What a Difference Support Makes

“If you lose faith in human nature, go out and watch a marathon.” – Kathrine Switzer

(Written last Saturday but I’m just now sharing.) Good morning!!! It is a beautiful day here. It is a cool 60 degrees and the sun is shining brightly without a cloud in the sky. I had a wonderful run with the ladies at the Women Can Run clinic this morning. There is something about running with a group of dedicated people that just endlessly inspires me. From the expert runners who volunteer their time to coach us to the newcomers who may be learning to walk three consecutive miles, I can’t help but be motivated by the company of people who are actively working toward their goals. Hope is contagious. I like to get it on me if I’m low and I like to give it away if I’ve got some extra. At a clinic like this there is more than enough hope to go around. When one person reaches their goal, they share hope with others that they can reach their goal, too. And that is where inspiration is born. The whole track buzzes with it and it gives me extra bursts of energy that improves my running performance.

I saw people cheering other people on. I saw people encouraged by watching other people succeed. It was like “having church” on the track. It was beautiful and it was contagious. We ran a 2 mile tempo run. During the last quarter mile I was running next to another woman and we were cheering each other on the whole way. When we finished we walked back down the track to cheer on the other runners as they came in for their finish. Another woman in our group set a personal record today and we were all excited for her accomplishment. It was a very inspiring way to start the day.

It reminded me of something I want to share with you. We will enjoy running more when we focus on achieving our personal best. Competing with other people creates adversarial relationships. It sets up a “me against them” approach to life that robs us of the joy of being inspired by the success of other people. Competition suggests that resources are so limited that we must all scramble to get what we can for ourselves. In order for you to get what you need it must be taken from me because there is not enough for both of us. It is based on a poverty mentality. In running, someone else’s success does not diminish your personal best. So go ahead and cheer for them. They may not have anyone else supporting them. Your support may mean more than you think it does.

Keep this in mind. It is a great big world and someone will always be faster than us or be able to run longer distances than us. If we view our success in comparison to their success we will get discouraged and burn out before we reach our goal. Somewhere down the road there may be someone who will try to make it into a competition. Don’t fall for that. Keep encouraging them as well as everyone else. Stay true to who you are and don’t let their mindset become your own. It is healthy to strive for our personal best but keep it in perspective. Our self worth does not hang on how fast or far we can run or what place we finish in a race.

This mentality will serve us well on the trail as well as in other areas of our life. Encouraging each other creates a thriving culture of inspiration. It raises the level of performance for everyone because we all want to give our best when people we respect are counting on us.

I have always found inspiration in people who encourage me to do my personal best, rather than encouraging me to beat out over someone else. My family has always been my biggest support. They are always the first to encourage me. I’ve never ran a race without at least one of them there to support me. They are always proud of me no matter where I finish in the race. Their support makes a huge difference. In one particular race it may have been the difference between finishing and giving up.

In June of 2009, I ran a half marathon in Estes Park, Colorado. This race is known for being the highest paved marathon route in the United States. The average elevation is 7,785 feet above sea level, with the highest point reaching 8,150 feet. It is common for runners to experience altitude sickness at elevations of 5,000 feet or higher. There is less oxygen in the air at that altitude which can cause a host of symptoms that decrease running performance.

So flash forward to me standing on the starting line, getting ready to begin this race that I’ve been preparing for over the last three months. Several family members are there and I’m energized by their support. Although I had some nervous energy that morning, when they showed up all of that melted away and my confidence returned. The race begins. For the first several miles, I spot my family at several locations along the route. They’ve created these wonderfully hilarious signs to help me enjoy the journey and keep me in good spirits (check them out in the slideshow on this page). If I had any liquid to spare, I would have spent it on happy tears. It meant so much to me to have them there.

So I’m running and I’m enjoying every step. I feel great. The scenery is breathtaking. Snowcapped mountains. Bright blue skies. Clean mountain air. Fields of wildflowers in every color. I’m in heaven. Whenever I start to get a little bit tired, I round a corner and there is my family, hopping out of the van, slinging signs, and cheering me on. They keep me motivated and pushing forward.

About mile 10, I really start to feel the affects of the higher elevation. My muscles are weak. My heart rate is more elevated than usual. My pulse is racing. I can tell that my performance is decreasing and that my breathing is not pulling in as much oxygen as I need. In addition to the altitude sickness, I'd made a common mistake for new runners - I had started out way too fast. Blame it on the adrenaline. I’ve been averaging a little over an 8 minute mile, but I hit a mile long uphill stretch and it got really hard from there on out. My legs are lead and I can feel myself slowing down. I still have over 3 miles left.

