More Than Guts

“Somebody may beat me, but they are going to have to bleed to do it.”-Prefontaine

That’s the sound of a gauntlet being thrown down by the legendary runner/racer, Steve Prefontaine. The man was synonymous with being fearless.  He had an immense amount of talent but his true skill was an ability to mentally push to places where others just couldn’t go. His life was cut short by a tragic accident in 1975, but he left a legacy of greatness that won’t be forgotten. 

“I'm going to work so that it's a pure guts race at the end, and if it is, I am the only one who can win it.”-Prefontaine

This is a statement from a man who’s put in the work and owned it.  He completely trusted his training and he knew his body well enough to know that at the end of the day, he could make it do what he wanted.  Some people confuse having a fearless, “gut-it-out” mentality, with those who are just gifted and don’t necessarily have to work very hard.  They can just show up on race day and crush it.  That was NOT Pre.  He trained in a way that allowed him the ability to tap into that “extra reserve” during races.  Steve Prefontaine would NOT be outraced.  How many times are we caught just giving about 85% of ourselves, and hoping that when we’re tested, we’ll be able to skate by because we’ve done it in the past?  It’s a risk and it only lasts so long, because you didn’t do the things you needed to do to succeed. 

“To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.”-Prefontaine

This is honestly my favorite Pre quote.  He was passionate about running and racing.  It was his “life blood” and he respected it so much that there was no way he’d give it less than his best.  So today, in honor of Steve Prefontaine, take some time to evaluate the way you approach your training and your life.  You can be as mentally tough as anyone, but part of that toughness comes from the discipline in daily training.  That patience of working hard to reach a goal – that routine creates a pattern that will eventually create a strong body but also a strong mind.  Don’t sell yourself short or take the easy way out. Don’t take your gift for granted. 

Creating Space

Go. Go. Go. That’s life. We’re always on a mission to jam-pack as much as possible into our daily routines.  It’s like racing – the gun goes off and our goal is to get to the finish as fast as we possibly can.  We’re flying down the course, and many times we miss so much.  Some of the most amazing people.  Some of the most amazing stories.  We’re totally oblivious because we’re so focused on one thing – getting to the end.  All that busy-ness and all that speed we’ve created in life is definitely challenging but sometimes…just sometimes…it’s important to create space.

Creating space doesn’t always mean clearing out your schedule, though it can.  To me, the most important type of space we can create is within the mind.  How many times do we get into a run or a workout and instead of focusing on our breath or our form, we're focused on the next 4 things on the to-do list for the day? Sound familiar? Yeah, you’re definitely not alone.  We flaunt the “busy brain” like a badge of honor, but in reality, it’s so hard to maintain and can steal the joy out of almost every experience.  There’s always a sense of dread or worry hanging around because that laundry list of life-chores, just never goes away. 

Well, this is your chance to change it.  I’m a running coach, but my 2016 challenge to you is more about mental fitness than the physical side.  Take time this year to carve out moments to really clear your head and think.  Focus on exactly what you’re doing at the exact moment and the results may blow your mind.  When you’re out on a run, focus on your breath, your steps, look around at the amazing world you’re running by mile after mile.  Be present and allow what you’re doing to truly sink in.  Ditch the distractions and create some space.  Consider it a life-changing gift to yourself in this brand new year.  

Regroup

It’s the time of year when we’re overbooked and underthanked and feeling pretty stressed by the end of each day.  We fill the hours with obligations and shove our “passions” somewhere in the back because we’re stuck on that big wheel of staying “busy.”  The “busy bee” spills over into running – into training.  I’ve seen it happen to so many people and I feel it when it happens to me.  Competition is the spark that fuels the fire for most folks.  It’s the motivation to get out and train and suffer to accomplish a goal.  It’s a high, great enough to push you past your pre-conceived limits, but it’s also enough to bring you down to your knees.  What happens when you don’t find what you’re searching for?  What happens if your body says it can’t get you there, no matter how hard you try?  All that work…all those goals…it just wasn’t enough...if your heart wasn’t in the right place from the start. 

