The first time I sat down and meticulously wrote a race plan I thought it was ridiculous right up until I ran a PR. The result, on no less than one of the worst weather days in Boston Marathon history, came in the face of wind and rain that left most of the field dramatically slower than usual. The difference was not my feet but several months spent preparing my brain to battle whatever the day threw at me. I’ll have to post the plan one day for laughs. Let’s just say it could have passed as Stuart Smalley’s “Daily Affirmations” on Saturday Night Live.
Vaunted distance and triathlon coach Bobby McGee (http://bobbysez.blogspot.com/) convinced me to write it. Honestly, I thought his book “Magical Running” was full of warm and fuzzy idealism until I started achieving break through results and not just in running. Calling Bobby from Boston after the 2007 race to say “thank you” was one of those spine tingling moments where you realize placing your trust in somebody smarter and more experienced than yourself enabled you to accomplish something you couldn't have done on your own. Bobby proved to be just the Yoda I needed. Now I meticulously draft race plans ahead of every big test; plans Stuart Smalley would be proud of and I would be mortified by if it ended up on Facebook.
I started physically writing my race plan for the Boulder Marathon two weeks ago, three weeks ahead of the race. However I started building up the evidentiary base for the plan in July based on a progression of key workouts and planting some simple triggers in my mind, fuel system, and mechanics.
Every distance runner knows the Marathon is a truth test. There is nowhere to hide when the inevitable dark patches of every Marathon creep into the mind. You can talk yourself into or out of a great race. A half-way split that fills you with the confidence that “this is my day” can unravel into walking chunks of the last 10K at a loss for answers to “what went wrong?” The marathon preys mercilessly on short cuts in preparation. Arm your mind with the tools and supporting evidence to overcome doubts with truths and you will talk yourself to a lot of good days.
That is what Bobby did for me. He developed the positive “self talk” and “visualization” I needed to overcome doubts during the darkest of patches. He helped me learn how to build a compelling base of evidence and the mental skills to call upon it at the right time in the race to overcome challenges you may never have imagined. The mental debate is inevitable – acknowledge and prepare for it.
So what’s my plan for the Boulder Marathon, a race I acknowledge to be to lightly trained to run next week?
Against my better judgment, I’ll post my plan on Saturday. Maybe you can help me put the finishing touches on it.
No comments:
Post a Comment