The hardest part

Almost every good cross country team has a summer running program to prep the cross country team for the training that will be going on in the fall. For high school or college athletes running in the summer is assumed, but it is not always easy. On a day when it is sunny and 80 and all your friends are going to the beach, a concert, Six Flags, or just lounging around and cooking out on the grill, running is the last thing you want to spend your free day doing. My coach in college would remind us over the summer that all the training we do in the summer months will get us ready to run fast in the fall, but truthfully, as a young dumb college kid, I was not thinking that long term. He would continue contacting us and giving us small bits of inspiration. I am sure that the long term thinking helped some runners, just not me. So he would send something every week that was a little different and finally, he sent something that resonated with me. "The hardest part of any run are the steps from the couch to the door". 

In behavior modification, we call this a cue. Once you get out the door, everything is easy, it is getting to the door that is hard. For myself, I found that once I put my shoes on and stood up, the run was basically over. Everything after getting the shoes on and acting like I was about to run came easy. Once you are out there 80 degrees and sunny cruising in your favorite neighborhood, favorite forest preserve, or some combination of both, all the whining, difficulty, and feet dragging seems silly, because this is what it is all about.

Maybe the shoes on is not enough for you. Perhaps turning on your ipod helps. Or telling someone you are going to run so you do not look silly if you skip it. Learning about yourself and knowing yourself are two of the greatest benefits of running. Over the long journey going from your first run to becoming someone who does not understand life without running, you learn a lot about yourself and can find those small cues that will help you be successful.

Consistency is more important than mileage, pace, or what pair of shoes you have on your feet. Find your own cues that will get you out the door.

3k-5k: 4-6 miles (If you're near hills, run them)
5k-10k: 4-6 miles (If you're near hills, run them)
10k-21k: 6-8 miles (1 mile easy to start, 1 mile easy to finish, push the miles in the middle)
21k+: 5-9 miles (1 mile easy to start, 1 mile easy to finish, push the miles in the middle)

All: 6 x 150 meter strides
Mobwod from January 11th (the video is not uploading today)


Post feelings, comments, distances, and how recovered after the last two days you feel