Easy days should be a joy. A stroll in the sun, a way to see the world and view life around you, a means of recovery, and with a general goal of getting in your mileage and time on your feet while preparing for the next hard day.

I do not do easy running. Not currently at least.

Don’t get me wrong, I love to recover. I love it! I love getting in mileage. I love preparing for the next hard day. Running is one of the best ways to tour a city and site see, which I take full advantage of! So sure, I love all of these things…but I have indeed strayed from easy run dogma in a number of ways.

I run my easy runs hard, and therefore am in need a good old fashioned “Slow down there kid” to set me straight.

“Slow down there kid”

What is a “Slow down there kid” and why would you need one of these?

Let’s just get one thing straight, a “Slow down there kid” is the equivalent of  an *elderly, but firm gentleman with a strong arm*. He holds up his hand and places it gently on your shoulder, physically easing your pace  down ever so slightly while calmly speaking, “Slow down there kid.” He’s concerned. He doesn’t even explain what he’s doing, but he doesn’t have to, because you know why he’s doing it. You don’t get a “slow down there kid” if unless you really need one.

*Find elderly gentleman at your own risk. Beware of his strong arm.

Who really needs a “Slow down there kid”?

Everyone needs a good old fashioned “Slow down there kid” every now and again, but you should really be the ultimate judge of when. You may need one when you’re not recovering, or when you’re on the verge of injury or illness. You may need one when you’re losing enthusiasm to get out the door, or when you have too much enthusiasm and find yourself sprinting up a hill in the middle of your easy days, or when you’re creeping into tempo territory on a Thursday recovery run.  You might need one if you’re a slave to the watch and a slow mile makes you antsy, or if the thought of an easy run at 30 seconds slower than your normal pace incites worries of losing fitness.

I’ve found that I need a “Slow down there kid” in the following situations:

1. When I’m tired – This is a no brainer, you have to recover to run fast. For me, it simply takes a bit of intention and mindfulness to recognize that I need to take 30 seconds a mile off my easy run pace. Be honest with yourself, have you recovered as much as you want?
2. When I’m enthusiastic – There is absolutely a rationale behind crushing a run when you feel good, but distance running is a long-haul sport. When I feel good on an easy run, I often just try to enjoy that feeling and avoid the unending desire to grind myself into the dirt. Continuing to save for the quality days will most likely keep me healthy and on track.
3. When my scheduling is awry – If I miss a workout day, or have too many easy days in a row due to poor planning, I tend to crush my easy runs. While it may be beneficial to throw in a 10 x 1 min or some strides to supplement for a missed hard day, poor planning isn’t an excuse to run 6:00 miles day in and day out for multiple days in a row. I’m not losing any fitness. Note: I also run too fast when I’m literally running late for work.
4. Now that I’ve recognized my neurotic pacing tendencies – I have neurotic pacing tendencies. When I see a mile over 7:00, it makes me slightly concerned that I’m not working hard enough. This is just wrong. Running 7:10 versus 6:50 on an easy day isn’t going to break my season, but I’ve somehow developed this mindset. I call it neuroticism, but whatever it is, I consider it a detriment and a condition that prevents me from slow down.
5. To develop a more well-rounded running ability – I am testing a hypothesis that having the capacity to run slow, both physiologically and mentally, is a strength. Why wouldn’t you want to be comfortable running in all conditions, fast, slow, backwards, sideways? If I can run controlled at both 6:00 and 8:00, is this better than only being able to run comfortably between 6:00 and 6:50? By simply expanding your range of comfortable running paces, are you more well-rounded? Will this make you more mentally and physically comfortable going out at a slow pace at the start of a marathon? Maybe. And maybe more!

Conclusion

I see it as a weakness that I have a difficult time running slowly. Of course I plan on continuing to run fast, but I have a theory that running slowly at strategic times will enhance my range and ability to control myself both mentally and physically. It absolutely continue to allow me to recover and to enjoy  my day to day running schedule (and therefore my life). I’m hoping that with a little practice, I can also reset my neurotic mindset that running slow = running badly. We all need a “Slow down there kid” every now and then, but right now I see myself as being particularly in that situation. Here’s to running easy, and…Slow down there kid.

