Needless to say these fortune cookie bits of advice by Lisa apply to everything - not just endurance running. Enjoy!
I love fortune cookies. It’s the frivolous words of wisdom
and positive prophesies that I enjoy more than the cookie itself. While
preparing a special treat for a night-time, orienteering-like navigation event
that I organise I went in search of pearls; those wise words that motivate and
inspire and say it like it is. These are my favourites.
1. Ask
yourself: ‘Can I give more?’. The answer is usually: ‘Yes’.
I’m not much in favour of running ‘til I puke, but there’s
something to be said for finishing a race having given it everything.
2. Relish
bad training runs. Without them it’s difficult to appreciate the good ones.
I dread those chest heaving and legs dragging runs. They
make an appearance when I spend too many hours for days on end at my computer;
when I’m not eating right and not hydrating sufficiently and when I’m not
running at least four times a week. Eliminating the causal factors is an easy solution
to making more sessions good. Right?
3. Believe
that you can run farther or faster because you can.
I have a ‘rule’ for ultras. If it is up, walk. If it is flat
or down, run. At the 2005 Coastal Challenge in Costa Rica I hit the 52-odd kilometer
stage running, literally. As the route ran North to South along the beach, it
was all flat. I had to run it all – according to my rules. And I did. The whole
way. Bar maybe one kilometer of slight climb on a dirt road. In doing so I
reached new personal best for distance in one chunk. In adventure racing I see
this over and over again – racers achieving personal records for distance
across the disciplines. Yes, you can. And this leads me on to the next gem…
4. Running
won’t kill you, you’ll pass out first!
Sports scientist Ross Tucker wrote a series of articles on
fatigue on The Sports Scientists blog (www.sportsscientists.com) some
years ago. In short, according to Tucker, fatigue (or the slowing down of
pace) results from the regulation of performance to balance all the body’s
physiological systems, which happens BEFORE any physiological failure
can occur. So, in theory, I’d conclude that what doesn’t kill you makes you
stronger.
5. Every
day is a good day when you run.
30 minutes. That’s all you need. When you’re cranky, tired,
irritable or down-in-the-dumps, a run tints the World rosy again.
6. Run
often and run long, but never outrun your joy of running.
Event after event, packing and unpacking, weekends that are
anything but restful and recuperative and week days of squeezed-in training to
prepare for these weekend activities… This cycle, although fun, can demolish
that love for your sport, regardless of discipline. Back off to find and keep
that joy.
7. To
be the best runner you can be, start now. Don’t spend the rest of your life
wondering.
Substitute “runner” for biker, paddler, adventure racer,
orienteer, kayaker, mountaineer… You may not have tomorrow.
8. We
are all runners, some just run faster than others.
Regarding adventure racing I often hear, “I’m not fit enough”.
I usually answer, “Some run Comrades in 5:30 and others in 10 hours. There’s
fit and there’s fast. You don’t need to be fast to reach the finish.”
9. Run
when you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must; just never give up.
There are only two reasons for pulling out of a race.
One: when you’re badly injured or severely ill. Just being
ill is not good enough reason. Remember that over a multiday adventure race you
can easily rest in the shade of a tree for a few hours or even overnight. It’s
amazing what a few hours of rest, food and hydration can do to improve your
situation. You will regret it later if you pull out, let your team down and
then wake up in the morning feeling like a million bucks.
Two: when you’re so far behind the field that the race
director ends your race and gives you a lift to the finish. These are the only
times. Everything else is an excuse, not a reason.
10. Everything
you need is already inside.
Forget fancy-pants, top-of-the-range gear and apparel. These
don’t get you up hills or through tough kilometers. You do.
11. And
finally, a lesson I have to re-learn all too often: “Any day that you are too
busy to run is a day that you are too busy”.
‘Nuff said.
Author: Lisa de Speville | Originally published in Go Multi
Magazine, May/June 2012
