In my 11 years of running I have learned a lot. A lot. About myself, about training, about fueling, about dressing properly (clearly still learning this one after last Saturday), about hydrating, about resting, about pushing it, about GI issues (I couldn’t resist!), etc., etc. There are so many things that come to mind, it is hard to list them all (and I will spare you a lengthy list). Here are a few…
You probably have more in you than you think.
Stop talking about it and JUST DO IT!
Hard work really does pay off.
Looking back and analyzing a bad race will uncover a lot of information. Take notes and implement changes in your next training cycle.
Training plans are NOT one size fits all.
Choose your goal marathon pace wisely. It should feel relatively easy. Everything feels hard during the last 6.2 of a marathon.
Drink chocolate milk after hard efforts. You legs will thank you the next day.
No one knows “you” better than “you”.
Stop comparing yourself to other runners. There will always (always) be someone who is faster.
Never run through pain.
If something hurts, do something about it. See a doctor/physical therapist/chiropractor.
A lightweight, waterproof, and windproof jacket is essential in the winter.
So are warm, dry gloves. Stash an extra pair in your pocket or car if you can.
If you want to start running, get fitted properly for shoes. Don’t even bother running in your old Nikes you found in the back of your closet.
Always drink and fuel during your long runs before you need it.
Take notice of your upper body at the end of a long run. You shouldn’t be leaning forward, shrugging your shoulders, and your face should not be all tense.
GI issues creep up sometimes without rhyme or reason.
Saying you have no time to run is an excuse. Where there’s a will there’s a way.
Smile and remember, you do this for fun!
Any words of wisdom to add?
Quit whining….not that I know anyone who does that.
Never evaluate on an uphill.
Great words of wisdom. Some advice I would give to my younger running self would be “Don’t run through injuries, they won’t just disappear!” and “Do, or Do Not. There is no Try” (-yoda) 🙂
Learn to feel what different paces feel like and don’t rely on your Garmin too much.
I fully agree with analyzing bad races – but I think the same is true for the good ones. It’s easy just to celebrate the success without thinking about why it happened.
I like your last point and would add…sometimes it’s good to take a break from all goals and just have fun for a while. (I can’t wait until I can do this again!)
Such a good list! I would add the value of cross-training and strength training to help get faster, go longer, and prevent injuries 🙂
I love your words of wisdom. I can’t think of anything to add other than to run with TP in a baggie 🙂
LOVE the wisdom, thank you for sharing! JUST DO IT is definitely my favorite! over-analyzing always makes things seem worse than they are!
I hope your week is off to a great start!
love this! I would add, “if it were hard, everyone would do it.” and, “foam rolling heals (almost) all” 🙂
This is such a great post. I appreciate this advice more than you know….it’s very timely for me right now. 🙂
These were great. Thank you for sharing! My big one is reminding myself that I’ve never regretted a run, but I always regret skipping it. That usually helps pry me off the couch. 😉
“Don’t put the marathon [or insert goal race] on a pedestal.”
“Make sure that time is in an appropriately sized pot in the garden of your mind.”
“Don’t wish the miles away.”
Great lessons. I like the focus on getting to know yourself as a runner so that you can train properly. So often I feel like the training plans out there are not right for me, and I get nervous about trying my own thing for a big race. But I’m trying to listen to my body this time around.
great list and great lessons! i always remind myself that sometimes the hardest part of the run is getting out the door. once you do that, the rest comes easy. thanks for sharing your words of wisdom! now you just need to share how you do all your long runs at MP!!