Do Good,

Young Austin

I’m a city guy through and through. I do more wrangling of a late night street kebab then anything resembling cattle.  I draw on my deep Texas roots for this analogy, however, in saying that I’ve fallen off a few horses. In this past marathon cycle I fell off of every horse I was on for both good and bad reasons. What is important, in my opinion, is not the critique of a lack of motivation, but the understanding of why, when we’re experiencing a relatively high level of success mid-training program, we can suddenly fall. The final question is then what we do, and whether it’s even important to get back on at all.

Dusting yourself off

I fell off the marathon horse the minute I crossed the line at the Barcelona half marathon. I was half-way through the London build, but sitting on the side of the road in Spain thinking, “Wow, that half-marathon was incredible, I could end my season right here.” My post about the race expressed my obvious enthusiasm as I compared this result to my 2:18:05 at Valencia. They meant the same to me, but in grossly different phases of two completely separate training programs, one falling at the end of a cycle and one in the middle. It’s dangerous for motivation to be mid-marathon build up with a built in excuse for not continuing to perform well. For me, after Barcelona, this happened to be that a 64:58 half marathon met my definition of a successful season, despite how I would ultimately perform in London. It’s obvious today that this was the turning point, but I am trying to determine how to recognize this in the future.

Are you on a horse?

Individuality should be taken into consideration, and some of the below are slightly obvious, but I know I’m on a horse when I’m doing most of the following:

1. Actively managing my mental state through meditation and self-talk
2. Sticking to my nutrition and experimenting with new supplements and meal plans
3. Feeling excited to run out the door in the morning
4. Engaging in social running behavior, i.e. seeking out running partners
5. Supplementing my running with strides, rolling, stretching, etc.
6. Dreaming of smashing my goal, running 2:15, or qualifying for the olympics

Looking back on these points, I was deep off the horse. I had somehow fallen and simply did not realize that I was on my ass, confused, and dusty from the fact that I was flat on the ground with my horse was standing above me. I was just off.

Given motivation exists on a spectrum, I found it difficult to see the slow degradation of my desires to run a fast marathon. They happened gradually, but before I knew it I was out of it completely. Some other small things I’ve noticed about myself include:

1. I tend to stall getting out the door for my long run, i.e., schedule a run for 10 and leave at noon.
2. I lose all interest in eating to support my training, or cutting out sugar, alcohol, and processed foods.
3. I catch myself in patterns of negative self talk and excuse myself for missing workouts or races.
4. I prioritize work and travel, and sacrifice running for other areas of life (I always try to keep these as balanced as possible).
5. I stay up later, and snooze through my early alarms.

In the end, we have to know ourselves and the signs that the inspiration has dried up.

for when you fall of a horse:

Ultimately, it’s easy to fall off a horse. The gravity and momentum of everyday life provide a bulk of the assistance, as does the running itself. It could be as much as one bad performance that acts as the final breaking point, or even a really good performance that serves as the overwhelming sense of achievement that you wanted for the entire cycle. For me, a strong half marathon performance contributed alot, though I also believe I impacted by the first real winter of my life (as I said…a Texas boy), a tough schedule at work, and the feeling of success of my prior marathon. No matter the reason, you only have two choices to make. After you pick yourself up and dust yourself off, you either attempt to get back on the horse, or you don’t. Plain and simple.

Truth and honesty is extremely important, so when I feel like I’ve fallen off a horse in the future, I plan on asking myself the following questions:

1. Why did I get on the horse in the first place? Did it in any way feel out of obligation?
2. How much longer do/did I plan on being on this horse? Does this seem like a time period you want to recommit to?
3. How does being on a horse now fit into my long term goals? Does this training cycle serve any specific purpose?
4. Am I enjoying being on a horse? 
5. Who am I on this horse for? Is this for me and me alone?

