Alan Webb - American Record Holder in the Mile (3:46.91)

This was an interview conducted in the summer of 2015, where I asked Portland native, Alan Webb, the "Why" of "Why he runs."  Enjoy!

"My Why is really rooted in the process of seeing myself get better.  Excelling was the real true root, the real discovery of my running talent.  I started out as a swimmer, but I did a lot of sports; soccer, basketball, and swimming were the main consistent sports growing up.  It was more swimming that I really gravitated towards and I discovered early on that if I spent more time doing an activity, I would get positive results from that.  It was a measureable thing, something you could control.  I also realized early on that other people were better than me.  In summer league swimming, others who swam with a club team year round were faster than me, so my parents signed me up for winter swim team, where I was able to train year round, and through that, my times improved.  It was an important part of my life.  It's where I learned that skill that when I was putting in practice, I was seeing results.

All along in middle school I was doing two-a-day practice and honing my skills as a swimmer.  When I got into high school, I had no formal training in running, other than gym class.  I didn't know it at the time, but participating in other sports was really shaping me as a runner.  Swimming created an extremely big aerobic base.  Basketball, soccer, and other sports also created agility and necessary skills.  When I got into high school, I was able to put all of these pieces into running and really excel.  I didn't have the right levers to be a great swimmer, but I have the physical tools and talents to be a great runner.  The work ethic skills and aerobic base, the polymeric training from basketball, the speed development in soccer.  Those pieces were all there when I took up running.

For my Why though, it's the process, not the result or the outcome.  I believe that's what makes running great for anybody.  Take the person who finishes last place in a race.  This person was the last place finisher, but they exhibited the same effort as the winner.  I don't see myself being any different than anyone else, even in moments o f triumph.  Those examples are what can drive everyone else.

No matter where they are or how good they are, it's about the process versus the actual result.   Excelling is really empowering, it's a great feeling of accomplishment.  But it's really the process that I enjoy."

What's your Why?

"This off-season, I am going to train harder than ever before!" ~ said Everyone.

Now that we are in the midst of the off-season, how is your training going?  Are you still on track to being more fit than ever going into the 2017 track and field season?  If so, then great!  Training in these cold and wet months, or as we’ve recently seen, freezing and icy conditions, takes real commitment!  However, if training has been sidetracked for any reason, perhaps Visualizing a forecast of your 2017 season can help you get started!

Visualization is the use of the minds-eye to see or imagine a performance.  It's a controlled fantasy of the mind; a fantasy which can come into fruition through determination and consistent training.  Visualization allows you to draw upon raw emotions, from defeat and disappointment, to victory and valor, both superior motives for religious training in the off-season. 

So, how do you perform Visualization?  It's likely something you already do, and it may be that you only need to tame it. Practicing the progressive steps towards optimal visualization during the off-season can give you an advantage during the season when a coach is providing feedback on technique or when you are seeing yourself through video-analysis and you are trying to control a bodily movement - visualization can help with this!  

Though visualization can take place virtually anywhere, initial practice of the visualization process in a low-pressure setting is suggested for optimal results.  As you become familiar with each of the steps, you may then advance the practice into actual training sessions.  For example, when practicing Breathing Control, it is suggested to create a mantra which produces a feeling of relaxation.  The mantra may be as simple as the word "relax."  Whatever the word or phrase you choose, the idea is to first practice that mantra while learning Breathing Control.  After a few sessions of Breathing Control, the next step is to practice your mantra while performing - when running intervals gets difficult, you can then say to yourself "relax," recalling that sensation of what full relaxation feels like, attempting to mimic that sensation while your body is fully engaged in the workout. 

Practicing your mantra during all types of running, from interval days to easy run days, is an important part of the "running with the mind" process.  A relaxed mind is fully engaged in the moment, ready for anything, from responding with a surge to staying in-tune with your form and posture.  Having a full-mind ability to apply your mantra can provide you with an opportunity to learn to control your emotional and physical exertion levels.

The steps in which we practice optimal visualization include, 1) Breathing Control, 2) Progressive Relaxation Training, and then 3) Visualization.  Initially, it may take 10-20 minutes to reach the point of Visualization, though it really depends on the duration of the preceding steps.  For example:

Breathing Control: Ideally, lying on a flat surface, focus only on the simplicity of the breath.  Inhale for a count of four.  Exhale for a count of four.  The pace of the count from one to four may take 4-8-seconds initially, but by within a few minutes, the count from one to four may take 10-15 seconds.  The inhales and exhales are at the same cadence.  Practice breathing in through the nose, out through the mouth.  After 5-10 minutes, progress to the next phase of the process.

Progressive Relaxation Training: While still lying on the flat surface, beginning with the feet, curl the toes like you are picking up a pencil and hold that contraction for about 5-seconds.  Next, flex the toes so they are pointing up in the direction of the knees, holding for 5-seconds.  Next the calves followed by the shins, hamstrings, gluteals, quads, abdominals, chest, back, shoulders, biceps, triceps, and fingers/fists, each for about 5-seconds.  In between each muscle group, be sure to take a moment to perform some breaths.  As you become more familiar with PRT, you may combine muscle groups (hamstrings and glutes are a natural and easy combination).  You may also wish to connect your mantra with the inhale or exhale, whichever makes the most sense to you. In time, once you can easily differentiate between being stressed (contracting a muscle group) and fully relaxed (letting go of that contraction/stress), you can omit the contraction phase of PRT and simply relax the body, perhaps triggered by your cue word.  The hope is to relax on cue, within a split second, heightening attentional focus to the body as needed.  To move this practice, PRT, into your training, make your best attempt to relax muscles which do not contribute to proper running mechanics.  For example, head, face, neck, shoulders and elbows can stay relaxed, while your arms, hamstrings, glutes, calves and balls of your feet remain highly active.

Visualization: If you have been able to pay attention to your breathing and all of the static contractions and relaxations, then to a degree, you've already been visualizing.  To formalize the process a bit more, imagine yourself standing at the top of a staircase.  Once you see the stairs in front of you, proceed to walk down the stairs until you see a door.  Once you reach the door, push the door open and walk into the room.  Once you are in the room, there are three scenarios taking place.  One: in front of you is a table with your favorite dessert sitting on a plate.  First observe your dessert: perhaps the aroma, the colors, the texture, etc.  Next, using a utensil or your fingers, pick up a slice or piece of your desert and take a bite.  Notice the texture and the flavors, as you continue chewing that delicious treat.  You may spend a couple of minutes enjoying this moment.  Two: the next scenario is a natural chaser - the beverage.  Similar to the dessert, are there any noticeable aromas, colors or textures?  What kind of cup or glass is this beverage in?  Is it cold or hot, and, more importantly, can you feel the temperature when you touch the cup?  Next, take a drink.  Notice the consistency, the flavors, and everything that comes with this beverage.  Three: Imagine yourself standing on your driveway at home under the awning of your house.  It's a cool morning, but you are not bothered by the temperature.  It's raining, but it's more like a light drizzle.  Reach out with your hand, palm up, and let the rain fall into the palm of your hand.  Next, bring your hand back to your chest, start your watch, and go for a run.  The rest is in your hands - or, imagination.  Once you have concluded your visualized run, walk out of the room to the stairs, and then back to the top of the stairs.   

As you practice visualization, consider imagining things you wish to work on.  For example, if you would like to work on being taller while running, then visualize the cues you heard during practice, and imagine executing those cues during visualization.  This specific visualization, where you are working on form or technique will help train your nervous system to hone your running mechanics.  Will the act of visualization make you faster or improve your VO2?  No.  But it can help with your form and proper running mechanics, which can go a long way in making running more efficient, thus improving your times.

Good luck and have fun!

Dick Hoyt's "Why" - Running for Something Great than One's Self

Rick & Dick Hoyt
http://www.teamhoyt.com/index.html

Preface: this story was conducted via telephone interview on August 14th, 2013.  I tried my best to type word-for-word to assure authenticity of the story that is Team Hoyt.  Some interesting facts at the time of the interview shared by Dick: he was 73 years young, he and Rick have competed together in 1101 events with a personal best 2:40:49 in the Marine Corp Marathon, winning his age group by 20 minutes.  Dick and Rick were inducted into the Marine Corp Hall of Fame in October 2013.  Finally, to better interpret this story as you read, imagine the voice of a wise, experienced runner with a beautiful Boston accent.

Judy and I married in 1961.  When we first started running and doing triathlons it was more for my son, Rick.  He attended a basketball game with his gym teacher at the local college where he learned that a student at the college was going to run a race for another student who was in an accident - a fundraiser.  When he came home from the game he asked me if we could run in the race.  I wasn’t really active prior to Rick, not until I was 40.  He was 15 when he asked if we could run.  At the time I ran just enough to maintain health and keep my weight down.  The wheelchair we had at the time was anything but a wheelchair for running.  I had a hard time pushing the wheelchair through the five-mile race, but the gun went off, and we finished.  We finished next to last.  The gym teacher's wife took a picture of us in that race (above).

