Willing to Adjust

Sunday, September 04, 2016 · Mike Davis

Good morning! Grab your coffee and pull up a seat.

September is here and running has become more enjoyable! While we here in North Carolina will still see our fair share of 90 degree days, we will also see cooler mornings and wonderfully comfortable evenings. To the north you may not be officially into fall but, you will certainly begin to enjoy the change to autumn that we runners so enjoy. I am headed to New Hampshire around the 13th of September for Reach the Beach and I am certainly excited to run in what is my favorite time of the year there. With the easing up of temperatures and even a drop in the humidity we will now feel like we are better conditioned as we move through our runs. Pretty awesome time of the year!

Yesterday morning I set out for long run and while the temperature was lower the humidity level were still quite high so, I stayed with my training approach of run/walking. This time I switched it up to a 2 minute run/30 second walk with the idea of conserving my energy (glycogen) for a better finish. That was still a bit aggressive early and by the midway point I was a bit drained. Again I had Gatorade and some quick energy Gu so, I was hoping to get a boost to help me finish. I adjusted to a 90 second/30 second run/walk until running the final 4 minutes. Despite the bouts of walking, I actually ended up running an overall pace of 9:47. I was not at all focused on my pace but I was encouraged that was able to cover over 8 miles using this strategy. Certainly running during the summer months in North Carolina will present unique challenges because of the extreme heat but, adjusting to the climate appropriately will enable me to continue.

While the heat is a huge factor here in North Carolina and just as much for most of the summer in the Northeast, there will always be other factors that require adjustments to our running. Recovering from an injury, available time and sadly the aging process are just some of the things that could force a runner to consider a change in their typical running mindset. Whatever the reason it is not easy for many of us to change the paradigm that we create in our minds. Those paradigms tend to be driven by the belief that we can overcome or that we need to be able to better than we are at a given point in our life. I am learning that it is better to be out in my running shoes and moving my feet however best will keep me in my running shoes and moving them. The idea is not for me to give up on running without walking bouts but, right now I am getting stronger using a strategy that is working.

We work with so many runners that have not understood the value of slowing down and even reducing mileage. It is counterintuitive to what many think is beneficial to their running. In fact runners can benefit from both slowing it down as well as reducing how many miles they run. It is hard to get driven runners to accept a change to what they cannot get their brain wrapped around and there have been clients that we have lost because of that. Some would rather risk injury than to adjust their mindset and that is a frustrating thing for a coach. I know some coaches out there that actually encourage excessive running with the idea that it will make competing easier but, it is a huge risk and there is actually proof that there is no gain.

A willingness to accept what your current circumstances are is critical to healthy and happy running. Many of us would like to be stronger, faster or … and while that can be a goal, we have to be okay with where we are and adjust as needed. I am looking forward to great things for me in my future but I am happy with where I am at today.

Well time to get ready for church. Thanks for hanging out with me and listening to my chat! Have a great week and an even better September! See you on the road!

God Bless!

Mike