Meb raced 26 incredible marathons, but this is an achievement that most can only dream of. Poor training, or training for the wrong reasons, can do real damage your mind and body, and a bad training experience can impact your relationship with the sport, either short or long-term, and even your relationships with friends, family, and co-workers. While most will encounter more than a few difficult spots in a training program, it’s important to take a step back and recognize when this is a temporary rough patch in motivation, and when it’s a sign that you need a break.

Be good to yourself. This sport lives on a very fine spectrum between Beauty and Brutality, and a reality that is too far shifted towards Brutality should be assessed. I’ve too often been afraid to take a step back and admit that this is not what I want at this moment in my life. If this is the case, in a fundamental, visceral way, pull the plug and save yourself. Take your two, three, four weeks off, reset the mind and the body, and get back at it. Sensibility has to prevail in a sport that breaks you down as much as this one.

Do Good,

Young Austin

Running is a brutal and beautiful sport. It’s hard to keep in mind that great moments rarely come without intermittent failures, that the pleasure of a race well run is never without the painful slog of miles, and that PRs are typically interspersed with mostly mediocre races. Happy to share my personal experiences with the sport and how I view certain experiences along the overall spectrum.

Brutality -> BEAUTY

• The despair of week 8, 9, etc., of what appears to be a never ending injury
• Watching the squad leave for the meet without you
• Losing to a rival
• The first step  you take knowing your injured
• Dropping out, and the torment of whether you should have kept going
• Pre-race nerves
• 33 degrees and raining
• The fear and uncertainty that remains at Mile 20
• Being forced to miss a run as a neurotic person
• The semesters you have early classes and have to workout on your own
• The lingering, but manageable existence of plantar fascitis
• Continual fatigue and just wanting to nap
• The bore of a 24 mile long run
• Post-work runs in the dark
• Losing to a friend, and running poorly yourself
• When you first realize that your heroes were cheating
• Having to do the “little things”
• The third-to-last interval
• Muddying up your brand new running shoes
• The part of the two weeks off when you really want to run again
• Forgetting your shoes
• Your last race for the high-school / college team
• The satisfaction of the last day of practice before summer
• Discovering a new route
• The unspoken connection between the squad during a workout
• Watching a friend run an incredible race
• A firm foam roller
• Hitting your exact goal mileage
• A fresh pair of shoes
• The dream of running a mile on an automatic sidewalk
• A cool jug of chocolate milk
• The summer mileage tan
• Exploring a new city by foot
• The excitement of the first day of practice
• When you and your best friend both run a PR
• The last few miles of a marathon, and knowing “you’ve got this”
• Two weeks off
• The wonder and awe you feel for the sport as a young runner
• Pasta nights with the team
• Running camp
• The ability to “eat whatever you want”
• Receiving anything running related for free
• Running in the rain, and deciding you don’t care about being wet
• Geeking out for the Olympics
• The cool down after a great workout
• Single-track trails through the woods
• Recovery runs with the crew
• Post-season parties and celebrations
• Your first sub – 6:00 / 5:30 / 5:00 / 4:30 / 4:00 mile (we can dream)
• Your first sub – 3:00 / 2:45 / 2:30 / 2:20 / 2:15 marathon (we can dream)
• Post-run breakfast
• Post-workout breakfast
• The feeling of being in “The Flow”

 

Do good,

Young Austin

How many “sick days” does your running program allow?

Why do we allow ourselves a sick day from work, to recover and treat ourselves well, but fail to do the same during our training programs and other life endeavors?

I get 9 sick days per year at work, hence…hence! by the same logic (albeit very loose), given that my average  training cycle is 4 months, I should receive at least 3 sick days per marathon cycle! At least! GIVE EM TO ME!