We’ve got to get our head and heart in tune when it comes to training.  I’m talking to myself, just as much as I’m talking to you.  I’ve climbed a few physical “hurdles” over the past several years and I feel like I’ve been playing a big game of “beat the clock” rather than racing a few of my favorite routes.  I’ve taken a beating and right now, my body is telling my brain – “take it easy for a bit until you fall back in love with the sport that basically saved your life.”  I’m listening.  It’s tough, but I’m taking my own advice.  But that’s just it.  This – the struggle of training.  The highs and the lows.  This is what brings us back, hungry for more.  It’s a process and it’s a perfect metaphor for what it means to really live and love.  We evolve and our needs and wants will naturally change over time.  My goals are the same but I’m taking a different approach, one filled with less pressure, more purpose and  A LOT more happiness along the way.  So with that said, as we head towards the end of the year, I urge you to ask yourself “why” you’re running, racing, or training.  The saying is, “you’ll never regret a run,” but to that I say, “you might regret your reasons.” If you’ve lost the passion and it’s become a chore, it’s time to get back to the basics before it’s too late.  Race for the love of running and the opportunity to just be free.  A day on the run from the daily grind.  I’m already there.  Who’s coming with me? 

Perfect Timing

Stop waiting for everything to be perfect.  Life isn’t perfect.  Not real life, anyway.  I have this pet peeve of hearing people say, “well I’ll do x,y,z when I can stop working so many hours,” or “when I lose a few pounds,” or “I’ll start training for that event once I stop travelling so much.”  Here’s the deal: life doesn’t give a damn what your current circumstances are.  It’s just got that funny way of rolling right along and if you choose to stop and wait for perfection to pick you up – sorry, you’re getting left in the dust.  That’s not me saying that – that’s just the cold, hard truth. 

I hear a lot of excuses and I’m pretty good at cutting to the core of every single one.  It’s totally fine to set goals and hit a few speed bumps.   That’s real.  If you didn’t, I’m not sure I’d believe it…BUT…the big test is how you handle it and if you adapt and change to find a solution or if you let it derail your whole damn plan, then you’re empty handed and unhappy.  Why do humans do this?  Animals don’t.  They know what they need to do to survive and they do it.  Or they don’t but they didn’t rationalize why it would be easier to do this, this, or this instead.  We’ve become masters at talking ourselves out of hard work and discomfort, and I’m just as guilty as they next.  I will hear that voice in the back of my brain saying, “I’m beat today..maybe I’ll just skip and make it up tomorrow,” and you know what, every now and then that happens—but – 99% of the time it doesn’t.  Why?  Because tomorrow won’t be any better than today.  You’re just giving yourself another opportunity to come up with an even better excuse, and you probably will.  You see, so much of running is not about the amount of sweat we lose during a workout, but about the amount of willpower it takes just to start.   Get up, get your shoes on and get out the door.  If you can get your brain on board, your body won’t ignore it.  Now doesn’t that sound like the PERFECT place to start? 

Are We Having Fun?

Are you having fun? Really? Are you really having fun?  This year’s been an interesting year of racing for me.  My racing schedule looked a little like someone took a potato gun and shot it at the wall.  There were 5k’s, 50milers up mountains, a road marathon and a 100miler through a parking lot.  I learned a lot about racing over the course of the last several months, but I also learned a pretty big lesson within the last week.  I decided to ask myself the daunting question, “Mary, are you having fun?”

It’s a question I ask my athletes all the time.  I even program workouts just to help them remember why they fell in love with the sport from the very start.  Now I know every part of training isn’t always the best time of your life, but there should be some level of enjoyment that comes from lacing up and taking part.  But we’re human and sometimes we fall into the trap of doing things because we think we should.  Whether it’s signing up for a certain race or racing at all, when all we really want to do is just run. 

