How Did I Get Here?

There's nothing quite like basking in the afterglow of a goal race that went your way. I've spent all week enjoying the twinges in my quads and reflecting on how I was able to finally nab a new PR after three years of half-heartedly trying.

There's no magic or surprise here - once I got rid of the "half" part and really decided to go for it, it was mine. But I had to really change my mindset in order to get to the point where my priorities shifted. I had to change mentalities from distance to speed. I had to willingly take a step back from certain aspects of training to focus on parts that I usually don't enjoy very much. I had to make each run purposeful, and that meant some of them weren't fun.

But I ended up really enjoying this whole 5k training thing. I liked having new workouts to try; I liked finishing each run totally exhausted. I liked feeling like my workouts had a reason.

I've also noticed this new mindset has helped in my recovery. I wanted to skip my run this Tuesday, but I told myself that this time of year - with the heat and the stress and the crazy schedule - is always when I quit, and then I have to work extra hard to get back to basic fitness. I don't want to lose my progress, and this time around I was able to convince myself to stay on track!

So, besides the shift in my mental faculties, here are a few things that I think really helped me kill the SUP & Run 5k last Saturday.

1. More consistent cross training that worked for me. This is key! I've tried cross training before and it always ends up boring me or injuring me. When I was just doing T25 for cross training, I was always too sore from all the jumping around to really push hard during my runs. This time around, I took aspects of T25 and other circuits that I enjoyed and I created my own HIIT-style workouts.

Oh you know, just pumping iron in a church parking lot...totally normal.

I also added cross training on running days. Once it became habit to lift weights for a few minutes following a run, I didn't think twice about capping off running workouts that way.

2. Sticking to a schedule. Like cross training, scheduling has bored me in the past, too. But this time, I made sure to sprinkle in a variety of stuff, so my schedule never felt old even though it was consistent and predictable. I also made sure that each of my runs was purposeful throughout the week; I don't really believe in "junk miles" but when you have a set goal in mind, each run should contribute to reaching that goal.

Obviously I have to stay flexible, especially because this time of year is nuts. Some weeks I move around which days I rest, and I know that when I'm in DC with students next week my plans will change drastically, but in general, this schedule has made working out second nature and hassle free.

3. Having a training partner. Elizabeth is actually my "accountability partner" at work, and that's a more apt name, really. Even when we don't train together, we keep each other accountable for our workouts. That will come in handy this summer when she's in Nicaragua for a couple weeks.

4. Speed work. This is so obvious it hurts, but you have to run faster to get faster. Again, a dedicated speed work day on my schedule has helped keep me consistent here. I don't follow a specific plan or prescribed workout; I just play around with what feels good and challenging.

5. Smarter eating. I hate that this is true, but there it is. When I eat less junk, my energy is higher and my body feels better. So I guess this is something I need to continue. I'm aiming for an 80/20 mindset right now, but I sure do miss my junk!

Luckily summer makes eating healthy easier. I can't wait for all that fruit!

6. Believing in the plan. This one may be the most important. Once all the cogs were in place, I had to trust that the wheel would turn. Instead of giving up or monitoring progress daily - which is sure to lead to disappointment - I really focused on the long-term goal. I kind of let myself get through workouts and meals without thinking too hard about them or over-analyzing them. I'd celebrate individual workouts that rocked, but then I'd move on. It was the same with workouts that were just kind of blah. I think this mindset is healthier and really helped me trust the process and believe in the eventual outcome.

Looking back on my activity and knowing I'm putting in the time is a huge confidence booster.

I finally feel like I'm on a good, consistent track right now, and I hope that recognizing the different elements that contribute to my success will help me stay on that track. Seeing results is fun, but in a way, I'm more excited about the results I haven't seen yet. I just have a good feeling that if I keep it up, things are only going to get better!

Easier said than done - how do you stay on track when you're on a roll?
What a major change you had to make to reach a goal?

ABK

Paradigm Shift

I've talked a little bit before about The Leader In Me and the Seven Habits at my school. This past Tuesday, we had a teacher workshop that revisited the first three habits and paradigms.

Paradigms are how we see and interpret the world. What we see affects our actions. What we do directly influences what we get.

In life, we should work toward having paradigm shifts, where our point of view is altered and thus, so is our reality. We see the world as it really is; our blinders, preconceived notions, and assumptions fall away.

This classic optical illusion is a good example of a paradigm shift. Whether you see the old woman or young woman first, once you see the other, you can't possibly look at the image the same way again. Your view has been altered.

As we were doing some personal reflection Tuesday, I had a paradigm shift.

I was ruminating on my post about Matt's race, and the insight I had about Matt's reaction to finishing 32 miles compared to my reaction to finishing 26.2.

Matt's look of determination and grit...

...my look of pure disbelief and joy.

I wrote that maybe Matt's apparent lack of awe at his accomplishment was due to his total confidence in himself as an athlete, whereas my total amazement with myself was a result of my constant doubt.

Despite all I've accomplished, I still see myself as a weak runner. This is my paradigm, even though I hadn't really realized I believed it until Tuesday.

I didn't always feel this way. In 2012-2013, I was PR'ing like crazy and I knew I was awesome. When and how did this negative paradigm take over? Why did I let it?

The paradigm shift I experienced Tuesday seems so obvious, and it's probably something I've thought of before but never with such clarity: I can be a great athlete if I really put the effort into it, because despite all I say and do, I haven't actually put my full effort into training in over two years. 

Here's the other part of the paradigm shift: I began allowing myself to slack off and make excuses for the sake of enjoying running again after too much overtraining, but now I'm tired of the lack of drive. My "take it easy" mentality has turned into self-doubt, because I haven't been pushing myself enough. So this paradigm is a cage of my own making.

Anyway, turning these thoughts over in my head has helped me come to a decision about next year. I won't be running a marathon in 2016. I'm going to go back to 5k and 10k races, with the occasional half thrown in. And I'm tired of letting myself coast. I want to focus on making improvements where they really count for the long haul.

Rather than running long, I want to refocus on running fast.

(I'm still really excited about my marathon this year! Don't get me wrong. But I'm definitely ready to step back into shorter distances and focus on fundamentals once BDR is in the bag.)

If I fail, I fail. But I think it will feel good to challenge myself in a new way and to truly work toward creating a new paradigm.

Have you ever experienced a paradigm shift?

ABK