I wouldn't run in a race without him.  I'm running for him.  He got me into it.  I would never run without him.  Rick communicates with a computer by using a head switch and that night, after the race, Rick said to me, he says, "When we run it feels like my disability disappears.  I'm a free bird."  That's his favorite song, in fact, Free Bird (by Lynyrd Skynyrd).

We initially got a lot of resistance trying to enter these races, with a lot of people telling us “No, you can't run in these races.”  But there's no such word as "No" or "Can't" in my world.  Rick has a personality, a sense of humor, a big smile on his face.  We kept entering these races.  Initially Boston turned us down, turned down the first female, too, saying “You’re different than anyone else.  You're different."  Then in 1981 they said, "You can line up behind the wheelchair participants and run."  We ran 3:18 for our first Boston, finishing in front of 85% of the rest of the field. 

1982 and 1983 was more of the same: unofficial and in the back of the pack.  In 1983 I asked Will Cloney, head of the Boston Athletic Association, if we could run, and he said we didn’t have any qualifying criterion because they were using Rick’s age to qualify us.  They were thinking there was no way a 40-year-old man can push his son in a wheelchair in three hours and 20 minutes.  So we ran the Marine Corp marathon in 2:45:23 and we took our official ticket to the Boston Athletic Association.  We’ve been running Boston since, and in fact now they say “Team Hoyt, you guys are the marathon. It's not Bill Rodger’s, it’s the Hoyt’s!”

The 2013 Boston Marathon was supposed to be our last event, however due to the tragedy of the marathon, 2014 will be our last one, and no more Ironman's.  Right now I am having problems with my back, my discs, and hamstrings, so we'll be cutting back to 20-25 events per year, Olympic-size triathlons and down. 

I've been public speaking for a while now, and receiving emails from people all over the world of whose lives we've changed.  When people come to my speaking seminars, they come up to me at the end and say "I'm gonna hug my kids...I'm gonna go to the gym." It's really something that these people are doing these things because of Rick and I.  In fact, we’ve had a couple young ladies ready to commit suicide, who once they saw our seminar, they began running and it changed them forever.  Drug addicts, alcoholics, presidents, CEO’s, now running because of Rick and I.  They say, "If the two of them can do it, we can do it."  And now, these people are motivating us.  You see people now pushing their kids in wheelchairs like we do and its motivating us! 

Simple Thoughts

There are two successes in playoff baseball:  When the San Francisco Giants are in it, and when the Los Angeles Dodgers are not.  It's really my only true "win-win" in the sport of baseball.

When the Giants opened up their brief 2016 playoff run at Citi Field against the Mets in early October, pitcher, Madison Bumgarner, took the mound.  For those who take no interest in baseball, let's simply sum up Bumgarner as having some of the best post-season pitching performances and statistics in modern day baseball.  When the Giants played the Mets with Bumgarner on the mound on October 5, 2016, MadBum continued his march into the history books by pitching a complete game, four-hit shutout.  After his masterful, first game of the series pitching performance, catcher, Buster Posey, said, "Syndergaard was unbelievable.  But there was such a calmness in our dugout.  And I think it's safe to say Bum deserves a lot of credit for that."  

With many local high school runners running regionals, state, and perhaps even nationals in the coming weeks, I couldn't help but connect Posey's post-game comments, about calmness amidst chaos, with the simplicity of cross-country running.

A few days after reading about Bumgarner's demeanor in the dugout, I came across another article, which name escapes me, that discussed the importance of competing with "simple thoughts."  Simple Thoughts refers to the strategy of Self-Talk, a key tool in the realm of sport psychology.

Simple Thoughts refers to having confidence in what has brought you to your present state of qualifying for your next race.  It means having confidence in your practices, confidence in your pre-race foods, confidence in packing the right gear, confidence in your pre-race and race strategies, and confidence in every move you make, all the way through the chute.  These simple thoughts clear a path toward optimal, precision-filled thinking on the task at hand. 

Though it can be technical, running is not rocket science.  It's running.  It's a 5k.  To those of you running in the post-season in the coming weeks, keep your thoughts - your self-talk - simple.  Be confident in the process that got you to this point, and be confident in your routines and race strategies.

