UNRELENTING DISCIPLINE

I’m still feeling good as Chicago approaches quickly. What’s weird is that I got really nervous as I typed yesterday’s blog entry. The rest of the day I was fine.

I ran an easy 5 miles this morning and felt a ton better than yesterday.

Since I have some free time during the taper I decided to try and organize a bunch of running articles, race reports, race results, etc. that I’ve collected over the years. I tend to collect stuff in a big pile for awhile before finally getting around to organizing it – which includes throwing about one-third of it out.

Anyway, I came across some stuff I wrote that’s worth reviewing before Chicago. I posted all my marathon times a week or two ago. It includes a stretch of 4 marathons from June 2001 to October 2003 when I ran between 2:58 and 3:03. During that stretch I treated each marathon like a (mental) test. I would break the race down into sections (pre-race, 1st 10 miles, 2nd 10 miles and last 10K) and I’d write down notes for each of those sections. The notes would be reminders like the things I wrote yesterday, as well as affirmations, splits I wanted to hit, notes on the course, when to take gels, etc.

While I didn’t do that this time, I’ve been reviewing what I wrote in the past. Here are a few things;

Have confidence.
Focus on relaxing and remaining calm.
My practice performance indicates a readiness to excel.
Focus just enough to maintain pace.
Be patient I’m a well-oiled machine.
Stay in the moment – focus on breathing, stride, arm carriage, etc.
Reel people in.
I’m in a position to strike and get what I like.
You should exercise unrelenting discipline over your thought patterns. Cultivate only productive attitudes. You are the product of everything you put into your body and mind.

Quote of the day;

“Then the gun goes off, the crowd moves out and I struggle along as best as I can with the expectation that my first mile will turn out far too slow. I never fully credit the effects of a two-week rest, a three-day carb binge, infusion of adrenaline and caffeine, the bracing jolt of chilly morning air, etc…and next thing I know, I've gone through the first mile half a minute faster than I meant to without even trying.” - Chelle, from her sub-3 race report