What does YOUR finish line look like?

"If you start to feel good during an ultra, dont' worry you will get over it." - Gene Thibeault

As my training continues, it’s beginning to get easier and easier to do my long distance runs. After conquering my 32 K hurdle on the weekend, I find myself feeling amazingly stronger than before and with more confidence in my ability to run my first 50 Miler later this year.

Confidence only comes with experience, and I’m thankful that I have remained relatively injury free during the past 2.5 years. The long slow runs are beginning to pay off as I find myself recovering quicker after each long run. It used to take me a few days to feel good again but I’ve learned to train smarter instead of harder and that has certainly helped to heal my leg muscles.

I’ve found that it is taking me almost an hour to get into a good “groove” with my running. It is at this point where I honestly don’t even feel my legs moving. It’s as if it’s just happening naturally. It’s also why I’ve come close to being hit by oncoming cars so often because I tend to fall into a “Zen-like” state of mind. There have been times where people I know have said to me, “didn’t you see me wave at you while you were running?” My response is always, “no I was too focused to see anything but the road ahead of me.”

Mental imagery is a big part of why I love to run and I envision many things during a long run. The main picture I have in my mind these days, is of me crossing the finish line after my first 50 Mile race is completed. I know that I’ll be physically and mentally exhausted and part of me is looking forward to seeing just how far I can push myself in both of these categories.

During my run today, Ken and I were talking about how he feels like running 10 Miles is so effortless now and I’m starting to get to that point myself. I used to feel that way about 10 K’s (6 Miles) but the fact that I have taken so much emphasis off of speed and focus more on distance is making a huge impact on my training.

Whatever goal you have for yourself, I hope you have a “Kodak moment” of what that goal will look like to you. Is it a particular type of clothes that you want to fit into? Perhaps it’s learning a new sport such as running or improving upon an existing sport.

I’m not a big fan of using “weight” as a goal as I’d rather people focus on improving their health and possibly re-shaping their bodies. You may find it helpful to use a particular pair of pants or a shirt that you currently can’t fit into but would like to wear again. Hang these up so you can see them on a daily basis and use them as a reminder of what you are trying to accomplish. Then envision yourself wearing these clothes and how great you will feel when you can fit into them again.

Keeping yourself focused on the prize should be something that can motivate you to stay on the road to success instead of falling into a pothole.