Lately, I’ve been focusing on cycling in an attempt to finally put my foot issues behind me. This past week I introduced myself to the world of sufferfest videos. The videos are for indoor cycling training and for the most part, the workout was, as titled, a sufferfest. Towards the end of the workout they flashed this acronym “IWBMATTKYT,” which stands for “I will beat my ass today to kick yours more » Read more
Fake It Until You Make It
Together, we’ve taken a big leap: we’ve resolved to dream big and to stop being embarrassed about it. Yeah! But that is just a first step to realizing our big goals. Ladies (and you 2 gentlemen readers), we have more work to do to become the runners we dream of becoming. Today I’m going to put on my self-help guru hat and discuss how the power of positive thinking can more » Read more
A Breakthrough, Thirteen Years in the Making
Thirteen years ago, almost to the date, I stepped foot on a 200 meter track to run my very first race. I chose to forgo my third year as a pitcher on the high school softball team to pursue indoor track all because I liked how it was starting to feel to run. After those 400 meters, I didn’t like the feeling. I wanted to puke. I was dizzy. And more » Read more
Yoga Wisdom for Runners
Like a lot of you out there, I like to balance out my training with a little yoga. In fact, my only form of cross-training is yoga – it’s the only activity other than running that I can stick to doing on a regular basis. My affinity for yoga makes perfect sense: As us Salties know, running is as much mental as it is physical, just like yoga. The reason I’m more » Read more
A Little Something Against the Wind: Tips for Running in Windy Weather
Oh Sandy. Sandy. When I decided to move back to Cleveland six and half years ago, I never thought I’d be dealing with hurricanes. But here I sit this evening in my Northeast Ohio kitchen, wind howling, rain pelting my windows, and power threatening to go out. Sweet! And it’s all fine when I’m sitting here hacking away on my laptop, but what about that run I had planned for more » Read more
Breaking 22: The Night I Quit Quitting
Breaking 22 minutes in the 5k has become a crutch. And I’m a bit embarrassed to admit that. I’ve run 22:24, 22:40, 22:17, 22:16, 22:11, 22:12, 22:04…the list goes on and on. So do the reasons for not breaking that barrier. That 22:04 was a hilly course. I went out too hard. The humidity was high. I don’t know how to race. After upping the ante this past year in more » Read more
Basic Mental Training: Don’t Judge!
Early in my running career, I can remember getting incredibly nervous about speedwork. And I distinctly remember trying to discern whether I was afraid it would hurt, afraid of fatigue or afraid I wouldn’t be able to do it. The truth? I was afraid of all three! Did it really take me nearly 15 years to figure that out? Yes! I never truly tried to get to the bottom of more » Read more
Fight the Funk: Bust those Running Slumps!
Slumps. We’ve all been there. Mentally. Physically. Slumps at work. Slumps in relationships. Slumps in mood. Why would running be any different. It is no fun being in a running slump. Whether it is a mental running slump or a plateau in performance, running slumps can be grueling. Running slumps can come in all shapes and sizes. Mini and mega. I’ve started to notice a trend in my mega-running slumps, more » Read more
Rerun: Visualization for Runners
This post originally ran on February 27, 2012. *** It might have been my best race ever. I went to the race alone and got there in plenty of time to register and head back to my car before my warm-up. Coach instructed me to use the 5k race as part of my training run which was to run 11 miles at 7:00 pace. I stripped off my warm-ups and more » Read more
Rerun: Affirmations for Runners
This post originally ran on March 5, 2012. *** We’ll get to affirmations, but before we get there let’s talk about something I’ll call the Mental Bermuda Triangle: the point in some races where our confident bad@$$ self disappears and a weak blob of wussitude remains in our place. It’s the point in most races where we are most vulnerable to our mental weaknesses. It’s usually somewhere in the third more » Read more