Out of nowhere, my younger sister runs up along side me. She ran a mile or so with me just to ask how I was doing and to encourage me. She and the rest of my family had gone on ahead in the van to scout out the remaining route so that she could relay to me what the last few miles looked like. This prepared me mentally for what was ahead. Being able to visualize the finish line recharged my batteries. I was still physically exhausted but her encouragement had given my brain its second wind.

Those were the hardest 3 miles I have ever raced to this day. I was so exhausted. I am a fighter, but I might have considered dropping out of the race at that point if it weren’t for my family being there to support me. But there was absolutely no way I was going to stop or even walk. I wanted to do my absolute best for them and for myself. They had supported me while I was in training and I felt like I was representing all of us. The only thing that kept me going for those last few miles was the people who supported me.

Waiting for me at the finish line was my family. My dad gave me a big hug as I crossed over the finish line. He said, feeling relief for me, “You can stop running now.” My husband was waiting with an orange juice and what he calls "Vitamin I" (ibuprofen). My sisters crowned me with a homemade crown made of Styrofoam and had bejeweled it to say, “Marathon Queen”. My parents had arranged for me to have a post race massage immediately after the race, which is one of the best presents I’ve ever gotten. =) And then we all went out for lunch together.

I wish every runner had people to support them. Make sure you appreciate the people that support you. They are volunteering their time, too. They listen to hours of talk about running - which they probably have no interest in - but they are interested in us, so they listen. They are spending part of their income to buy us those ridiculously expensive running shoes. They are watching the kids so that we can have some time to ourselves out on the trail. They are making dinner so we can run that long distance run we’ve been trying to get in all week. We would be much less ambitious in setting our goals if we weren't able to rely on their help to achieve them. They aren’t setting a personal record, and they aren’t walking away with a finisher’s medal. Their role is one that will go unnoticed if we don’t make a point to notice it. So we get the fun job of being creative in letting them know how much we appreciate them. Not everyone has someone to support them and it makes a world of difference. Appreciate the people that support us. We know they deserve it.

If you don’t have someone to support you, don’t let that discourage you. Consider joining a running group. The Road Runners Club of America is “the oldest and largest organization in the United States dedicated to distance running.” They have over a thousand running groups. If there is not a local group established where you are, consider starting one.

So here’s some practical advice when preparing for a race. Research the elevation of the course. If you’re planning on running a race at an altitude of 5,000 feet or higher, arrive to the area 2 – 3 days before the race. It takes this length of time for your body to produce more red blood cells so that it can acclimate to the decrease in oxygen at the higher altitude. Also helpful when preparing for a high altitude race is to avoid alcohol or caffeinated beverages. You will want to drink more liquid than usual but stick to water or your favorite sports drink. Because altitude sickness symptoms can include stomach troubles and nausea, choose foods that you are familiar with. Stay away from anything that may irritate your stomach. Last, consider what you will do if you begin to feel altitude sickness during the race. Be prepared to walk. I know! That’s difficult advice for most runners but it is far better to add a few minutes to your time and finish the race than to be forced to quit because of altitude sickness.

Check out this link for a story about what a difference a little support can make.

Motivation for that Long Distance Run

“Do a little more each day than you think you possibly can.” ~ Lowell Thomas

A friend recently inquired about the mental aspects of running a long distance race. She had no idea I write a blog about just such things. Neat how people with common interests come together like that. So I am dedicating this blog to her. She knows who she is. =)