Take your sick days, because whether you just really don’t feel well physically, or you don’t feel fired up enough emotionally, some days aren’t worth pushing through. You may have some great opportunity to travel at an odd time, have a presentation at work, or want to subject yourself to Coachella. Allow yourself these days to enjoy those experiences and to not obsess about the mileage! On my latest trip to Edinburgh, when I only had 8 total hours of daylight, I decided only to run 13 miles instead of my prescribed 22. Sick day 1 is gone for me, and while I “only” ran 92 miles that week instead of 100+, I enjoyed exploring the city and felt like I used the most of my vacation and daylight! In all honesty, I still count the week as a 100 mile equivalent, but either way, that’s what I needed on that day to feel like a happy human being. In Paris, I just didn’t wanna. Didn’t wanna deal with the traffic, the rain, and the French pedestrians (baguettes everywhere), so I let myself off with a sickie. Let’s be honest, this sport is about making yourself feel miserable for a good portion of the time, there’s no way around that, but there’s also a line, as a semi-pro / amateur athlete, where the sport bleeds into your personal and professional life and, if toxic, begins to affect your quality of life. While I’ve discussed the ways in which we may want to integrate these lives, we want life as a runner, professional, and friend to be as seamless and intrusive-less as possible.

Allocate these days at the start of your training program and give yourself the permission to take them all. You can even write in your normal mileage, and allocate an “SD” for Sick Day next to the number (you know, for accounting purposes), or don’t, but give yourself the reward and potential placebo benefits of writing the “run” in your log.  Then, instead of running, treat yourself well and recover even more.

There’s a time and a place for grinding it out, but there’s absolutely a time for treating yourself well, and 3 days out of a 120 day program, especially when allocated towards days that are supposed to be “recovery” days, will definitely not break your performance.

Do good,

Young Austin

The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain! And…on the streets of Barcelona at the Mijta Marato de Barcelona!

Spain has treated me well these past 3 months. My girlfriend, Gigi, and I had already planned a week away in Barcelona, Paris, and Dublin, so as I had mentioned previously, I took the opportunity to try to test myself at a half marathon in Barcelona. I showed up in downtown Barcelona at 5:00pm the night before the race, straight from the airport, and sat, with a great sense of unbelonging, as the race directors casually informed us that the pacer would go through 10k in 28:30. The director, who seemed to be seeking some sense of approval, asked, “That’s good?”, in broken English, before dismissing us all. I proceeded to pick up a complimentary t-shirt assuming that this would be the only thing I would truly walk away with that weekend.

To my complete surprise, I walked away with new PR of 1:04:58 and a newfound sense of confusion and wonder, much like Colonel Hugh Pickering and Eliza Doolittle do in My Fair Lady after Eliza overcomes her thick English accent. While I lost by over 5 minutes, I couldn’t help but think that while I was not yet a king, I had managed to convince the running aristocracy that I could pass as at least the Dutchess that Eliza desired to emulate. Colonel Pickering would indeed be proud. I knew I had a 65:00 in me as much as I knew I had the sub-2:19 in me last November, but to dip under the barrier, this weekend, was a bit of a surprise given my ~67:00 PR, the last four 100+ mile weeks worth of marathon training, and a less than adequate taper. My surprise is outlined below through both a previously unseen (by myself) and potentially misinterpreted two-minute long scene from My Fair Lady (thanks Gigi):

Young Austin’s real-time race day reactions:

1. Start – 10k -> This is going well so far (0s – 34s of the below video)
2. 10k – 15k -> 30:45 through 10k….let’s just do this again (35s – 42s)
3. 15k – 20k -> I think I’ve got this! (43s – 52s)
4. 20k – 20.75k -> Somehow under a time crunch, is this course long? (Whatever chaos is going on prior to this video)
5. 20.75k – 21.0975k -> Had to sprint for that sub 65:00, but I got it!! (53s – 1:56)
6. Immediately after the race -> Well, that happened, woohoo! (1:57 and beyond)

What went well:

1. Low expectations: I believe there is HUGE power in having minimal expectations. I capitalized from the benefits of this in Barcelona, and experienced the benefits of truly having zero expectations in past races as well (Texas Relays 3200 in 2009 thank you). I went into this race with the goal of setting a PR, which was either 67:00 if you count the split I ran through the middle of the 2016 US 25k championships, or 68:24 if you count my official finish time at the hilly Ealing Half Marathon. For someone with a 2:18:05 marathon best, this goal seemed attainable, and while I was nervous, I viewed the race as simply a great opportunity to lower my mark and test myself at a challenging phase in the training cycle. Anything else was a bonus! Going forward, I’m going to try to see if I can use this type of psychology considering I have already run the 2020 US Olympic Trials marathon standard, and really have nothing to lose as long as I gain experience along the way.
2. Mental Self-Talk: I remember distinctly what was going through my head at various points in the race, which is a good sign that I’m improving in my ability to control my own thoughts through the hardest phases of long races. With three miles to go I went through a half mile portion where I repeated “re-dem-ption” along with my footsteps. Dramatic much? Yes…but I viewed this as my change to “qualify” for the 2016 trials, in post. In 2016, after a year or more off from serious training, I trained for 5 months for the Houston Marathon and made a serious attempt USATF lowered the standard to 2:19. While I ran 2:21:38 in my debut, my comrades, friends, and former training partners ran incredible sub 65:00 performances to qualify for the trials, leaving me to always wonder whether “what if.” While it was incredible to watch those guys battle the heat in LA that year, I knew I had to prove that I belonged at that distance.
3. Focus: While I’m now strongly convinced a half marathon is a bit too short for my meditation theory, I was able to practice this skill through the mid portions of the race. The pace felt quick, and the race really isn’t that long, but I did a great job of settling into, and sharing the pace with three other guys who finished in sub 65:00. I was able to focus on each footstep, and making sure I was simply floating my way through each mile. Occasionally, I would reassess and attempt to run, e.g., the next two minutes without any effort in an attempt to relax my breathing, control my stride, and make sure I wasn’t putting in any unnecessary strain.

Conclusion

After 4 weeks down post Valencia, and a series of 6 truly high mileage weeks [86, 91, 105, 105, 105, 78], I am very happy with where I am! The mental work will continue to take a high priority, as will the nutrition, sleep, strength, and recovery. With 9 total weeks, 6 of them being challenging (1 recovery week and 2 weeks of tapering), the scale of training seems increasingly attainable. Continuing to have fun and experiment with semi-profession running life and fully professional work life is a massive priority of mine. I have a quick trip to San Sebastian to look forward to in 3 weeks, a wedding in New Orleans, and am hoping to schedule a quick trip to Belgium on the Eurostar.

 

Do Good,

Young Austin

 

The Iceman, Wim Hof came into my home, through the internet. I’d seen Wim Hof, a Dutchman known for his ability to withstand extreme cold, on a tv show in either high school or college and afterwards in the below Vice documentary. While I hadn’t considered the potential for application to my own life and running, more and more I’ve heard him quoted on interviews and podcasts, and while he sounds, well, slightly crazy sometimes, he truly believes in his practices, as do thousands of others. Some of these people featured in the video appear to be high as a kite, but who am I to judge at this point!

Who is Wim Hof?

While my English teachers look on in dismay, I continue by quoting Wikipedia:

“Hof holds 26 world records, including for longest ice bath. In 2007 he climbed to 6.7 kilometres (22,000 ft) altitude at Mount Everest wearing nothing but shorts and shoes, but failed to reach the summit due to a recurring foot injury. In 2008 he broke his previous world record by staying immersed in ice for 1 hour, 13 minutes and 48 seconds at Guinness World Records 2008. The night before, he performed the feat on the Today Show.

In February 2009 Hof reached the top of Mount Kilimanjaro wearing shorts within two days. Hof completed a full marathon…above the arctic circle in Finland, in temperatures close to −20 °C (−4 °F). Dressed in nothing but shorts, Hof finished in 5 hours and 25 minutes. The challenge was filmed by Firecrackerfilms, who make productions for BBC, Channel 4 and National Geographic.

In 2010 Hof again broke the ice endurance record by standing fully immersed in ice for 1 hour and 44 minutes in Tokyo.

In 2011 Hof broke the ice endurance record twice, in Inzell in February and in New York City in November, setting a new Guinness World Record of 1 hour, 52 minutes, and 42 seconds. In September, Hof ran a full marathon in the Namib Desert without water, under the supervision of Dr. Thijs Eijsvogels.”

In 2014, a study was performed showing that Wim and a number of participants, after weeks of training, were able to activate the nervous system and immune response, typically considered an autonomic process and not within our control.

