courses that are similar to ones that I will race on and imagining how the race will unfold. I imagine the hard parts of the event and try to figure out tools that I will use to cope with the hard sections. I try to avoid imagining myself having a perfect day, because I find that those days take care of themselves. Rather, I focus on developing coping mechanisms for when things become tough. I have yet to have a race when I didn't have to fight an internal battle at some point, or have something unexpected come up. Often, it is how we mentally and physically handle these events that determine whether we achieve our goal.
Just like the child and their bike at Christmas, vocalizing your goal, telling people what you are trying to achieve can help prod you along as well. It doesn't necessarily matter if they are supportive, or dismissive of your goals, both can serve a purpose.
Supportive people will encourage you along the way and help bolster your confidence in your ability to achieve your goal. They can help pick you up when you come across hurdles on your road and sometimes they may even come along for the ride, joining you in training sessions, or spectating and cheering during your event. Dismissive people, those who call you ridiculous and put down your ability to achieve your goal can be destructive, but they can also be a driving force. There is nothing wrong with wanting to "prove someone wrong." This form of external motivation is often a big driver in stoking a fire inside of us.
A critical element in all of this is that the goal has to be yours for you to buy into it. I have raced when my heart isn't into it and tried to succeed when I didn't really think I could and if the challenge is hard enough, I find that I have almost always set myself up for failure.
This advice is far from new, in fact this recent string of "Tweets" by Scott Jurek show exactly the same line of thought:
"Psych Up" advice? Pick an event or goal that is inspiring & motivating to you, Weekly training goals, In races have A, B, & even C goals!
No injuries. Just not mentally or physically where I need to be to engage a race like Spartathlon and the performance I want.
Sometimes you need to trust your gut and draw on past experiences. Sorry no 153 mile #Spartathlon for me on Fri. Spartathloners, run strong!
In short, in order to properly prepare your body for the rigours of hard racing, no matter what your goals may be, make sure that your mind is into it. Adopt a paranoid attitude that constantly has you asking, am I doing the best job that I can? When you stop asking those questions and/or are afraid to vocalize your goals, be it to yourself, or to others, then it is time to reassess your expectations.
The main reason that I am writing this is that I am looking for something to inspire me. I have some goals for next summer, completing a 100 mile race and seeing what I can do over 50 miles, but I am looking for some short term goals that will help me along the way.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Balance
I often get asked how I balance school with running, the answer to this question is that I don't! I seem to either have one ball up in the air or the other, the trick is remembering which ball to have in the air at the right time. With school starting back up, I am back to this little juggling act. My act is a bit wobbly at the moment, as I get used to having the school ball in play and coming off of a month of just running/biking and RESTING, but hopefully I get the hang of it again over the next few weeks.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Euro photo dump-because words cannot do the trip justice
I am not normally much of a photographer, but I was so inspired by the scenery and surroundings on my recent trip that I became quite snap happy. I had a blast running, biking, hiking, traveling and eating & I have returned more motivated than ever to keep enjoying mountain adventures and having my heart, lungs and legs take me to amazing settings.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Run the Matterhorn?
I had a lot of fun running on the North Shore this summer & I would qualify it as quite technical running in spots, but this little clip of Valerio Bertoglio running the Matterhorn/Monte Cervino (Italian name), blows that notion out of the water. This definitely draws a fine line between running and climbing & seems maybe a little dangerous, but also very impressive. Currently the record is held by Bruno Brunod in an impressive 3:14:44 to be precise! I love having my perceptions shattered... (thanks to Kilian Jornet for bringing this clip to my attention, I could see him having a crack at the record in the near future).
***My god!!!! I just saw this video, which is appropriate for the above posting, I dedicate it to all my friends who earn a living while wearing spandex:
***My god!!!! I just saw this video, which is appropriate for the above posting, I dedicate it to all my friends who earn a living while wearing spandex:
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