So yes – I asked myself what really makes me happy…and what events I’d consider truly fun.  I won’t bore you with the findings, but I say all these things to remind us what having a passion is all about.  It’s hard work.  It’s tedious and time consuming, but it’s also something beautiful and worth pouring your heart and soul into when it’s all said and done.  So today I charge you with this one task – figure out the things you love and that make you happy and don’t waste time on the things you don’t.  Don’t do things you think you’re supposed to do.  Find what you love and do the hell out of it, then I bet you’ll have a different answer for that question - “are you having fun?”

Live Like Quincy

You need this today -- I promise you do!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_onJXlfRTA

Quincy has the right idea, man.  This dog is a pro at living and loving life.  He’s got his best guy beside him and they’re cruising down the open road.  Totally in the moment.  Pure joy! I love Quincy.  I wish the whole world could be just like him. 

Life is really not that hard.  We always make the easiest situations so complex.  It’s true with work, relationships and even running…when at the end of the day...we usually already know what to do…it’s just a matter of what we CHOOSE to do instead.  We’re pretty good at talking ourselves in or out of things.  Did you get an oil change? Go for your run? Call your grandma? Say “I’m sorry”… All these things are so easy to do...but we’re pretty much professionals at getting in our own way. 

So for today – on this gorgeous fall’ish Friday, get out and live like Quincy.  Love your life and don’t get bogged down by the day to day.  "Man I wish I were less joyful today," I promise those are words you'll NEVER hear yourself say!

Plans Change

I’m a coach.  That means a lot of different things to a lot of different people.  One of the many “hats” I wear is helping athletes prepare and plan for an upcoming event…but there’s so much more to that than you might expect.  So much more.  I recently listened to a podcast about these very things and I decided to share some of my own keys to "preparation."

Athletes pick the perfect the race. Together we’ll train the body, practice nutrition and hydration strategies and create a plan that feels foolproof.  Nothing could possibly go wrong now and we’re ready to rock it…and then…just as the famous quote goes, “everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.”  Things just happen in races.  Sometimes it’s within our control and others, well, life has a funny sense of humor.  One of the most important lessons I’ve learned over the years is the importance of patience within a race.  An ounce of it goes a very long way, but we’re human so we don’t want to accept it.  We get into an event and the very moment things start to get hard or go off the rails, we abandon ship.  The panic alarms go off in our brain and all those negative thoughts start to quickly rush in…but it’s easy to put the brakes on it…we just have to PAUSE.  No really.  Just pause.  That could mean slowing the pace for a brief moment or even walking to try and work it out.  The act of simply pausing is going to help us face what’s really going on.  At that very moment, we own the things that are going on inside the brain and the body instead of letting them snowball out of control and turn into a floundering mess of cramping, coughing, and struggling to the finish line.  That’s when the assessment starts.  Hydration? Nutrition? Hitting a wall and just need a little break?  These are all normal things that happen and by hitting that pause button, we can take the time to figure it out, fix it, and then be patient until the pain or discomfort goes away.  But that act alone takes practice.  Yes…patience actually takes practice.

For me, racing is a great test of our physical abilities, but it’s also about building those problem solving skills.  We can train and train and train but I don’t care who it is, almost everyone will say their race day didn’t go exactly as planned.  That’s not always a bad thing and sometimes it’s better than expected…but still…it didn’t fit the mold we made for ourselves when we stepped off that day.  But…here’s the big key to problem solving – it starts with being honest with ourselves during a race.  Sit in sensations and let stuff happen.  Feel what’s really going on before ever attempting to fix it.  We’re so quick to shut down anything that’s the least bit uncomfortable but how will we ever know what’s wrong if we don’t “get down in it.”  Sometimes a little suffering is necessary to know what’s going wrong and serve as a reminder of what NOT to do the next time around. 

So…a successful race may not be the race we intended but sometimes it’s so much better than we could ever expect.  That’s racing – and life.  We can’t pick the way the world works and sometimes…well… it just doesn’t turn out the way we’d like it to be.  But – preparation, patience and a little problem solving can get us back on our feet and moving forward.  Plus, the lessons we learn along the way are worth more than any PR could ever be. 