Good luck!

Dancing with Pain

Boiling down the ingredients to becoming a very good runner is a perplexing task.  There are so many, each with their important contribution to the process.  But there is one particular variable that we must all overcome in order to maximize our potential as a runner - the variable of pain.  Not physical pain such as achy knees or pulled muscles, but the pain of physical exertion.

If you've been running even for just a short while, you have likely picked up by now that pain is inevitable in running.  It is a barrier which we all face, yet few are taught how to overcome it.  

Imagine if you will, you are dancing freely in your room to your favorite rhythm or music.  Minutes go by, you are in a nice groove, when the door opens and "Pain" walks in.  You recognize the presence of Pain, but you continue, seamlessly with your steps.  At some point, you recognize that you may either stop and confront pain, upset that you feel cut-off, or invite Pain to dance with you, so long as you remain in stride.

This idea is something I try to cultivate in my runners - learning to dance with discomfort.  Teaching runners how to run though discomfort can be "coaching philosophy" specific, but  the earlier you intervene an understanding of higher intensity work with an acceptance of temporarily dancing with discomfort, the sooner you can really tap into the potential of that runner.  Intervals, Fartleks, quarter repeats, hill repeats, track work, speed work - it all hurts.  But those who can work through that, physically, mentally, and emotionally, can then focus on controlling their performance without the performance controlling them.

So how does one endure the presence of pain? 

Tactical approaches that I find most beneficial to the runners I work with include the use of a mantra, the use of mental imagery, and of course, combining the two. 

Try this: Identify a moment during a race, a practice, or a mentally captured flash of inspiration (perhaps from a coach's speech, a peer, a stranger, a Bible verse, or other) that you felt supported and encouraged, which created a euphoric feeling of energy and endurance.  If you could put that moment into words, what would you say?  If you had to encompass that feeling or verbiage into a single word or feeling, what would it be?  This word or feeling is your mantra.

This is where mindfulness comes into play via Visualization.  Visualization is the ability to use the mind's eye to control or dictate a performance - in this case, a difficult practice or a race.  Ideally, visualization happens when you have little to no distractions, so you can concentrate on the task at hand.  It is conducted in a quite space with dim lighting, your eyes closed, and it's just you and your thoughts.  Once you become in-tune with your breath, relax the body from your feet to your head, and imagine yourself on a field, running.  When you enter this moment, begin to integrate your mantra, doing so in a rhythmic way so that the mantra itself becomes a part of your run - rhythmically. 

Transferring this mantra-induced visualization session into a practice setting is the prime objective to learning how to dance with discomfort.  Recalling your mantra during times of physical distress, aka practice, takes real, concentrated effort.  Eventually, the effort spent on recalling your mantra at practice will transfer to the race setting, again, with a concentrated, disciplined effort.

In the book, Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind by Zhunryu Suzuki, it states, "In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's there are few."  Filtering out the many factors which clutter the mind, i.e. discomfort and pain, and concentrating on productive thoughts, i.e. your mantra, can take your training and performance to a new level. 

Kick-off to the 2016 XC Season - Goal Setting!

Today kicked off the first day of cross-country around the Vancouver area, marking the beginning of a new season with a fresh sense of optimism for athletes and coaches alike. 

For athletes new to running, there's the excitement of meeting new people, creating new friendships, and eventually figuring out why you decided to choose running as your extracurricular activity.  For those who have a few years of running under their belt, there's the wonder for what lays ahead, the vast thoughts of making or sustaining your position on the varsity squad, and the potential of running a sub-X time.

Whether you're a beginning runner or a seasoned vet, implementing psychological tools into your training invariably helps guide your season.  For many Sport Psychologists and Coaches, the use of Goal Setting is often the first tool extracted from the mental toolbox.  The use of Goal Setting provides continuous direction and feedback, which can enhance both reality and confidence.

To begin the process of setting goals, important factors must be considered before putting pencil to paper.  First, how did your summer training go?  More specifically, how did your summer training of 2016 compare with 2015?  The goals you set for the coming season are predicated on past performance and the recent months of training you've put forth.  For example, comparatively speaking, if you've put in quality miles this past summer, and in 2015 you did not, then you should expect a much improved season. Let your Goals show this.

If you are new to the sport of cross-country, then you are likely joining the team because A) you have a friend on the team, or B) a coached begged...suggested you run.  Regardless of the reason, setting goals can create a sense of accomplishment by season's end. 

