Stay Focused Where You're At
The best time to slow down on the highway is before you pass a cop with a radar gun.
In a car it’s easy to lose focus and let your speed creep up. Before you know it you’re doing 75mph and your heart stops when you see that police car.
The same can sort of happen when you’re running. If you’re comfortable, it’s easy to go faster - you feel so good! Then it creeps up on you - you’re out of breath, your heart is thumping, and then you wonder if you can even run another 10 feet.
There’s grit to running fast. Every now and again you’re gonna feel good and just let it rip - great! But you gotta bring it back. You gotta rest. Trot. Shuffle. Walk.
See, just as you seek to get that fast pace, search for that slow shuffle, too. You want to be in control at all points during your run. How can you be in control when you’re running fast if you can’t do it when shuffling along?
Stand up straight, chest forward, hips forward. That’s when you practice good form - when you’re comfortable.
“When we maintain good body position—head over shoulders, shoulders over hips, hips over the mid-foot upon landing and arms swinging directly ahead—we run with good form and use less energy to run faster. If your arms, shoulders or back hurt or feel tense during training, you need a form adjustment,” from Good Running Form for Beginners at Active.
The more you can feel like things are working when you’re comfortable, then you’ll have that knowledge in your pocket for faster days.
“The better your form, the easier running feels—especially when you start to get fatigued,” says Adidas high-performance coach Terrence Mahon at Runners World.
Just like you don’t want to lose focus on the highway, don’t lose it when running either.
Try counting your breaths. Get up to ten, then start again. Developing mental toughness now, in the middle of a pandemic, when you’re just trying to run and blow off some steam, or get out of the house a minute, it’s vital.
It’s how you run in the rain. The cold. The heat. The dark.
Try being 1000% present, tune in to where you’re at, and get comfortable. Find your zone.
Again, you want to be in control. That’s key! If it feels hard, it’s because you’re going too hard. Reel it back. Rest. Drink some water. Make sure to stretch when you get home. Someday it won’t be hard, but when you’re just starting out every mile can be a challenge.
Embrace that challenge, stay present, stay safe! Have a good week, friends!