“There is nothing more satisfying than peaking at just the right time”. “Not to early and not too late”. Although this sounds like a statement ridden with sexual innuendo, it actually holds true to racing and training. Perhaps another statement commonly used by runners that may relate to what I am about to discuss is ” an injury can often serve as a blessing”.
Well, at the beginning of this fall season I encountered an injury in my knee, an injury to which I wrote about on this very blog. It was an injury that delayed my training for 4-5 weeks, and yet, the injury could have been worse. What this meant was that I had a late start to base training and building endurance for this season. In the past, I had begun base training in August, but, as the end of November approached I would often be on the decline mentally and physically. This is where “an injury can become a blessing.” Now, I find myself in mid November and coming off my first race win of the year at the Casablanca 8k. The cherry on top of this victory is that I am also feeling quite strong before departing for Japan this week.
Although the delayed start to my training this season has kept me motivated at this point in time, I would be a dirty liar if I didn’t admit that it takes a little extra effort at this point in the season to stay focused. I am assuming that this is something many runners can relate to. You have put in the weeks of hard training, eating healthy, sleeping well, and then November comes and nothing sounds better than a beer, a Big Mac, and staying up late.
Well, because I don’t like to bring up a problem without offering a solution I think there are a few ways to stay motivated for those final training weeks before the big races. My first suggestion is to keep your mileage somewhat similar to what you have been doing. Yes, there are benefits to tapering, but do you really want to gamble on a big taper? If you mess up your taper you could be left feeling stiff and lethargic. I have been running a consistent 90-95 bones (miles) each week so I may over the course of the next couple weeks drop to 75-80. I also suggest that you consider watching some running videos, hangout with other people who are pumped to race and then catch the pre race fever haha. Things can get intense before big races…but don’t forget to laugh, smile, and relax.
Well those are my half-assed solutions….Hortian out!
UPDATE: Mike delmonte has been added to my blogroll (he is in England!)
Inspiration
I think that’s some real good insite Adam and you have been getting better as the season has gone on. Time for a big finish!
nice adam.
i love your site and photos too.