Some things I’ve picked up along the way regarding long distance running…

1. You can go further than you think you can. Yes, you can. Yeah. You can. When I was training for a half marathon, the last mile or two of those long runs would have me believing that it would take every single ounce of energy I had left to reach my target distance. However, I would always run 10 steps past the finish line just to prove to myself that I had more in me than I thought I had. Training is not only to build you up physically but to also build you up psychologically. Every run that you complete builds your confidence. It will help you shift your focus away from your perceived limitations and toward your ambitions.
2. It will get easier. When you first started running, one mile was difficult. After you adjusted to one mile, you added another mile to your work out. By the time you had built up to four miles, one mile didn’t seem so difficult. Your idea of what is difficult will adjust as your body and mind adapt to the new challenges. It is all in perspective. If you want to train for a long distance race, remember that you eat an elephant one bite at a time. Don’t think about all of the workouts you have left between today’s workout and your goal distance. That is overwhelming. Just focus on today’s workout. One day at a time.
3. Set challenging but realistic goals. Don’t set a goal so far above your capability that you will dread the run. It is not good for your body or for your confidence. Goals should respect that your body and mind need time to adjust to the new demands. Even if you white knuckle it through to complete your ruthless goal, it may be so difficult that you have a hard time being motivated to go on your next run. You are more likely to burnout if your workouts are intimidating. Set yourself up for success. Choose a goal that challenges you but that you know you can complete.
4. If you have an ambitious goal that is outside of your current capability, don’t give up on it. Break it down into smaller, more manageable goals to accomplish over time. If you are running 3 miles per day and you want to run a marathon, you can do it! A good starting place is to choose a training program that gradually increases your mileage over time. There are a ton of free training programs available on the internet for various race distances. My personal favorite and the one I am training with currently is found at this website. (This is a schedule II chart but a schedule I chart is available if you are starting out running at or less than 20 miles per week). I like this training program because it fits realistically into the time that I can allocate for running and because it provides adequate time to recover between runs. I also like that it trains up to 23 miles. Many marathon training programs only train up to 20 miles with the belief that adrenaline alone will carry you through those last 6.2 miles on race day. Personally, I want to be better mentally and physically prepared for that full 26.2.
5. Be consistent. It is tempting to skip a run here and there. We’re only cheating ourselves. On race day we will feel so much more confident if we know that we’ve completed our training and we have no doubts that we are prepared for the race.
6. Log your workouts. If you are the kind of person that gets all excited about checking something off of a list then you thrive on achievement. Use that to your advantage. I log my workouts on mapmyrun.com. You can log your miles and it will automatically calculate how many calories you’ve burned and your pace as well as lots of other cool stats for you graph lovers. I love the feature that allows me to upload information from my Garmin watch and then provides a visual of my route, my pace, splits, and even elevation changes. You can also track the mileage you’ve put on your running gear so that you know when it is time to buy a new pair of running shoes. If you like to obsess over your run for a few minutes after it is finished, this is a great way to do it. =) This is also a great way to track improvements over time and set objective goals.

I really like the information found in this article on how to stay motivated on your long run. I use a lot of the same techniques mentioned in this article to stay motivated but since the article mentions it I will avoid redundancy. I encourage you to read it. I especially like Tips 2 and 3.

The How To of Speed Workouts

“All it takes is all you got.” ~ Marc Davis

If you have never incorporated speed workouts into your training program, I strongly encourage you to reconsider. Until five weeks ago, I had less than a handful of speed workouts credited to my life as a runner. In the four years I've been running, I've never really been interested in increasing my speed. I was focused on increasing my distance. It was not until I decided to begin training for a marathon that I began to work to increase my speed. It was simply a matter of time management. If I am going to be dedicating a significant amount of time to running then I need to be as efficient as possible with that time. The faster I am, the less time I spend on those long distance runs. But since I've started working on my speed, I've researched and found out how important it is for distance runners to work on their speed as well. I should have started this years ago!

What I’ve learned about speedwork in the last five weeks…

1) You won’t regret it. Just do it. Speedwork is addicting because you see results so fast. Everyone is different, but it is not uncommon to see improvements within the first two weeks. It is enormously encouraging.

2) Don’t look at your watch. I have trained on my distance runs at about a 9:30 pace for the past four years. When I started speedwork I would look down at my watch and see that I was running at an 8:20 pace and it would psych me out. I would feel myself wanting to slow down. I could only think, “I can’t keep this pace up.” So start your watch, run with a mind free of expectations, and when you’re finished, then look at the watch.

3) Don’t be discouraged. We are all coming from different starting places. Don’t compare yourself to anyone else. It’s about doing your personal best. Today I ran half mile repeats at about a 7:30 pace. That’s fast for me. One of my friends just recently completed a marathon at that same pace. I can only run that pace for four half-mile repeats. She sustained it for 26.2 miles. Let yourself be inspired by the success of other people. That inspiration propels your own training forward. If you compare yourself to others, you will only become discouraged and much more likely to burn out. Be inspired, and don’t compare. It’s about doing your personal best. I may never win a race, but I will always be proud of myself at the finish line because I know I brought my personal best.