This study is what led me to believe that whatever Wim was preaching was at least worthy of delving into further. Even the slightest ability control the autonomic nervous system and stress response associated with marathon running could be huge in maintaining control during a race! Hell, maybe even just improving the ever depressed immune system of a long distance runner could stave off the constant possibility of an illness developing before raceday. I almost always get sick within the three weeks of a marathon! Typically, I drop my mileage and, BAM!, wake up a few days later with a head-cold and have a mini-nervous breakdown as a result. Prior to Valencia, I was convinced a stuffy nose would derail the race, but luckily woke up on race day with clear sinuses.

What I also find hopeful is the idea of restarting my ice bath (cold shower) tradition, which is absolutely miserable, and may in fact just make us tougher human beings all around.  I’ve seen some tough dudes wince at the suggestion of plunging even a foot into an ice bath, and toughness in marathon running is something that you absolutely need! Most societies today benefit from a myriad of new-age creature comforts, including air conditioning and central heat. I understand that there are way to many in this world who are not fortunate enough to benefit from these luxuries, but could living in our modern, regulated society be making us mentally weak?

Anything to help support a runner’s immune system or mental toughness is worth trying, in my opinion, so I dove head in…

An Intro to the Wim Hof Method

While the method in itself borders on the edge of spiritual, the tenants of the Wim Hof method are as below, and what I take away from each of these activities is they are intended to develop the ability to control your body:

1. Breath work
2. Ice Baths
3. Meditation

Breath work:

Warning: Do not perform these activities while driving, in or near water, or near polar bears. Seriously, I am not a doctor, am not prescribing this work, and do not advise this if you have a serious medical condition.

The Wim Hof breath work is really a glorified form of controlled hyperventilation. Deep breath in, partial breath out, deep breath in, partial breath out (x about 40 breaths), which oxygenates the blood, followed by a breath hold as long as you can and then an additional large inhale and great old for 10-15 seconds. I’m not a scientist, but from what I understand, low CO2 levels associated with hyperventilation increase the oxygen saturation in hemoglobin in the blood, while decreasing oxygen levels in the tissues themselves. This oxygenation of the blood, and the resulting decrease in acidity, is what Wim Hof claims is the goal. While I know that oxygen and CO2 levels are critical for maintaining homeostasis during distance running, there are a dozen other variables in this hyperventilation exercise and within distance running physiology that I DON’T understand. I can hypothesize about the benefits of potentially improving hemoglobin’s capacity to retain oxygen or hold your breath, but then there’s the matter of releasing it into the tissues, arterial pressure, and whether higher PH acidity is even beneficial for the body. In the end, this speculation is beyond what I’m willing to make from a scientific perspective, and not much research is available online.

What I think is interesting about breathing in general, however, is that the science is either complex beyond basic understanding, or within the realm of mysticism. Where’s the real practical middle ground? If you’re talking about breathing, you’re most likely either a PHD or a wizard, a scientist or a sorcerer. Wim Hof gives off that mystic kind of vibe too, but I think he sits closer to the middle of the spectrum than most due to the science that provides some support his methods. Maybe the study doesn’t hold up, but what I do know is that humans do not understand a large swath of the reality of the universe, and that includes how the human body works, so I’m going on faith that something here ties into the natural world because that’s what Young Hippocrates is all about! I mean, have you seen those people in that video! Holy shit!

Ice Baths:

Ice baths, cold showers, dread!

While I haven’t taken an ice bath in years, just the memory of peering into the icy waters back in college makes me cringe. Maybe I’m just not as tough as I used to be, so I decided I would start taking the cold showers as prescribed by the Wim Hoff Method in order to, at bare minimum, improve my mental strength.

