by Jeremy Odena -
Whether you’re one week into a training plan or entering week 10 of 14, your workout day is usually the hardest running you will do during the week. What do workouts call for? If you follow the 80/20 rule for training, (80% of your weekly runs at a lower intensity, 20% at a higher intensity) then you know this is maybe the only day per week that you are allowed to run fast. These runs typically ask for you to warm up with a run of 1-2 miles at a very easy and relaxed pace followed by some dynamic stretching. This will help avoid nagging injuries that can keep you off the roads for weeks at a time. Once you’ve finished, now you’re ready to run a number of intervals at a pace that is either at or faster than your race goal pace. The specific distances and paces may simulate different stages in your upcoming race.
A few things may contribute to its ease or difficulty, your level of fitness, weather, your mental approach to a workout, approach to fueling, or several every day real world stressors. Some of those things, amongst others, are out of your control. There are intangibles that I believe athletes at every level need to possess in order to get the most out of themselves. The most important of those being your mental approach to your running, in this case, a workout.
"Running can be a taxing activity no matter your level fitness, so why not go into it with a positive mindset."
Running can be a taxing activity no matter your level fitness, so why not go into it with a positive mindset. We can change the narrative of “Ugh I have to run today” to “I get to run today”. This changes running from a task that you HAVE to do to an OPPORTUNITY. You can go from loathing the hard effort required to complete these runs, to being excited to knock it out of the park. If you have someone that you enjoy running with, bring them along to complete the mission. There’s nothing like having support and being able to give support where it’s needed during these challenging workouts. When you’ve finished, remember to cool down with another easy 1-2 miles at an easy to relaxed pace. This will help with the clearing of lactic acid and aid the recovery process for your cardio and respiratory systems. Above the scientific benefits of the recovery miles, there are psychological benefits after the challenging portion. It is a great time to reflect on how the workout went, especially if you did it with another person. Lets say you weren’t able to hit all of your paces on this particular day, talking about how you felt during your efforts is a very therapeutic process. This discourse can also help lead to improvement on your next outing, another set of eyes during the run may be able to identify breakdown in form, running too fast too early, sluggishness, etc.
"No matter how you think you performed during this workout, the work has been completed and your effort counts."
Workouts are demand a lot from your body, don’t forget to refuel and hydrate. Grab a Gatorade and a protein rich meal afterwards to being the process of muscle repair. No matter how you think you performed during this workout, the work has been completed and your effort counts. Give yourself some positive affirmations, remind yourself that you are strong and that you gave it the best that you had to offer. The things that we tell ourselves can make a world of difference in how we overcome self-doubt, fear, and also has a direct correlation to our physical health. Let us make today the day that we change the way we think about the things that challenge us, we are a part of a fortunate few!
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