To Thyself Be True...

Or just know yourself. My comment from Steve this morning about my upcoming birthday (on Soul Buster day no less!!!!!!!!) was that maybe this would be the year (or decade) that I learn how to train effectively. So after the tempo run this morning I went to him and told him what I should have a week ago... I am exhausted. At first I thought it was just from being sick (and I am sure that did not help) but he (once again) pointed out how easily I overtrain. "Don't go back down in that hole you were in," he said to me.

So...dammit...to Hell...here I am thinking about how to get unexhausted. I am not pissed (well, not too much) but why does my body send me no clues until I feel (in the words of Seba) like I have been beaten by angry, drunken midgets wielding large wooden mallets???? Perhaps, as I have heard before, I don't listen?? So... next mission in my training education (the last one was LISTEN to the coach) is to try to listen to myself.

I am a horse trainer and riding teacher by trade... I have been at it for SO long that I am confident and good at my job. I always try to revert back to that thinking when I run into these stumbling blocks in my "new athletic career" as a runner. So I thought about my horse training methodology. And, despite the fact that most horses are more self aware (and perhaps smarter) than I am, I just considered the application.

7 tips to training:

1. Know horses
2. Know YOUR horse
3. Get its attention
4. Reward and Punishment
5. Repetition
6. Consistency
7. NEVER lose your temper

So I thought about this and applied it to myself. Know about training runners. Know about ME. Pay attention to ME. Realize that it is ok (and necessary) to rest. Don't repeat stupid things, do repeat what works. Be consistent in training for the big picture and stay in focus on that. And, as for never losing your temper...to thyself be true.

So today I am sore, tired, and pissy. But maybe this is the warning I have to listen to. I am not who I was yesterday and not who I will be tomorrow. I am not any of my team mates...no matter how much I feel connected to them... I am me and I am responsible for my own training which has to be special for me. As a kid, I got bucked off many, many horses and always got back on. As I got older (and kinda smarter) I figured out how to not get bucked off (since it hurt more than it used to!!) I am gonna run like that...I am gonna try to minimize hitting the dirt as much as possible!

Time to go now... I need my rest!!!