Wim suggests building up to a point where you can take an ice cold shower for 5-10 minutes. I started at 15 seconds on, 15 seconds off for 2 -3 minutes at the very end of the shower and worked my way up to taking showers 30 second – 1 minute intervals. Where I’ve noticed the most improvement is in managing the initial “shock factor” of the first slap of cold water, which invokes that gasp reflex and an instinct to hyperventilate (hmmm). This reflex has largely disappeared, and I’m now able to breath in a smoother and more controlled fashion throughout the shower. Afterwards, I’ll admit that I feel pretty fucking amazing, and I do think it’s working on calming my nerves to  the “shock” in general, and potentially improving my ability to control myself, physically and emotionally, during times of extreme stress.

Is there any application to running? Does your ability to withstand cold exposure improve mental toughness or your last 6 mile drive? I guess you could argue that, by the same logic, if we asked someone to punch us in the stomach over and over it might make us tougher too, which might well be true! However, cold exposure does have solid science to back it up, which I can’t say for getting punched in the stomach on a daily basis!

On top of what I hope is an improvement in overall levels of raw mental toughness, studies also show inverse correlations between cold exposure and levels of depression. How spectacular! Dr. Rhonda Patrick describes in a 20-page paper the benefits of cold shock as hormesis (improved health as a result of a low grade stressor), which increases norepinephrine, lowers inflammation, and potentially increases the body’s number of immune cells and mitochondria.

While more studies ultimately need to be done on ice baths and cold exposure, the benefits look reasonably promising. I’ll also admittedly commit a logical fallacy in saying that Tony Robbins, the man, begins every day with a plunge into a cold pool, so it’s probably legit. I’ll take even the weakest form of reasoning!

I’m going to continue working towards lengthy cold showers because I’m stinky and gonna be showering anyway! I feel good afterwards, so what’s to lose in the end. I can already sense an improvement in my ability to retain control during the stressful event of the cold shower, so maybe this will translate into improved control in running, or just better health in general.

Conclusion

While I don’t think I need to go into my view on the benefits of meditation, the third component of the Wim Hoff method, I admit that I haven’t finished his course. If there are any particularly interesting insights, I will absolutely share these!

While there is some science to support the benefits of taking an cold shower on a daily basis, and the study supporting improved immunity and autonomic control is incredibly interesting, am I going to be able to be able to fully replicate this, in my home, to the extent that I feel confident enough to inject myself with a bacteria like those participants did? Maybe not. What I take most from the Wim Hoff method most is that this might be a reasonable way to practice pushing both the body and the mind to their extremes. Marathoning is in itself an extreme push beyond a person’s comfort zone, so I view the use of the Wim Hoff Method as a challenge worthy of undertaking.

Is it possible that pushing our ability to withstand the pain of cold temperatures (within reason)  improves our ability to withstand the pain in a marathon? Yes, so I’mma take that shower. Can learning to expand and control our breathing both in the cold and out have a positive impact our ability to retain control during the most unknown portions of the race? Yes, I’mma practice controlling my breath in the cold shower and out. I think it’s plausible that in combination, this may actually improve our nervous system and immunity, so I’m forging ahead.  Keep on Wim, keep on.

 

Do good,

Young Austin

In Part 1 of this post, I introduced my thoughts on meditation and how my experience with a 5 minute daily practice has compared to the mental struggles during the hardest parts of a marathon. I also referred to a theoretical form of mental purgatory in marathoning. Given you have the mental ability to actively control your negative thoughts and achieve some sort of this mental neutrality, which I proposed you could develop through consistent meditation, you can benefit from simply pushing away the toxic unconscious that creeps in at the worst times of the race. 

Considering this blog is based on my own theories, we’re going to keep working with the idea that our “mental purgatory,” a form of meditation in itself, is a much better position to be in than allowing negative self talk slowly creep into our mental state at mile 20. In Valencia, I tried to get into a state of mental purgatory for a good portion of the race. We had a pace group through 16, so I slipped into the pack, trusted the pacer, and just focussed on taking one easy step at a time until mile 10, when I had planned to reassess how I was feeling and how the race was developing. Muscle memory is powerful, so as long as the pace felt relatively easy, as it should through early portions of the marathon, then why wouldn’t I zone out for this portion of the race?

