Track and Field Blogs - RunDMC

There is no real magic to distance training. I picked up training guide from the 70s at a used book sale. In about 100 pages, it sums up the following: Run more and run faster, but also recover. It is actually a pretty good book except I am having a difficult time understanding the attached picture. I don’t know what sort of science that is, but I am not signing up for that field study…

Normally I use races as motivation to train. I set a long term goal like a Marathon time then set up some intermediate races to test my mettle. Unfortunately, sometimes racing and training are mutually exclusive. I have to back down on the training a few days before and after a race, effectively losing a nearly a week of training. Most times I race too hard and end up with even more easy time to recover. But without the races looming on the horizon, I might not gut out some of the workouts.

Do you know why New York has one of the highest suicide rates in the US? Because there is a light at the end of the tunnel but it is New Jersey.

The past few weeks I have lacked motivation even with my race goals. Some personal issues have gotten me down and running just did not seem so important. My cross country 8K a few weeks back felt more like a hard tempo run than a race because I just did not have “it”. But you push on even when things are rough. Eventually you will see the light at the end of the tunnel even if it is New Jersey.

Motivation comes in many forms. Feeling good and running well help. But sometimes it is seeing others run well. I have a couple of friends who are getting motivation from seeing their kids run well. My younger brother is getting in good shape and I have to work hard to keep up. Running in Mammoth I see some fast runners around town and that motivates me too.

I talked to Josh Cox at the creek the other day. Kudos to him for a fast finish in Philly. Ryan Hall went head to head with the Kenyans and won it. Mammoth runner Mike McKeeman placed 10^th. All ran good times. Maybe there is something to this Altitude training. More motivation.

So I have continued to do my workouts with a little less zest, but my body and mind are coming around. Friday I got in a 12mi run at 7:30 pace at 7800ft and felt good. Sunday I did the Summer Biathlon (run, shoot) and placed 2^nd overall to a former Winter Biathlon Olympian. I would have won on faster running, but ran too many penalty laps because of my poor shooting. I finally felt the internal fire and the burning in my legs and lungs. I am starting to feel the excitement again.