No matter where you are at in the sport of running, it is best to sit with a seasoned runner or coach to help you create and adjust your goals as the season progresses.  Here are some helpful tips to creating your own goals for the season ahead:

1.       Set both practice and performance goals.

2.       Set an Outcome oriented goal, such as a specific time you want to run.

3.       Set Process oriented goals, which are typically two to four supporting steps toward achieving your Outcome goal.

When you begin Goal Setting, write these goals out on paper.  Once you have written out and expanded upon each of the three steps, narrow down your writing to just a few sentences, and potentially to a single sentence until you have clearly defined and described goals.  Once this is done, transfer your written work to a simple index card, which is small enough to place somewhere you'll regularly see, reminding yourself of the process it takes to achieve your goals.

The effort you put into setting goals will help alleviate anxiety and create a sense of accomplishment as the season gets underway.  As your season progresses, review and adjust your goals as your fitness level increases and the meets unfold.

Speak with your coaches about your goals and if you have any question around the Goal Setting process, don't hesitate to message me at whisperrunning@comcast.net or text me at 360-989-0935.

Good luck to all the XC runners this 2016 season!

Dave

I'm training Bambi!

Recently I have been reminded of the importance of cross-training for runners.  From Tracy’s torn plantar fascia to an inquiring email about shin splints, running-related injuries are aplenty, most of which can be remedied with a regular cross-training regimen specific to runners.

I was inspired to write this blog while training Kiley yesterday at Hudson’s Bay track in Vancouver, WA.  To give you a brief background on Kiley, she’s a very talented young lady entering the seventh grade who has been training with Whisper for a little over a month.  Kiley’s entry into Whisper training has included some very difficult workouts and she has responded very well, both emotionally and physically.  The workouts prescribed from the onset of training have, again, been fairly rigorous, so yesterday I let Kiley choose her workout, while I set the pace – repeat 200m breakdowns – hardly a cross-country workout, but everything else we have done so far has predominantly ranged from 400m-1k repeats, so doing something short and allowing her to feel the sensation of control within her training and development creates a sense of empowerment within – win-win. 

Following the repeat 200’s, we ventured to the gym to do a few basic cross-training exercises, mostly consisting of a lower-body focus – squats, kettlebell deadlifts/swings, and walking lunges using resistance.   It was while performing squats on a Bosu ball that I realized something really cool – I’m actually training Bambi.  Bambi!

As Kiley jumped right up onto the Bosu, which had been placed belly-side down, it was when she went through the squatting motion that I could see areas of potential development within her core and lower body.  More specifically, as she went through the range of motion of the squat, her knees moved inward upon the concentric (up) phase of the squat.  This inward movement is very common in beginners.  For individuals wishing to run regularly, say 3-5 days per week, strengthening the legs to assure a patella-over-second-toe movement is crucial for running healthily. 

There are a number of exercises which can help strengthen and align the legs, but it’s important to perform these exercises with intentional focus to assure proper form from feet to head.  Keeping the heals grounded, just outside the hips and the toes pointing straight ahead (okay, slightly outward, but the patella should be in-line with the second toe).  When squatting, emphasize your movement so the hips go back like your rear is reaching for a chair, then forward while contracting the glutes (versus thinking the squat is a down-up exercise).   The squat, along with the following exercises, strengthen and align the muscles from hip-to-knee-to-toe, so that you can run further and faster without a decreased risk of injury:

• Walking Lunges (with some resistance)
• Single-legged squats (with supportive apparatus, perhaps a TRX or other device to help with balance if desired)
• Step-ups (9”-12” is sufficient)
• The above exercises barefoot (walking lunges barefoot can be difficult on the heal, so standing lunges are preferred)

Please use caution when performing these exercises.  Doing these exercises incorrectly can accelerate or exacerbate injuries.  If you need suggestions, consultation, or training, contact Dave at Whisper Running. 

Here's to happy and healthy running!

Intentional Running

A few weeks ago I discussed some important variables on performance in the fall season of Cross Country.  Variables such as shoes, water, sleep, and nutrition are all important to achieve optimal results, but if you are running without mindful intention, then perhaps you are training yourself to become slower.

So what is intentional running? 

Quite possibly, it might just be what you need to reach your potential.