4) There are a lot of different opinions about how to maximize your speed workouts. At five weeks in, I’m hardly an expert. But I’ll share with you what’s working for me so far. Once a week I do a long run to ramp up the volume of miles I cover for the week. Then I also get in three speed workouts during the week. A lot of articles I’ve read say that you should only do one or two speed workouts weekly. Again, I’m not the expert here, but so far three speed workouts are working for me. (Just make sure you get plenty of rest. I only run every other day to give my body time to heal in between workouts.) I like to change it up a bit to keep it interesting. I may run repetitions, fartleks (laughing because Microsoft Word does not recognize that as a word), intervals, hills, a tempo, or differentials. Whichever I choose for my speed workout, I only do 3-4 miles total for the day. Any more than that and you will have diminishing returns as well as increased likelihood of injury.

This is a great article that covers some basics for maximizing your speed workouts. http://www.active.com/running/Articles/10_Tips_to_Maximize_Your_Speed_Workouts.htm

I want to hear some stories about your first speed workout!!! Or, if you’re an expert, share your thoughts. We’ll all benefit from your input.

Til next time, may you live life on the run. =)

Runners are mental ;)

“Running is 80 percent mental.” ~ Joan Benoit Samuelson, gold medalist in the first women’s Olympic marathon ever held.

Psychologists study how mental processes affect human behavior. If running is 80 percent mental then, in theory, someone who studies mental processes should be able to produce helpful advice about how those mental processes affect running behavior. Following that line of logic, a psychologist who also runs should be able to provide firsthand experience of how well that advice holds up when the rubber meets the road. Literally. That is what I hope to accomplish with this blog. My objective is to provide psychological insight that can help us to become better runners when implemented out there on the trail. Think sports psychology with a little practical advice sprinkled in for extra color and flavor. =)

I didn't always see how these two passions had anything to do with each other. The truth is, I never considered how psychology affects running until recently.

I began running in high school. I have always enjoyed being outdoors and would find any reason to get myself out there. Any new hobby that took me outside and into the sunshine, I signed up. Hiking in the moutains, biking, and swimming were my addictions. But one day I decided to try running and it became my drug of choice. My therapy in a shoe box. I remember well the first time I ever ran just for the experience of running. I lived in a neighborhood with a very long circle drive. I decided that I would run it ten times. And I did. I don't remember it being difficult at all. I remember that it felt like flying. It felt like pure freedom. I ran that route again the next night. And the next. And the next. I thought I would never stop.

But somewhere along the way life got crowded. College. Career. Family. Church. House. I stopped making time for hobbies. I stopped running for several years. I had always had a thin physique. Weight loss was never the purpose behind running for me. My weight had never fluctuated and I never remember paying it any attention. Until the year I gained 25 pounds over a few months. I didn't really mind the extra pounds. However, I was alarmed that it had happened so suddenly and I was concerned that it may continue further into an unhealthy state. I knew in my heart that it was a symptom of a greater health issue. And it was. I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism. Think chronic and extreme fatigue. Think ugh. Think blah. Think =(.

I got medical treatment but it took about a year before I began to feel improvement. The weight gain slowed but continued. When you don't feel well you learn how to economize your energy. Although my thyroid issue was under control medically, I still didn't have much energy to perform daily duties, let alone exercise. For the first time ever in my life I started to think about my weight. And what I was thinking about it was how I could lose some of it. So I sat myself down and we had a talk. I decided that I could either learn to accept the weight gain or I could do something about it, but being uncomfortable in my own skin was no longer going to be an option for me.

I'll bet that you know which one I chose. The next morning I put on my running shoes and I began the first day of the rest of my life with a run. I don't know how far I ran. It probably could have been measured better in minutes and seconds than in miles because it was not far. But I had put feet to my plan on paper and it felt good. REALLY good. Let me rephrase that. AFTER the run it felt good. DURING the run it felt like everything on my inside wanted to be on my outside (to quote Brian Regan). I thought I was going to suffocate. To throw up. To fall into the road and get ran over. But I lived to run another day.

Can I tell you something that you already know? When you go into a situation with the mentality that you HAVE to, rather than because you WANT to, it greatly affects how you feel about that activity. Although I chose to start running again, I only chose it because the other options were worse. Not because I really wanted to start running again. But I knew what I had to do so I bit the bullet. I began to run regularly. And it was difficult. But I'm a very determined person when I put my mind to something. So I simply white knuckled it. For years. I put several races and even a half marathon under my belt with this mentality. Can I tell you something else that you already know? Engaging in something as difficult and strenuous as running on a regular basis when you really aren't enjoying it is a very very difficult way to live life. I dreaded running. So I sat myself down and we had a talk about it. Exercise for me - for all of us - is a lifestyle change that we must make if we want to live life to the fullest. It is not about a weight loss program that we can discontinue once we've achieved our ideal weight. It is about our quality of life and so it should be a part of our life for the duration of our life. And anything that we are going to make a part of our daily life needs to be done with some thought. We only have a limited about of time here on this earth. If we are going to give a percent of every day to an activity, we need to make sure that activity is worthwhile and that we enjoy it. I knew exercise was worthwhile. But I did not enjoy it. So I decided that I was going to have to LEARN how to enjoy it.