Face the Fight

I recently took a Krav Maga class, which not only kicked by booty but taught me just how important it is to turn and “face the fight.”   There were all these great safety statistics about the benefits of fighting back when you're in a dangerous situation, but the one that stood out the most was the ability to set my own terms.  When we’re threatened, our first instinct is to turn and run away.  I’m a runner and I’ve spent a lot of my life thinking I could run away from difficult or scary things.  Yes, I’m talking about actual physical threats but also the things I don’t really want to feel.  It’s a way to escape, to get out of a situation without really taking care of the actual problem.  But then, you spend your precious time, looking over your shoulder in fear.  Did I do enough? Should I have tried a little harder? Did I give up when I should’ve stayed to fight?  For example, the dreaded DNF or even better, the "Did Not Start." 

It’s a part of life and it’s also a part of training.  What are the things you know you should do, but just really don’t want to fix?  For many folks, you get in the same routine and there’s this glaring weakness right in front of your face.  You’re riding high and everything’s great…until the bottom drops out and you’re not.  That's when the brain starts going into overdrive -- "what in the world went wrong?"     

This is a call to action of sorts – figure out what scares you most and TURN AROUND AND FACE IT, don’t wait until the fight comes to you.  If you fail, you gave it everything you had and you’ll learn a hell of a lot in the process …oh…and you’ll probably get a few cool battle scars to carry with you too.   

Busting a Rut

It’s easy to get comfortable.  Doing the same things you’ve always done…over and over.  We’re creatures of habit after all.  We all do it and it’s usually because it’s the path of least resistance… or less thought.  You run the exact same route, day after or day, eat the same foods, see the same people, think the same things… you see how this can trickle down to everything else in your life without a second thought.  But, what happens when you wake up one morning and that old routine you once loved so much wasn’t what you really wanted at all?  In fact, the thought of it actually makes you sick.  That sounds dramatic, right? However, I’m pretty sure every person reading this right now has felt the exact same way. 

Example – I don’t always listen to music when I run but when I do, I set these different playlists for certain runs.  I love taking the time to pick the perfect songs and make the music flow exactly how I’d like it to be. I love those playlists and I’ll hit certain parts of a run and that specific song will come on and it’s like I expected it.  That’s my jam!  I knew it was going to be the thing to serenade me to the top of that hill…..   and then, at some point over a period of time, that song makes me want to scream.  “Ugh..I hate this song! You’re the worst One Republic! If I hear this again, I’m just going to lay down in the middle of my run and cry!”  Ok, that may be a little dramatic, but you get the point.  What happens next? I take my headphones off.  I leave them at home for the next several weeks. 

That’s a small example but it can make or break your runs.  It can challenge you, just like getting off the roads if you’re a roadie.  Heading for more hills if you’re always looking for the fastest, flattest course you can find.  The goal of this blog is to help you think about ways to become more mentally tough and one way is to step out of your comfort zone.  Let go of that control.  Find the things that scare you and then just sit there...just wait there until you’re not afraid any more.  That’s when the magic happens. That’s when real change takes place.  Yes, it might be uncomfortable or difficult at first but that’s the beauty of busting a rut.  It’s getting through it and seeing what’s waiting for you on the other side. 

Getting Real

Running is a lot like life.  You can have a training run or a race that feels amazing.  You feel invincible and you're on top of the world.  And then.....just when you're starting to enjoy those endorphins from your running high, the bottom falls out and you're down in a ditch, covered in dirt.  (Not that that would ever happen to anyone around here....)  It's a weird one, that relationship we (I mean me) have with running.  Some days I love it so much and I can't imagine my life without it.  Others, I want to set my shoes on fire and drive over them with the car.  That, ladies and gentleman, is your coach talking right there.  I say all this to show that even the most experienced runners and those who even coach, struggle with the good AND the bad days too.  It took me a long time to understand that THIS is part of being a runner.  It's really part of being passionate.  A bittersweet relationship that gives but it also takes and you have to be willing to go with the flow.  It's taken me far too long to learn those lessons and I'm still learning new ones every day.  But for now, I hope you join me in our attempts do deal with the OTHER side of the running: the stuff that goes on inside the mind.  To me, that's what really gets you across the finish line.