mindfirerunner

We work hard. We train hard. We put everything we have into focusing on the next race, event, or goal. Sometimes, we get sidelined. An injury…a sickness…life. It’s easy to focus on the big things like weekly mileage and structured training plans, but I’m learning there are times when I need to focus on the little things as well. It’s the little things that we try to ignore and “train over” that can end up derailing us.

I’m the worst when it comes to recognizing the small problems that can lead to the big, unavoidable, mountainous messes. I never want to feel ill-prepared for a race, and as runners we are all too familiar with the mental aspect of running – especially distance running. I’ve learned a lot the hard way and over the years have been determined that my mind will not be the reason I am not successful in a race. My body is another story.

I have lived by the philosophy of “What doesn’t kill me, will make me stronger”. Hard work never hurt anybody, right? Possibly. But as athletes we can’t ignore the little things that are flashing symbols of potentially bigger problems that need our attention. Yes, resting is harder than it looks for some of us. A week off in the grand scheme of things is not an eternity (though it may feel like it). That lingering fear of resting and not finding the motivation to get up and run starts creeping in. What if I enjoy my time off too much? What if my legs feel like jello when I start back up again? What if I feel worse because I was “lazy”? Flip side: What if my legs finally feel rested? What if my body and mind have time to reboot? What if I become a more solid runner?

I’m working on taking it one day at a time and not ignoring the little things, because believe it or not they really do exist.