If you were to look at your summer running plan it will likely have four to six days of running each week, consist of both long runs and short runs, include intervals, tempos, hills, and Fartleks, and likely group runs.  Those are the physical aspects of training.  The mental part of training includes the psychological strategies which help assist physical performance.  Two popular and effective psychological strategies include goal setting and visualization.

The first strategy to help with physical training and performance is the creation of goals that you set, followed by the action plans to achieve those goals.  Goals that go beyond accumulated miles in a week include appropriately timed intervals, appropriately timed rest intervals, and monitored tempos by means of a running watch and journaling progress.  Monitoring your runs and tracking your progress are simple and effective strategies to begin awakening the mind while running.  Tending to timed intervals, whether the interval is a running interval or a rest interval, provides an intentional focus away from the potential misery and pain of running.

Visualization can also help with intentional running.  With visualization, or seeing with the mind's eye, you can imagine running in a certain place or location, like a district or state meet, or you can imagine running like your favorite runner, like Alexa Efraimson or Mo Farah.  Pretending to look as they look, feel as they may feel, and effortlessly tap along the ground just as they do, may help you feel and act more confident and efficient with every stride.

Intentionally practicing these psychological skills, goal setting and visualization, can truly be a game-changer in how you approach running.  In fact, off-season and pre-season is the ideal time to practice these psychological skills.  For the next few weeks, practice setting goals for your work and rest intervals within your workouts, meanwhile use your imagination to push yourself into the uncomfortable unknown.

Good luck!

XC Pre-Season Training: The first step is to take one.

Recently, my wife asked where the school year went, and upon consideration, it really is difficult to believe how quickly the last nine months have gone by.  And if the previous nine have gone by in the blink of an eye, then it’s easy to imagine how quickly the summer months will disappear.  In the midst of a run, it can seem like time slows to a crawl, but rest assure, June, July, and August, will come and go, and the mere question for middle school and high school cross country runners will be, “How did your summer training go?”

Whether you’re goal is to run 100 miles, 300 miles, or 500 miles this summer, the hope for all cross country coaches is that their athletes are at least running.  In a 12-week summer training program, that’s 8 to 42 miles each week.  Clearly, for middle school or beginning cross country runners at any level, even 10 miles per week can seem daunting, but regardless of your starting point, the point is to at least start.  Consistent running during the summer months is the most important variable to the results in the fall, otherwise you spend the entire regular season running to get into the shape of those in front of you, living the season in what-could-have-been mode.  Not only are you wondering what could have been, your coach is in wonder as well. 

So where and how do you begin?

Shoes: Prepare by getting fitted with a good pair of running shoes from a running shoe store.  Fit Right or Portland Running Company are good places to start because they typically have seasoned runners who know their stuff.  However, if they offer orthotics, then as a chiropractor once told me, “you need different shoes.”  I completely agree.

Water: Make it a point to start and end your day with a glass of water.  Any water you get in between is a bonus.  Avoid any form of soda or energy drinks and make it a goal to have only water with your meals.  Hydrated runners sweat more, which helps regulate your internal cooling system while you run.  One place you don’t want to experience dehydration is in the midst of a long run.  Stay cool.  Drink water.

Sleep: With summer ahead, it can be exciting to think about staying up late playing the latest video game, watching movies, or hanging out with friends.  But if there are two variables which cultivate discipline and confidence within runners that isn’t running, it’s healthy nutrition patterns and prioritizing sleep.  Eight to ten hours of sleep each night, while going to bed at a consistent time, 9-11pm at the latest, ensures recovery and alertness for the next day’s run.

Nutrition: Sugar, salt, and fat taste delicious, but teaching and encouraging healthy alternatives to energy drinks and candy is pivotal to not only running, but general health.  With summer upon us, there are plenty of healthy fruits and vegetables to choose from.  If you have children, empower them by allowing them to choose their fruit and vegetable preferences while at the store.  If you are a coach, encourage your athletes to take part in the grocery shopping, specifically for healthy options.  Doing so, giving them control of their food options, will lead to them actually eating those options.  Also, try to connect food with mood and energy levels.  If they are in a good mood or had a good run, ask them what lead to the enhanced mood or successful run.  Were their foods involved with this process?  Just like running, healthy eating begins somewhere.  Let it begin at the grocery store and in the kitchen.

