Thursday, December 15, 2011
Although my body isn’t changing drastically from running, there are constant excitements that come along with this, and most of those changes are mental. The body will come along as I get a better grasp on my eating habits/pitfalls.
With running I’m starting to realize that I can’t tell my brain to shut up. It is a constant chatter about how hard it is to run and how tired I am. It constantly wants me to turn around and walk the rest. I am starting to believe that is just a defense mechanism more than anything. When one starts running out of oxygen, it signals to the brain that you need air and you need it fast. In other words, your brain is panicking as if it is drowning. It wants you to rest because it is afraid of death. But we can choose not to listen to that part of our brain, because we know we are not going to die, unless you are running the Philly marathon. Anyways, I’m getting better at telling myself that my brain is just freaking out and to not listen to it. I’m starting to think of my body as a battery, and even though I’m tired I could technically run it until it is out of juice, and I can just recharge it later. Yes, I don’t want to damage myself, so I’m not going to do that, but the idea is sound.
Last night I tried a new loop. Sadly I thought it was going to be longer than it was. I thought it was going to be close to 6 miles, but it was not even 4.5. Anyways, I started trying to think to myself through the run, and that helped. I tried to reassure myself that nothing was wrong and the battles were mental. Doing this I actually ran a lot slower than I have been, but the run was super easy. It was the least tired I felt after running that distance since I started.
The beginning of the run was actually what used to be my long run. When I first started running, 2 miles was my long run. Putting this at the front of my loop made that 2 miles seem laughable. I only got slightly winded on the hill that starts my run. The rest was almost too easy. It really helped me see how far I have come.
With running I’m starting to realize that I can’t tell my brain to shut up. It is a constant chatter about how hard it is to run and how tired I am. It constantly wants me to turn around and walk the rest. I am starting to believe that is just a defense mechanism more than anything. When one starts running out of oxygen, it signals to the brain that you need air and you need it fast. In other words, your brain is panicking as if it is drowning. It wants you to rest because it is afraid of death. But we can choose not to listen to that part of our brain, because we know we are not going to die, unless you are running the Philly marathon. Anyways, I’m getting better at telling myself that my brain is just freaking out and to not listen to it. I’m starting to think of my body as a battery, and even though I’m tired I could technically run it until it is out of juice, and I can just recharge it later. Yes, I don’t want to damage myself, so I’m not going to do that, but the idea is sound.
Last night I tried a new loop. Sadly I thought it was going to be longer than it was. I thought it was going to be close to 6 miles, but it was not even 4.5. Anyways, I started trying to think to myself through the run, and that helped. I tried to reassure myself that nothing was wrong and the battles were mental. Doing this I actually ran a lot slower than I have been, but the run was super easy. It was the least tired I felt after running that distance since I started.
The beginning of the run was actually what used to be my long run. When I first started running, 2 miles was my long run. Putting this at the front of my loop made that 2 miles seem laughable. I only got slightly winded on the hill that starts my run. The rest was almost too easy. It really helped me see how far I have come.
:: posted by Corey Brown, 7:25 AM