July 7, 2011
Rachel
Today's Mileage: 8.0 miles
Today I did the same 8-mile route that I did last Thursday. And what a different experience it was. Last Thursday I was feeling really positive about my ability to do my longest run to date during this training session. It was nice and cool, I had the trail to myself, and I mostly enjoyed myself.
Here's a little glimpse of my train of thoughts during my run today:
"Wow, it's really hot. I'm not sure if I can make it in this heat. Did I drink enough water? What happens if I faint? Who will help me? Will anyone find the business card I put in my shorts so they can notify someone that I'm unconscious on the trail? I should have brought more water. How am I ever going to run a half marathon if I already feel horrible 2 miles into this run? Man that guy is running really fast...why am I running so slowly? What do I do if I start feeling dizzy? Would it be weird to go to one of those fancy houses over there and tell them I'm having a medical emergency. Wow...I really need to pee. What should I do about that? Can I go behind a tree? There are probably snakes behind those trees. I'll never be able to start up again if I stop to pee. Maybe I should turn around now and just do 6 miles today....."
And on and on and on. I clearly knew that these negative thoughts started the vicious cycle of feeling bad while running and then having more negative thoughts. I tried really hard to have enough control over my thoughts to start thinking positive thoughts instead, like, "hey, this feels great! I'm so proud of myself for doing this! I love this song! What a gorgeous sunny day!". But I seemed to have no control and my mind kept wandering to those negative places.
And yet, I completed the run, and felt very positive about it afterward. And I learned a lot about how important it is to try to keep positive thoughts in your head while training and racing.