Goals: Setting a goal is simply not enough, you must put that goal into action.  Setting goals and not following through with them can lead to a decrease in confidence beyond running.  However, following through with your running goals cultivates an enhanced self-efficacy and a general improvement of self-confidence as a whole – pretty cool stuff!  For beginners, begin with tangible runs of 2-3 miles a few times a week, and progress from there.  Starting minimally can decrease the overall anxiety of running, teach the body how to deal with CO2 buildup, regulate breathing during running, and provide a positive sense of ability within running.  From there, steadily progress to five to six days a week, with a longer run once per week of five to seven miles by summers end.  Doing so will provide a base to start with, when cross country begins in late August.

Good luck this off season!

Trickle Up

Most things in running begin at the ground and work their way up, so this is where I’ll start.

Introduced and discussed in a previous blog, Ethan and I have been working together since November 2014.  Both physically and emotionally, he has improved by leaps and bounds, and he can tolerate a much greater dose of training now than ever before.  Most coaches would agree that workouts should always feel more challenging than the races, which is where Ethan has learned how to emotionally tolerate the pain that comes with running.  I often refer to these moments of painful running as “the dance,” and he is just now understanding, after 18 months together, what it means to dance with pain “a little while longer.”  There are a few ways in which we discuss increasing this pain tolerance, one is by being mindful of our biomechanics (form) while running.  Allowing the pain of running to trigger thoughts of form and technique takes an abundance of discipline, acceptance, and self-belief.

From right to left, you can see Amara is a heal-striker.  Performing drill work, cultivating a mindful foot-strike and foot-placement upon landing, and repetition will help Amara's efficiency and improve her running times. 

Meet Amara, Ethan’s teammate.  I began working with Amara just a few weeks ago.  Physically, Amara is where Ethan is at now – school record holder in the 800m, vastly talented, and District Champion.  Admittedly, our first workout together was too brief to learn anything I didn’t already know – she’s fast.  It wasn’t until the second workout, two 800m simulations, when I learned where Amara is at emotionally.  Initially, my plan was to run the first 800m-sim with her, then video record her second 800m-sim to better assess form.  However, during our recovery interval between the first and second 800m-sim, something told me to run the second with her, which ended up being the right decision.  During the final 150m push, with only 70m to go until the finish, I felt Amara flinch.  She continued to display great strength and perseverance though the finish, but the subtle flinch provided an abundance of feedback to help dictate a focus for her summer training. 

What’s in a flinch?

A lot!

Without breaking it down too far, a flinch can be both seen and heard.  For starters, a change in the foot strike can be heard, from a tapping to a skidding or thudding, the legs become weary and careless – a clear disconnect from the brains demand of heightened intensity, into the body’s acceptance and defeat of the onset of fatigue.  Next, the knees cave or buckle, increasing what kinesiologists call the “Q-Angle.”  These two variables alone, skidding of shoes and the increase in Q-Angle, increase the amount of time spent on the ground, ultimately decreasing ones elasticity and power.  From there, the signs continue trickling up the spine - the core weakens, the elbows widen, and the head bobbles.  These signs are certainly not all-inclusive, but many will appear if you watch close enough.  All of which start with a mere flinch, which in my world, is where training begins.

In order to train through the flinch and improve emotional tolerance, you must begin by ensuring work beyond the comfort zone.  This is done mindfully, yet begins with a keen attention to detail in drills, warm-ups, and in each run.   As mentioned before, assessment should begin from the ground up.  Once you feel you’re in the groove of your run, which is typically beyond the warm-up period, begin focusing on footstrike by landing flat-footed, with your foot as close to mid-line as possible (actually, landing on the forefoot is idea to maximize speed, however, since most runners are heal-strikers, let’s start with a mid-food/flat-foot strike, and go from there).  This means that if you were to draw a straight line from your shoulders through your hips to the ground, your foot should land directly below your hips.  Admittedly, this is extremely difficult, but it will at least provide you with something to think about while running, instead of the monotonous grind of 8-20 miles remaining on your long training run, or the 8-20-quarter mile repeats you have left.  Moving up through the body, additional thoughts to focus on could be the hips pushing forward to remain tall, confident shoulders and chest, an efficient arm swing, and/or a centered head on your spine.  Regardless of the attention to detail, running with an intentional focus to improve form and efficiency can not only take your mind from the drudgery of running, but can also make you more efficient and faster! 

In summary, when things become difficult in your run, this is the precise moment when you cue attention to detail by recalling good mechanics, visualizing an efficient runner (someone you have watched before) or what you would like to feel like, and implementing this thought or vision.  This takes discipline and acceptance to new things, but will ultimately enhance self-belief within your running. 

Enjoy!