Friday, August 16, 2013

Reassess and Persevere

Today's post is sort of a companion piece to yesterdays'. Perhaps it's better to say that it's my hope that they complement each other. I think at one time or another we've all been discouraged with our training, maybe we weren't making the gains we think we should be, or if you compete,perhaps you've had a bad race or two. Running great Bill Rodgers offers up some things to keep in mind during these difficult times. No matter what sport you are involved in his insights are applicable. He says the following: "You have to hang on and look at the future. This is a very significant point. Running(or training) is never a waste. Everything you are doing now is all part of the grand plan. What's going to happen nine years down the road? The more you train, the more consistent you become." We tend to forget about the cumulative benefits of training year after year. It's uncommon to hear your average local athlete talk about where they think their training(and racing) will be in five years. That's unfortunate because if you continue to train smartly and consistently, you will become a better and stronger athlete. On a related note, I knew one athlete who raced frequently at the 5k and 10k distances and became discouraged one season with his times. He reassessed his training and decided to make some changes. Within a year he was back racing better than ever. A thinking, determined and consistent athlete can accomplish much.
Big work day today--7 1/2 hours on my feet with much lifting and moving---stretched after.
What did you do?

No comments:

Post a Comment