Up very early this morning, my Friday client is 6:30 am. Carrie continues to improve dramatically, a real joy to be along for the journey. I told her when I showed up that I had to poop. She was willing to wait for me to hit the can, man, but I declined. (Actually she said TMI!!! but I told her not so). Told her that this gives me an excellent opportunity to practice dealing with this type of discomfort, something I may well encounter in a race situation. And by dealing with it this morning I’d be better prepared to handle that stressor should the urge arise in a more inopportune scenario. Halfway through her workout I was “settled down” and no longer bothered with it.
A good coach prepares their athlete to deal with every possible adverse situation. Rehearsing, whether in real practice, or via mental imagery, is a Very Powerful tool when it comes to training properly and definitely makes you more Mentally Tough when you encounter bad patches.
After her workout I laced up my flats and set out on my own. Hard to initiate a hard, mega set of quarters when it is below 35 degrees. Harder when you’re hitting them alone. Harder again if you still need to potty. I’ve never been to a race though where they were willing to hold the starting gun for me to hit a porta can. As I’m fond of saying, “You’ve got to train to race”, and that means dealing with all manner of inconveniences, and proper preparation is the key to being the master of your day.
Good luck to our OEG mate John Tully as he makes his annual trek to Tulsa, OK for the venerable Tulsa Run 15K. Speedy wishes too to Enita Larsen & Amee Rief at this weekend’s Marine Corps Marathon.
Looking forward to tomorrow’s Vala’s Monster Dash 5K & Little Goblins Runs. Be sure and tune in to KETV as they will be having a live remote at the event. You’ll get to see some of your favourite local celebrities and can experience the fun and flavor from the comfort of your living rooms. Big thanks to Sunrize Donuts, Panera Bread, No Frills, and FrontRunIt for the contributions!
Laurie Halpenny’s winning Haiku from Wednesday night:
“I take airless breaths
Strong legs become weak yet I
Run because I can”
Even porta cans can be works of art. I wonder if these models have heated seats, music and skylights?
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