Originally posted in 2timothy.com.
by Christine Ferrera
One of the mistakes I’ve been making recently is looking at the past and the future in my workouts.
Past: I’ve done a 1:15 for 400 m or I’ve averaged a 1:45 for 20 reps of 400 m before. I bank on that and end up hitting very high numbers at the start and end up bonking midway.
Future: I have 25 more reps, I’ll conserve more! That leaves me with so much steam left at the end and me thinking if that was even a speed workout.
I love working on numbers, I am a Finance person so I’ve been used to monitoring people and reminding them to hit their goals. One thing I’ve learned doing strategic finance is you hit the numbers better when people focus not on the numbers they have to hit but on the right thing you need to do each day which is aligned to those numbers. Focus on the execution!
I started to make adjustments on the way I see the workout; adopting the way I’d do strategic finance planning. I focused on my breathing, on each stride, on each foot landing, on each pull off the ground, on my arm swing. Just do the right thing right on that second.
It was my first time to do such a mental exercise when doing the speed intervals and it worked! There’s nothing spectacular yet on the numbers I’ve hit but it surely felt better. I am starting from scratch right now and have lowered my expectations as advised by a good friend from running .
Getting the gains I want in running may or may not happen but to quote Brendan Francis, “No yesterdays are ever wasted for those who give themselves to today.”
And at least, the hydration and nutrition I’ve packed for the track was not wasted!
prayersofapilgrim.com 