1 Theme
Refocusing and Realigning
When you're combining a high volume of training with your day-to-day life, it can begin to take its toll on why you're doing it.
You can question your own motivation and reasoning for putting yourself through difficult challenges.
There are a couple of reasons why I do what I do:
- There's a better version of me waiting at the finish line.
- What you do today, will compound tomorrow.
There is a better future awaiting on the other side.
Sometimes your confidence can be dashed or you can feel hopeless.
Having a stack of undeniable truths of who you are and what you want to achieve can overcome the feeling of being stuck.
Going through periods of frustration is part of the process though. Taking the time to go review your actions/habits/beliefs regains the focus you may have lost.
2 Positive Outcomes
Listening To My Body
Thursday morning at 5.30 am. My watch buzzes to wake me up.
I've got a 50-minute tempo run programmed.
I snooze for 10 minutes.
My body is sore and tight. There's a lot of tension.
Do I want to run this morning? Nope - my body is telling me no.
Not running was the best thing for me.
It was a rest I needed.
20 Miles
Going a run on Thursday would've compromised my big trail run on Saturday.
I would rather be recovered for that. Missing one run won't define my progress considering I've been incredibly consistent in my training this year.
It was 100% the right call. I felt great out on the trails this weekend.
With 5 weeks to go until the 50km, I'm feeling in a great spot.
3 Things I've Learned
Resilience
Endurance training teaches you a lot about yourself.
You're alone for long periods with nothing but your thoughts.
New ideas pop up at random times while your self-talk becomes important in determining how you perform.
Being mentally and physically tough is not enough to be truly resilient. You also have to be strategically strong and study your suffering - Ross Edgley
Trail running feels like a metaphor for life.
There are going to be steep, hard climbs as well as flats and downhills for gathering momentum.
Identifying where these are preps you for what's to come. If you know a big challenge is coming up you can prepare to be stretched and pushed harder than usual.
In the end, though, you'll have a resilient mindset ready to take on bigger obstacles.
Be Compassionate To Yourself
I'm very guilty of not doing this.
As someone ambitious, I can continually push myself harder and harder because the desire for achieving my goals keeps me continually turning up.
Sometimes life gets in the way or you start to feel fatigued.
This is when you need to show yourself compassion.
I find myself often looking for reasons and explanations as to why I'm feeling a certain way rather than simply letting it be.
It's okay to slow down, take note of how you're feeling and let it pass.
Starbucks > Costa
If I had to choose between these two then Starbucks wins every day.
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