Hello Dedicated Athletes!
From the reports I received, very few WALKERS or NOVICE athletes had difficulty
with the 5-mile distance, and the INTERMEDIATES seemed to breeze through the
6 miler! WAY. TO. GO! Now, stop what you are doing. Take
your right hand, reach it over your left shoulder, and pat yourself on the
back! That’s an amazing accomplishment! Recognize and celebrate
it as such! As usual, there were scores of people who had never run
or walked that distance in their lives! Take a second and think about
how huge that is. Perhaps even bigger, is that many of you who fit that
description, never dreamed your body could cover that distance. If that doesn’t inspire you to finish this journey
strong, I’m not sure what will. Less
than 4 weeks remaining!
Once again,
an extra kudos to those who actually showed up Saturday.
The overall turnout was a bit low, and we can only guess it pertained
to the weather. For most locations
it was around 55 degrees with a mild rain.
That forecast could easily be the same on April 5th. Working out in the rain is a must, that every athlete with a serious goal, has to experience!
Saturday was a perfect day for experimenting.
Looking at the schedule, we have entered into the toughest stretch.
However, it should only be truly tough if you haven't been training regularly.
If you have been consistent with your workouts, this mileage should be challenging,
yet manageable. You have been slowly conditioning your body to adapt
to each new, longer distance. For the most part, if you are struggling, my
guess is because your workouts have been sporadic, and have perhaps led to
an ache or pain. Again, Saturday workouts especially, cannot be missed! It is a direct reflection of your weekly hard
work. If you have to miss a Sat. morning
workout, PLEASE get it in later that day, or on Sunday! It's a highly
important workout! Simply flip-flop your following Mon. and Tues. workout
if necessary, and resume from there…(Int,’s modify elsewhere)… For most, the 5 mile (novice
& walkers) mark is a mentally significant distance because even though
it may seem like a lot, you have to think that you'll only have 1.2 miles
remaining in the race! Plus, you knocked
it out last week, so you know the distance. By the way, send out good
vibes to the Intermediates, who will be attempting 7 MILES!! Never hurts to put things into perspective.
It is now important to comment on INJURIES...(sorry
it wasn’t addressed last week)… It is very critical
at this juncture of the training to be extra smart about your workouts.
Generally, most injuries will take place when the training is peaking, because
athletes are either training longer, harder,-or both. Athletes want
to possibly push a little harder than necessary because he/she is feeling
good. Or, the thinking is to try and
cram in some longer workouts because of a slack week (or two),-
just to “get it in”,- or this year especially with all of the flu cases. Similarly, many athletes may feel a little pressure
and/or stress of race day approaching, relative to their training (or lack
of), and again try to throw in extra mileage to compensate for missed workouts…
THIS IS A SUREFIRE RECIPE FOR DISASTER! This is very real and very serious! I know from personal experience. Imagine how
devastated you would be if you were forced to drop out of this adventure due
to a poor decision which led to an injury!
I’ve received emails from people already who don’t have to imagine… I’ve seen and heard about it happening too many
times. Please be aware of what your
body is telling you, and listen to it. Common
sense can take an athlete a long way!
That being said, REST is also vital at this stage. Don't skimp on rest! Remember, THROUGH REST BUILDS STRENGTH! Believe it or not, you are not becoming more fit through your actual workouts. The benefits you are reaping are happening when you are resting! Working out is taxing your body, by breaking down muscle fiber, and during rest, you are rebuilding that muscle fiber in a more fortified manner, as well as increasing your lung capacity,- leading to increased fitness. So REST!
Now back to injuries… There's a difference between mild aches and stiffness, vs sharp, "worthy of stopping" pain, or, pain that persists over time. If it’s the former, well, that kind of goes with the territory, and is a very normal part of any new, physical activity. This type of pain should come and go without causing problems or impeding workouts. Your body is adapting to the new demands being placed on it.
If it's the latter, please don't try to workout THROUGH the pain! You will only worsen your condition! This is where the R.I.C.E. principle enters the picture: REST, ICE, COMPRESSION (wrap) and ELEVATION. Some combination (or all) of these treatments have proven effective,- depending on the injury. If rest and/or R.I.C.E. does not help, please seek professional medical attention. In addition, a pain reliever (I.e., Ibuprofen) and/or cross training may be helpful. To reiterate, for most injuries,- cross-training is an outstanding way to maintain fitness while you recover. It's vastly better to fall a little behind due to resting an injury or sickness, than to run the risk of experiencing devastation by dropping out, due to not being smart about an injury! When in doubt---REST! Finally, please go to, www.rrrc.org., and click on COMMON RUNNING INJURIES (on the left). This is an outstanding place to go for information about injuries! (Also, once there, try scrolling to the bottom, and click on, “Check out the Virtual Sports Injury Clinic”,- a bevy of injury-related info. awaits !) Be safe. Be careful. Be SMART.
REMINDER: PLEASE talk to your coaches about anything! I’d bet 90% of them know a thing or two about injuries. They are an integral part of this program and are here because of YOU! Collectively they have a wealth of experience and knowledge.
I am looking forward to training with the Goochland YMCA this Saturday, and I will be conducting the following clinics the next 2 weeks…
The
“What to Expect Event Day” Clinics
On staying focused..., "OBSTACLES ARE THOSE
FRIGHTENING THINGS THAT BECOME VISIBLE, WHEN WE TAKE OUR EYES OFF
OUR GOALS."... Henry Ford
On missing workouts..., "SOMEWHERE IN THE WORLD SOMEONE IS TRAINING WHEN
YOU ARE NOT. WHEN YOU RACE HIM, HE WILL WIN."
On doubting yourself..., "THOSE WHO SAY IT CANNOT BE
DONE, SHOULD NOT INTERRUPT THOSE WHO ARE DOING IT!" (another personal favorite)
Wonderful effort so far! Maintain your
momentum! Think about what you’ve accomplished!
Stay focused, CONTINUE EXPERIMENTING IF NECESSARY, remain injury-free,
train smart, use common sense, and LISTEN TO YOUR BODY! Oh yeah, HAVE FUN! J
Best of Luck!
Gotta’
run,
Danny Shea (
10ktrainingteamheadcoach@sportsbackers.org
)