Track and Field Blogs - David Flaugher

Haul, run. Whatever.

On a really long run today it came to me. The importance of patience. When you are working on the early miles of a long training run, its easy to get rolling too hard. You may just want it over with, and start trying to get there just a little quicker. You usually pay the price.

This also applies to many of you younger runners, on a larger scale.

Many of you have entered HS or even College and are in new programs. Most of you are now out of the base phase of training and are entering another (maybe harder depending on your viewpoint) part. Success may not be rushing to greet you like you dreamed that it might. Patience. IF you are doing the work, you will get there. There will be plateus where it looks like you may never get faster. Patience. You will. But while you are busy being patient, dont wait. (but Flabby you say, that makes no sense). Yes it does. Dont wait on gains in fitness to come and find you. Some of you are praying every night that you will be sprinkled with magic running dust while you sleep and you will wake up faster than ever before. Um .... that wont happen. Dont wait on it. Do the work.

Think like a runner. If you know that hurricane force winds are coming you will find a way to get that long run in beforehand. If it is important to you. However if youre praying for the rain-out so that there will be no practice, then you may need to rethink the whole thing :).