You read a workout and immediately think, “I can’t do that.”
Then you head out for the workout and feel your heart rate skyrocketing when it should be an easy warm-up mile.
You start to tell yourself it’s ok to cut the speed work short, make the pace a little slower, or shorten the distance a bit.
Ever done that? I know I have.
But here’s the thing...it doesn’t serve anyone to do this. No one else really cares if you shortened or slowed down your work (I mean, maybe your coach, but no one else). And in the end it hurts you. It hurts your running training and it hurts your mental training.
The next time you recognize this pattern, try these instead:
Let your coach/plan/app do the thinking for you. Someone out there believes you can do it. Take their belief and let them do the believing in the pace, distance, etc. for you. (side note: this is why a 1:1 coach is so powerful.)
Just try it. You maybe still think “I can’t do this” at first. I still do that sometimes. But I’ve learned to follow it up with, “but I’ll try it anyway.” What’s the worst that can happen? You don’t finish it as prescribed, which is what you were going to do anyway!
Take a deep breath. Even in the middle of a run. I often find my heart rate increasing during the warm-up miles when I start thinking about the pain I know is coming--it’s that ever present mind body connection. Slow your heart rate and calm your mind with a deep cleansing breath.
Remind yourself that it’s all for you. This workout, this long run, running in general. That’s what’s so wonderful about it. It’s all for you. You are allowed to selfishly claim it. So know that this workout and whatever results are just for you.
What was the last workout you persevered even though you didn’t think you could?
