The POWER of the mind

Would you believe me if I told you I've lost all confidence in my running since the St George Marathon a couple weeks ago? Would you also believe me if I told you that last week I actually drove to the gym, parked my car, and then drove home without even getting out of my car?

My slow time in St George along with the usual recovery time has led to bad running. And I can guarantee that 89% of that is mental. Why you as? Because I hear in my head thoughts of "you are not as fast as you once were" or "you're still recovering from the marathon, go ahead and skip a run today" or my favorite "your running really sucks, so why try?" Dan Schaefer, Ph.D., a performance specialist teaches his clients that gaining a competitive edge starts in the mind. He taught that while running, your mind can only hold three thoughts, so use those thoughts to focus on improving your running.

My fastest marathon had me thinking positive thoughts to myself. I repeated over and over to myself how great I was doing, how fast my feet and legs were moving, and how I was setting a new PR. And I did!

Last night I went to the gym and ran 30 minutes worth of intervals. I pushed myself harder than I have in months. I may not have ran as fast as the guy next to me (and I know this because it was my husband next to me!) But I set my mind to accomplish 30 minutes of intervals. I did it, and tonight I'm going to do it again. Thats what can happen when you put your mind to something!

Winter Goals

August of 2007 I ran my first marathon in beautiful Park City, Utah. It was a beautiful morning for a race and I felt good because I had trained pretty hard for this marathon. I was able to reach my first marathon goal which was to finish in under four hours. After the race my life got busy and running got put on the back burner for the winter, and most of spring.

This winter I am going to learn from history so it doesn't repeat itself. My winter running goals are to get reconditioned for running marathons for the next marathon season. When the Salt Lake City Marathon comes around I want to be in better shape than I was last year. My other goal is to some how learn how to swim over the winter (thanks for the help James) so that I can run tri's too.

The hard part of my goals are the actual miles that I have to put in during the long and cold winter. But I am determined to continue waking up early and hitting the gym before school to accomplish what I have set out to do.

What are your winter goals?

Benifit Race for Nie

Come run for a good cause

In The Beginning

I'd like to dedicate this blog to all of those who feel the need to run. Young, old, fast, slow, tall, short, first time runners, long time runners and all those who fall somewhere in between.

Running has not always been my passion. Even then I find that our relationship has its on and off days, weeks, and sometimes even months (as much as I don't like to admit it!) I still love to run. I started to find health, instead I found myself, my identity and most importantly I found my capabilities. I have reached to the depths of my soul and found strength when I thought pushing on impossible.

I want to share all of my running with you, and in return I hope you share it all with me.

And in case you are wondering...my favorite part of a race, besides crossing the finish line is the pounding of feet on the roads after the gun goes off. Those are the feet I want to meet.