And that is how I came to think about how applying psychology to running could improve my life. I could learn to enjoy running. Two passions merge and collide. Result? Mind explode. That is what this blog is about. Learning how to enjoy every part of life - even running. I believe that what I've learned (and am still learning) will prove to be helpful to you for overcoming mental processes that hinder performance. As I face challenges and overcome them I will share with you what worked for me and you can try it out for yourself. Over time, I hope you will feel comfortable enough with me to share what has worked for you as well. I, too, am learning how to improve my running performance throughout this process.

By the way, a few years ago my husband and I went to the Bodies exhibit in Tulsa. I highly recommend it. At the exhibit I saw a thyroid gland. It looks like a piece of gum that someone chewed and then threw hard up against the floor. Think pink splat. I couldn't believe that little piece of Trident had given me all of those health problems. But I'm not bitter. In the long run, it caused me to be more proactive in choosing a healthy and abundant lifestyle.

I promised some practical advice so here it goes. Never. Ever. Ever ever ever. Never ever. Wear lacy underwear while running. Two words. Chaf. Fing. Ouch. I did this once while on a long distance run. Mile 1. Comfy. Mile 2. Some noticeable discomfort. Mile 3-7. Ran like a bowlegged cowboy. Mile 8. Never happened. I had to quit early because I was on fire.

My next blog will be about self talk and how it affects our running performance. Til then, may you live life on the run. =)

Why?

Why running? Is it an important part of life? Not really. Is it the most interesting topic I could share about? Not by a long shot. Is it the most challenging? Nope. Is it a large part of my identity? Nah. So why running? It's straightforward. It's simple. It's not easy. But it's simple. It's not messy. It's not complicated. It is one of the few areas of life in which I get to be in control of the outcome.

Life provides us with very few simple cause and effect equations. In most cases, we spend a great deal of mental and emotional energy trying to determine if correlations are random or meaningful. Think about it. How much time do we spend trying to figure out, "If I do X (a proactive action on my part), will it make Y (my desired outcome) happen?" Numerous variables make it almost impossible to isolate cause and effect relationships on the go. And life happens on the go.

Unlike messier areas of life, I can isolate a cause and effect equation in regard to running. My effort always produces something desirable...increased speed, improved fitness, increased mileage, finishing a race, great excitement, euphoria...yes, even mania. =) I always have something to show for it - steady improvement. That's not always the case with other aspects of life. Hence the cliche, "One step forward, two steps back." But when I run, every time my foot pounds against the trail I am creating strength in my body and in my mind that prepares me to go further, to go faster, and to overcome the voice in my head that tells me I can't do it. You know the one.

And that's really what it is about, isn't it? Overcoming. Silencing that voice with a victory. Again and again. And again. Whatever barrier blocks our path, we want to know that we can overcome it. How do we know that we can overcome it? Because we have built for ourselves historical evidence that we are stronger than we think we are. Every time we set a goal and we overcome the challenges that would otherwise cause our defeat, we build a history of success. That historical success tells us that we can overcome even when we want to quit. We learn that wanting to quit does not equal quitting. Quitting equals quitting. And we won't quit until we are finished. That lesson carries over into other aspects of our life. We gain confidence and it shows in everything that we do.

You don't have to be a runner to appreciate the value in overcoming. Running is only one method of expressing the very human need to overcome. Whatever you find worthy of your effort, go for greatness. Go all out. There is great joy in overcoming. The greater the struggle, the greater the reward.

At the end of every run, I lay aside my pride and I celebrate with great enthusiasm. I pump my fists in the air. I unabashedly raise my hands to the sky and yell a hearty "thank you" to God for helping me overcome again. An observer may mistakenly assume that I am cheering because I have accomplished a great personal record of some sort. The truth is, I am cheering just because I wanted to quit but instead I finished! I am inspired by King David. "I will celebrate before the Lord. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes." ~ 2 Samuel 6

Anyway, that's my reason for running today. Tomorrow I will likely be motivated by a different but equally compelling reason. =) What do you find worthy of your effort to overcome today? Why are you motivated to run?