This is collection of the mental fitness strategies that I have used over the the last 3 weeks of my own half marathon training.
My goal race is the New Jersey Half Marathon which is now 11 weeks away. My fall 2018 race was the Valley Half Marathon. I ran that race with an athlete who I coach, Donald Holder, and we clocked 1:27:29: an average pace of 4:07/km over that hilly course. I started running again in December after a significant period off for injury (not specifically related to that race). As has been my pattern these last 3+ years, I’m practically starting over again. Though the starting point isn’t as deep down as previous, my many years of running still count.
I now have 2 x 4 week blocks on training under my spandex belt. I’m still waiting for that definitive fitness “click” where I feel like I’m back. I’m quite far away from running 4:07/km over the half distance. With the combo of starting over again, adapting to the mileage of this half marathon cycle and awaiting that moment where I feel my speed and fitness: my mental outlook has mattered.
This blog post is the 4th in a series of “Fierce Files” or mental fitness volumes. My previous mental files were from the summer of 2018:
Here is what has helped this cycle around.
Trusting the process. I know and understand the process and I’ve participating in it working many times before. You start running. The easy run pace gradually gets easier. Then there’s more capacity for threshold pace running. The range of speed isn’t there but threshold pace is there. Then the longer runs feel more manageable. Then a range of paces beings to return but not all the way while body adapts to higher mileage. I tell myself over and over again that where I am is ok. I trust the process.
Find a though that serves you better. These are the great Deena Kastor’s words, from her 2018 book, “Let your mind run,” spoken to me by my training partner Jennie during this last 4 week block. We were out for an easy run. I was lamenting that I felt so slow in workouts, running at paces far off my fall paces. The adaptation click was far off etc. Jennie offered up this gem. Of course she’s right. I could find many thoughts that would serve be better. That comparison thought isn’t one of them.
Instead: I am running healthy 5 days per week. I’m grateful for the beautiful landscape of my coastal city and for the friendship of my training partners and for the willingness of my body to train the way I ask it to.
Relax into the Effort: this is also a thought that I consciously harness that has been helpful for me. I used it in an icy and frigid 21km long run with Jennie that included 2 x 15 minutes at threshold. During the first interval, I told myself on repeat to “relax into the effort.” I paid less attention to the perceived difficulty of the effort, I told myself it was ok. I relaxed into it. Average interval pace = 4:13/km
“Don’t give up on yourself.” During the second and final of these threshold intervals, this organic thought: “don’t give up on yourself” surfaced. Jennie has both dropped and then put about 20 seconds on me. It was ok. I wouldn’t panic or lament over that, I would find a thought that would serve me better. The thought was not to give up on myself. I would hang on for 15 minutes, for myself. When I got to 10 minutes, I actively convinced myself that I could hold on and survive another 5 minutes and I wouldn’t give up on myself. End of interval average pace = 4:13/km. It felt like 10km effort and I barely survived and held on but I did survive and hold on for myself.
Choose optimism instead of fear. Next comes Wednesday evening’s effort: 20 minutes straight of threshold pace, bookended by 1-minute intervals. Well jeez, I had barely survived the 15 minute intervals and 20 was longer. But fretting and being fearful doesn’t help mental fitness so I found some thoughts that would serve me better. I would not give up and I would be optimistic about seeing what would happen.
I started with workout with teammate Lindsey. While we were running our 1 minuters, we were cat-and-mousing a random guy along Marginal Road. We also tripped him when we pulled up on the last 1 minuter. Then he asked up what came next and what pace? He was visiting from NFLD and had tweeted Coach Lee to ask where to run so he was in fact purposely running alongside. He asks if we mind if he paces us. I wonder if the running Gods have dropped this kind stranger onto the Halifax Seaport’s industrial road to save my training cycle life. It’s almost too good to be true. Of couse we enthusiastically agree. This dude, Jeff, paces me for the next 20 mintues, interspersed with coaching: breath deep; drive your arms; effort same on hills.
This time, when I get to 10 minutes in, it’s perceptibly different.
On Sunday, when I got to 10 minutes, my thought was: “I’m pretty sure I can survive the next 5 minutes to end this interval and not give up on myself.”
This time, when I get to 10 minutes, I think: “I’m going to crush the next 10 minutes.”
There it was.
The smallest glimmer of progress. The first significant one of this cycle.
I do. It’s on pace, 4:13/km, and the effort is way less than Sunday. I feels like threshold effort, like I could run in control for longer. I credit my trust in the process and my mindful and strategically chosen thoughts for getting here. I celebrate it with myself.
Gratitude for healthy miles. On easy runs this week, I take some moments to give thanks for the painfree easy miles that I am running. This is where I had hoped to be be. All those ordinary miles in December, building back, choosing to be optimistic because that was the best choice. All of those miles and hopeful choices were for this. Running painfree, 5 days per week, on full half marathon weekly volume of 70+km. I am grateful. This helps my mental outlook.
Next up is Saturday’s monster intervals. The Hammer crew wonders if Coach Lee has in fact made an error in assigning this workout: 30 minutes continuous, alternating threshold and fartlek (8-10km) pace. Coach Lee is not listening to the complaints department and remains committed to the work as assigned.
Run the interval you are in: Instead of going in all the way fearful (I am a little fearful, I own that!), I commit to run my warmup to the park easy with Dave and Shauna. I pledge to get through the workout my running the interval I am in. I won’t think of the whole thing all at once. I won’t thing of how many intervals to go, how much total distance to go. I will remain focused solely on the interval I am in. This is valuable in a race too: Run the kilometer you are in.
I remain in the interval I am in and calmly relax into the effort. The conditions are wild. There’s an icy windchill of -14. The wind gusts are 50+km/hr according to the weather app. The threshold intervals are great. I’m on pace and average 4:12.5/km. I’m using that decimal and not rounding up because that’s finally training progress. My 5th interval, the final threshold interval, is my very best and I feel awesome, strong and in control at 4:11/km.
My fartlek interval pace isn’t there. I don’t have reliable access to that speed yet. Shauna drops me on the second fartlek interval, the 4th of 6th overall interval. I don’t mind and I don’t panic and it’s ok. I am good enough just where I am. That though serves me well. The effort is there and I don’t give up on myself.
We finish. There’s 8km left to run home. I’m proud of myself for getting through this big one. My best effort is enough.
I’ve been through this cycle of self-reflection before, most notably after Big Sur Marathon: am I good enough? Am I fast enough? The answer is always yes. I am enough.
Now onto a down week, praise the running lord. Freeze Your Gizzard 10km on PEI is coming up for a real good look at where I am.
I am #coachproud this week when I see one of my Love Training More athletes using some of the metal strategies that I have been talking about:
