The Gift That Keeps on Giving

Running is a lot like writers block, you get to a certain point where you can't go anymore but one day, something clicks and you push through new boundaries. The mind has an important role in breaking said boundaries. As a runner, your goal is to get faster, but sometimes it feels as though your body just can't do that. You either feel like you are going to hurl, break something, or just outright die right there on the track. But the thing is, you can go faster. You just have to tell yourself that you can and actually believe it.

You see, you can tell your body that it won't die if you push a little harder or go a bit longer. But it's the act of your mind actually believing you that is the hard part. When it comes to running, the actual performance of it (i.e. the body) is the easy part, it’s convincing your mind that you can do these difficult feats that can drive you off the wall (or off the track).

So how do you break said blockade? Here is a list of 5 ways to trick your mind into going the extra distance or gaining the extra speed that you need during a race.

1. Create a running mantra. This may sound a little out there, but creating slogans to tell yourself as you are running can give you the boost that you desire. My personal favorite is “Eat the hill” for difficult terrain because I link food (something that I love) to running. The phrase that you create should relate to the part of the run you are doing and should also be short and sweet. Click the hyperlink to be taken to an article written by Christie Aschwanden on Runner’s World for more info.
2. Calm your thoughts. In a study done by The Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, they found that taking a moment to breathe and clear your thoughts helps to bring your self-control back to life again while doing an energy sapping activity. So while you are out on a long run just trying to make it to the end, remember to breathe and clear your mind so you can go the extra mile (at least in less pain). 
3. Smile! Everyone learns this in a general psychology class, but it has been found to also improve performance. The mere act of putting a smile on your face boosts positivity and translates to getting you out of a rut mentally and physically.
4. Pretend to be the Wild West cowboy you always wanted to be. The brain is a wonderful thing because it can also allow you to visualize scenarios. In a race, if you pretend to lasso the person in front of you as though they are pulling you, you can trick your mind into believing that they are actually doing all the work in the race. This can allow you to launch yourself steadily past them as the race goes on and then take your next victim.
5. Lose yourself. Don’t actually get lost, just get lost in your head. Sometimes, you can try anything and it seems as though nothing is pushing you. You are drowning in fatigue and just want to stop. This is when you need to forget. Forget everything. Don’t think about the run, how tired you are, or your mental fatigue. Just run. That can be the most you can do sometimes, and that it okay. Everyone has off days but you still have to get through the run (just don’t injure yourself).

The evolution of running has come a long way. Once used for a life or death situation, running is now part of multiple Olympic sports that many people set as their goal to obtain someday. Although a good portion of people won’t make it that far, they sure can dream of it. Running is not only a sport, it can also be a hobby. A hobby that some people drown themselves in. And as with anything the human race does, we strive for perfection. Many of us run into mental blocks that prevent further development and I hope that these techniques aid in your future running endeavors.

So the next time you are out on a run, don't forget to relax, breathe, and clear your thoughts. Allow your body to go past that point of exhaustion and focus on distance and time. Say your running mantras repeatedly to yourself so you can do that. And don’t forget the most important part, to have fun!!

The Journey So Far

It has been about two and a half years since my last post, and for that I am sorry. But that also isn't something I should be taking hard; it has been an eventful past couple of years. As you may know, I transferred high schools going into junior year and graduated from Dreyfoos School of the Arts in 2015. Since graduation, I got a job over the summer as a physical therapy aide and learned so much about social skills and general professional working. Then, in August, I began college at Florida State University. So I haven't been slacking completely, just at this.

I also kept up with running throughout that time until I got to college, it became so hard to juggle everything from the workload of classes to sailing practice (yes, I am on FSU's club sailing team). Although, I will say that I started running again in January but then got bronchitis and pneumonia and obviously had to stop. I have started to get back into exercising through doing runs in the morning if I wake up early enough or doing laps at the pool for 30+ mins after my psychology class.

The hardest part about getting back into running is finding the time and actually committing to it. Because I tell myself a lot that I will run in the morning the next day and boy can I not even count the number of times I have hit snooze on my alarm instead. College makes you unbelievably lazy. I have never been this lazy in my life and I hate it. I hate it so much. Where did the driven Hannah go? On vacation apparently.

I decided that I wanted to get back into the swing of blogging again because I think that it will help motivate me to get up and go for a run when I have the time. As the semester is coming to a close (rather quickly), the stress relief that running will give off will benefit me greatly.

I can't wait to continue to share my journey and hopefully interest and share some great running articles with you all.

Better Late Than Never?

Sorry for being gone so long! After the class that I originally started this for ended, I got buried in school and sports. Oops! Lets do a short recap of my track season this year! Okay, so I started the season in okay shape, I was doing a hard core workout twice a week with sometimes an easy run on the weekends. It was my off season, so don't yell at me for not running when this blog is supposed to be about running! You have to give your body time to rest and recuperate after a hard season. Well when track started, my coach killed us. No literally, I thought I was dying. She was trying to get rid of the kids who always quit halfway through the season. But no one quit after two weeks of brutal workouts (lets just say I didn't run on weekends... because I couldn't move). By the first meet of the season, I as already as fast as I was last year at the end of the season, that made me especially happy! That ment much improving could be done! And improve I did! I started the season out with a mile time of 6:15 by the end of the season I was down to a 5:53 mile!!! It took a lot of hard work, but I broke under six! I also not only ran this track season, but I started pole vaulting again. Boy have I missed that! I am not very good though haha. I got up to 7'0". Pretty good for my first year I believe! I also went to states with my track team as the 4x800 alternate!! That was a lot of fun! I am just glad that i didn't have to run! Those girls were FAST. So there is the quick summary of track this year!

Now to talk about this summer. I have to start training for xc season, well I should have already started but.... egh. I plan to start running again tomorrow (as I said plan ;p) by running an easy 30 mins. I should get to the point later in the summer where I am running 6-8 miles five or six days a week. Why am I doing this to my poor 5'0" little body of mine? Well because I want this xc season to go better than last years! I was injured and sick all last season but I also didn't have a base, which coud have helped in the long run. So I am running this much to get a strong base to build up muscle so when the season starts, I can get ready for speed work and a bunch of personal records!! Well that is the goal anyways. Lets hope that my knees decide to work this year!

Eating right this summer!! I have been doing very poorly at staying to healthy foods lately. I could blame it on stress, but it is also about just not caring. I care, but I love food. It is a love-hate relationship! Terrible role model I know, but I have an extremely high metabolism which lets me eat so much! Well I have to change my eating habits back to how I eat when it is running season. I am technically doing a sport this summer (sailing) so I need to eat well anyways, but I also don't want to throw up junk food (or anything at all really). So back to four meals a day! Yes four, you heard me right! Breakfast, lunch, snack time after running, and dinner. You must eat, at most, 30 minutes or sooner after your workout. your body needs to replenish the nutrients it has lost with protien. Goods snacks are granola bars (neutravally, cliff bars, etc..) and protein bars (maybe a sandwich?), but the best is a chocolate milk (or shake (preferably a protein one)) because it has protein, is cold so it is nice to drink, and it digests easily to replace your lost nutrients. Remember, eat good wholesome foods, eat healthy snacks right after you workout, and eat BREAKFAST. I hate breakfast personally, but I eat it anyways because it is the kickstart to your day. It gets you going! Some nice protein in the morning and you will be good to go! 

My Greatest Accomplishment

Many people have great accomplishments, from getting an A on a test to winning a marathon. My greatest accomplishment was when I was in seventh grade and I was Annie in the production Annie. I know this isn't about running, and I have a blog about running, but it all relates. You may not realize it does though. When you first start running, your goal maybe to run 20 minutes without stopping. When you complete that, you are so proud of yourself. From completing goals or to doing something spontaneous like skydiving, that could be your greatest accomplishment. Your accomplishment may change over time, or everyday, but it is always what you do for yourself and maybe what you do for other people. You could be the inspiration others are looking for, but you have to put yourself out there so you can be noticed for what you do. Make everyday a small step to becoming what you want to be.

To New Years and New Beginings

Today I am going to talk about shoes. Most people that are not runners, go out and by the coolest looking running shoe without taking your body into consideration. You always want to start off with a good training shoe. You want support for your feet so you don't get injuries later in the season. Personally, I go to a running store and they fit me to a shoe. I tell them what I do (or planning to do) and then they go grab shoes! I run cross country and track so I needs shoe that offers a lot of support and helps stabilize my feet because they pronate, the heels turn in. Be prepared to spend money on a good shoe. I spent $130 on my shoes but they will last up to 300-400 miles. You should always be fitted into a shoe by a professional. Try running in the shoe while you are at the store to make sure everything feels good. Also the shoe shouldn't be light like spikes that you wear in races. When you are ready to do a race, you may want to get race shoes. Depending on the running event you do, that will determine the shoe you wear. You can also race in your training shoes if you prefer. The cost ranges about $80 but you can also get good deals and sales. I would also advise going to a running store to get fitted.
Now that you have your snazzy new running shoes, you might want to start running! Start by doing what you are comfortable with. Try doing a thirty minute run at an easy comfortable pace. Remember to try not to walk! Now go! Go run!

Lets Get Started

Almost all sports complain about having to run in practice, except the few sports that are about running. When soccer has a running day, they complain. But their hard day is our easy day. Some people just run for fun while others run to compete. But it all comes down to knowing yourself and what you can do. When people think of cross country, they think all they do is run and that it is so easy. But you should have them come to one of your practices and see that running isn't all it's caught up to be. It takes a lot of training to get in shape and a lot of training to stay in shape and improve. Everyday you should work a little harder, push the extra mile. If you are serious about becoming a runner or you are a runner and want to become better, you have to commit to the sport. You will not only help your body to become healthier when you become a runner but you will feel better about yourself too.

Now that you have committed to becoming a runner and a better athlete, you have to know what you are in for. You will not only have to run (and run a lot) but you will also have to do core. Core workouts are centralized on your core muscles. You want to have those strong because it will help with endurance. You will want to do core at least twice a week to improve your muscles strength and to keep them strong. This will help lose that muffin top that you may or may not have. Also you have to eat right. You don't have to cut out major food groups, just stop eating junk food. During any sport season, most coaches tell their runners not to drink soda. Water is the best thing for you. Stop drinking coffee too, if you can, or stop drinking as much of it. Your body will feel better and once you get used to not drinking soda or coffee, you won't want to. Take your running seriously as you would a job or school work because it is a competition against yourself, making you better. Running isn't about being the fastest or the best, running is for your benefit. Yes there are people faster than you, but that doesn't make them better that you. Your attitude and the way you think of yourself defines you, not other people.