Slow It Down, To Speed It Up

As the summer heat finally begins to break to cool mornings and subtle evening runs, we start to get back into fall race mode.  Now that it's possible to go for a run outside of the previously unbearable 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. window, it becomes easier to get lost in mile after blistering mile at sometimes a quicker pace that could be sustained on a bad race day.  Although it is fun to go out and push yourself to see how fit you really are, it is important to take a day or two every week and slow it down.  Give your body a chance to recover! 

As the fall progresses, it surly leads into what seems like a road race every weekend if you really wanted to. Adding that fast pace race on the weekend means one less day a week that your body has to recover from the stress of the training plan you are currently on.  Don't get me wrong, racing is an incredible workout and can do wonders in the motivation department, but each race should be carefully calculated into your schedule, to maximize your training for your goal race at the end of your training cycle.

Been a while

It has been a while since I have blogged, mostly because I have been taking a hiatus from the internet because we don't have it in my apartment yet.  I thought this would be a good post on my own blog since it is of me running.  The thing I have always prided myself on, especially in championship racing is knowing when to get caught up in "going" or not.  In this case, even though I am in last place for the first 400, I still get 4th overall.

The two bright yellow jerseys are Mike Rathje and Myself running the 5k at Track Club Nationals in Omaha at Burke Stadium.  

Reasons to postpone a run

Phone conversation:
Brett: hey you wanna grill those fish tonight?
Neil: sure sounds good.
Brett: I thought we could get a bunch of vegetables and make a veggie boat too.
Neil: so we are going to go all out.
Brett: yeah!

So here is the deal. Brett and I went fishing earlier this spring and caught some pretty good looking walleye when they were running. They have been sitting in the freezer since. If you aren't aware walleye are some of the best tasting fish on the face of the earth.

So my predicament is I pretty much need to get a run in tonight. I very rarely make exceptions to this rule. I can count the number of days I have taken off in the last 6 months on two hands. This is one of those times. I love running, but I love fish almost as much. So tonight I'm eating walleye, asparagus, green peppers, mushrooms, potatoes, biscuits, with chips and a nacho cheese dip concoction made by yours truly. Polishing it off with a nice cool bud light.

Brett asked me why I was taking a picture of the fish. My response was "just a reminder of how good life is sometimes!"

Running is very important to me, but sometimes you need to stop and smell the roses. In this case the roses are fish.

Happy running...tomorrow.

My People

I once read somewhere that in order to be truly happy in life there are three key ingredients.  You need:  Something to do, something to love, and something to look forward to.

1. Something to do is considered your occupation.  Something that will keep you occupied the majority of your time.  Obviously there is a certain level of happiness invested in this because you have to like what you do to be happy.

2. Something to love is in most peoples situations a companion.  A spouse, girlfriend, or boyfriend that you can confide it an show affection.  This cannot be an inanimate object, like "I love lamp."  It's not something that you can just look around the room and decide that you have strong feelings for it just because it has been sitting in your house for as long as you can remember.  It must show you affection back!

3. Something to look forward to is a hobby.  Something that you can set goals for, in order to learn something about yourself and have fun while doing it.  Such as playing on a team.  Softball comes to mind because my dad always played on softball team with his friends when I was younger.  The guys  he played with were all of his closest friends...His People.  

My People...

are the people that you associate yourself with when you are in the something to look forward to stage.  These people can be the most influential people in your life because they are the ones that you confide your cares and problems in when you are not in the regular, and sometimes stressful grind of daily life.  ("I had such a  terrible day at the office.  My boss can be such a jerk sometimes")  These people are such a great influence on your life because of the advice they offer while you are confiding in them.  

The people that you associate yourself with can also define things like your attitude, productivity, and habits.  So it is extremely important to chose wisely!!!  People who don't smoke, don't hang out with people who do smoke.  People who exercise daily, hang out with other people who exercise daily.  Since this is a running blog I will go as far as to say that people who train seriously need to associate themselves with other people who train seriously.

My people are the people are the people who work hard, run hard, and have fun doing it.  Therefore I will work hard, run hard, and have fun doing it.

Who are your people?

"Destiny is not a matter of chance; but a matter of choice.  It is not a thing to be waited for, It is a thing to be achieved."   William Jennings Bryan

The week of a big race

The Week Of...

Here we are! The long awaited week of the race. Home field advantage. The Lincoln Marathon! You have to to love race week. Work seems to slow to an almost complete halt. Sleep comes harder and harder. I'm not sure if its because of the tapering from your regular training or because all you can think about is the coming race.

Every small detail of the coming weekend seems to be planned out and yet there is still a sense of suspense. This is what we all have been preparing for over the last 4 to 6 months. Mornings, nights, weekend long runs, track workouts, ice cups, massages, all in the slow grueling preparation for what could be the longest run of your life.

One thing is for sure. No matter the outcome of the race, after it's all said and done, recovery time has been taken. We will get back out there. On the back roads and trails speeding swiftly and quietly along, dreaming and planning for next years goals.

Click Here for the Lincoln Marathon Website