It is amazing to me that no matter how much I train, no matter how long I call myself a runner, no matter how much I improve, I still get so worried about my performance as I head closer to race day. I think no amount of preparation will ever push the doubts out of my mind or rid my stomach of those annoying butterflies that signal my nervousness.
This next week is a big one for me. I will be competing in my very first full marathon on Sunday, January 27 as I run the Carlsbad Marathon--26.2 miles of fun as I run many of my miles along the coast of the beautiful Pacific Ocean. For the last three months, in addition to my normal weekly miles, I added long weekend runs. I have done the work and proven to myself that I can actually run 20 miles (twice) and not collapse in exhaustion. I was pleasantly surprised that after that many miles I was able to walk the next day without much of a limp. In fact, the next day after my first 20-miler I was actually able to do a 32 mile bike ride. So I was very surprised this evening when I began to once again experience those familiar feelings of doubt. What if my small nagging aches keep me from running? What if I really can't add the extra six miles to the twenty I have already proven I can do? What if I don't bring the right nutrition and I hit a wall...and the list goes on and on.
This next week is a big one for me. I will be competing in my very first full marathon on Sunday, January 27 as I run the Carlsbad Marathon--26.2 miles of fun as I run many of my miles along the coast of the beautiful Pacific Ocean. For the last three months, in addition to my normal weekly miles, I added long weekend runs. I have done the work and proven to myself that I can actually run 20 miles (twice) and not collapse in exhaustion. I was pleasantly surprised that after that many miles I was able to walk the next day without much of a limp. In fact, the next day after my first 20-miler I was actually able to do a 32 mile bike ride. So I was very surprised this evening when I began to once again experience those familiar feelings of doubt. What if my small nagging aches keep me from running? What if I really can't add the extra six miles to the twenty I have already proven I can do? What if I don't bring the right nutrition and I hit a wall...and the list goes on and on.
Gabby and Emilly helping me run my final long miles before the race
I think what has me worried this time really boils down to one bad run. And when I say a bad run, it was not the whole run, just the last two miles. My wonderful husband supports me in many ways, one of which is helping me find new routes to run so I don't get too bored. For my 21 mile run, we used Google Maps to create a course that took me from one end of Murrieta to the other and into Temecula where at mile 11 I met Karrie and her neighbor Judy for the final half of my run. While I did slow down a bit on the last half, I really felt good as I approach my neighborhood and the end of my run. The problem was, that when I entered my neighborhood, my MapMyRun program showed that I was only at 19.5 miles, 1.5 miles short of what I needed. I attempted to run some loops around my house, but by the time I got to 20.5 miles, my thigh was cramping up, my foot hurt, and my head was telling me that I could not take one more step. So my current pangs of doubt really boil down to that last mile of my run and the half a mile I did not complete. Why am I so hard on myself??
I honestly wish that sometimes I could turn my brain off, but I know that I need to learn to work through these difficult times so I can be both physically and mentally tough for my races. I decided to do a little research today, because I am sure that some of you have had the same experience with an overactive mind. In my search I came across an article from Runner's World that really gave me some inspiration. Not every section of this article pertained to me, but I did find some words of wisdom to help me work through my doubt. Overcoming Mental Blocks covers topics such as people who stress about runners that are faster than they are, those that worry about tough courses or first races, but what I found most helpful was this quote from Doug Hankes, Ph.D., a sports psychologist for the athletic department at Auburn University. He shares, "The essence of mental training is getting your head out of the way and letting your body do what it's trained for." This just gave me that extra reminder that I have done all the work to prepare for a full marathon--I just need to let my mind concentrate on enjoying the experience and let my body take over. It knows what to do.
I honestly wish that sometimes I could turn my brain off, but I know that I need to learn to work through these difficult times so I can be both physically and mentally tough for my races. I decided to do a little research today, because I am sure that some of you have had the same experience with an overactive mind. In my search I came across an article from Runner's World that really gave me some inspiration. Not every section of this article pertained to me, but I did find some words of wisdom to help me work through my doubt. Overcoming Mental Blocks covers topics such as people who stress about runners that are faster than they are, those that worry about tough courses or first races, but what I found most helpful was this quote from Doug Hankes, Ph.D., a sports psychologist for the athletic department at Auburn University. He shares, "The essence of mental training is getting your head out of the way and letting your body do what it's trained for." This just gave me that extra reminder that I have done all the work to prepare for a full marathon--I just need to let my mind concentrate on enjoying the experience and let my body take over. It knows what to do.
There was one more thing that Hankes said in the article that I really want to share with you even though it does not pertain to me at this time--"No amount of confidence-building will improve your performance above what you've trained to do." It is good to remember that, because while it is okay to miss a few scheduled trainings or have a bad run, you must put in the work needed in order to have a successful race day. The closer you follow your training plan, the more prepared and confident you will be.
So over the next week I will be flexing my mental muscles and making them think only positive thoughts about Sunday's race. I planned, I trained, and I will conquer this next step on my road to becoming an Ironman. I will repeat over and over, "Get out of my way mind, my body is ready to take over now!"
So over the next week I will be flexing my mental muscles and making them think only positive thoughts about Sunday's race. I planned, I trained, and I will conquer this next step on my road to becoming an Ironman. I will repeat over and over, "Get out of my way mind, my body is ready to take over now!"
Getting some miles done in North Carolina.
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