While I don’t believe (yet!) that a complete meditative, non-thinking state is all-together possible, let’s ground ourselves a bit, once we’re comfortable with the idea that we can clear our minds and improve our mental focus, we do want to ask the question…what’s next? What mental state do you want to be in come 16, 20, etc.?  I only know what I know, so I’m going to reference my race in Valencia one more time. At mile 16, when the pacer dropped out and two men made a move off the front of the pack, I let them go. I LET THEM GO DAMN IT!

Why did I do this? I was afraid, and I had 10 miles to go. I’ve run the last 8 miles of a marathon in pure agony, and that’s a fear that’s hard to suppress. That could have been the end of my race right there, but about three minutes later I decided I would also chase after those two guys. I don’t remember consciously making that decision, but after I caught them, two miles later, they were only two people I ran with for the next 7 miles until approximately 800 meters to go when a demon running 4:30 pace blew by me. I can confidently say that self-belief I somehow (uncharacteristically) mustered saved my race. No one in the pack that I left broke 2:19 (except the demon running 4:30 pace). 

Every runner’s nightmares of the last 6 – 8 miles of a marathon creep in eventually, we’re not monks. Whether the pack breaks up and you’re stuck in no man’s land, you get the butt clench, or any other of the many dreaded marathoning fates befalls us, we still want to be able to catch ourselves if, and when, our mental fortitude starts to waver. Further, if we have a chance to actually make a soul crushing drive for the finish, then we want to be able to will ourselves to this fate and avoid moseying through the line in mental tranquility. Let’s make it hurt and push ourselves!

A Visual Evolution of Positive Thought

Many Negative Thoughts Mode, M.N.T. Mode, “Mountain” Mode

I don’t know who this guy below is, but he’s in Mountain Mode, as in, he’s got a mountain between him and the finish. He’s begun to let the negative thoughts creep in, that it hurts, that he can’t do it. He’s straining…and has to climb a metaphorical mountain to get to the finish. WARNING: this mode is not to be confused with “Mountain Mode,” which is a mental state desired when climbing a real life mountain. This mode is DEFINITELY not to be confused with “The Mountain” Mode, the Game of Thrones character. Don’t fall into Mountain Mode and become a Mountain Mode Mouse! Prepare yourself mentally!

Zen Mode

The man below has obviously taken up a steady meditation practice before starting his daily 9-5 job, and actually appears to be levitating. I may go into levitation in a later post in order to fully elaborate on the benefits of such a skill, but I don’t have any practical knowledge as of today, so I’m going to side-step this topic. I digress, because the guy below does appear to be mentally strong, focussed, and buffered for the longest parts of the marathon. Mentally prepare yourself to be a Zen Mode Zebra for a good portion of the race and you’re bound to come out on the bad side of the first 20 in good shape.

Supersayan Mode, a.k.a. Kipchoge Mode

Super Sayan mode (a.k.a. Kipchoge mode), is the ultimate next level of emotion control. Kipchoge Mode in laments terms is what I also like to call, “Just developing a bit of self-confidence.” Kipchoge is the best in the world, and must have developed a supreme degree of mental control and confidence.

Confidence is obviously a state of mind, and one that varies based a unique variety of internal and external factors. While we can control for both, much of the time external factors are largely out our control. Therefore, I’m going to focus on the internal factors that we can potentially influence through practice.

I think its important to consider if confidence in running can be characterized in “chicken or egg” terms…does running fast promote confidence, or does confidence promote running fast? Maybe it’s the latter, and maybe we can positively impact running through a practice much like meditation. Further, maybe it’s more of a feedback loop than we think, where confidence feeds strong performance, which therefore feeds more confidence, etc! It sounds reasonable enough to my basic brain, so I’m going to try to inject a bit more effort into the internal factors driving confidence to see if it can speed up the loop. Let’s just try to be a Kipchoge Mode Kipchoge!

Can we all enter Kipchoge Mode?

Positive Self Talk

I ticked away at my laptop meticulously describing what “Positive Self Talk” is before realizing that everyone who reads this likely knows exactly what I mean. Everyone has some degree of internal dialogue running, some positive and some negative, but are we actively controlling for this? I don’t! No one coached me to! Hopefully some runners out there are doing this, but it doesn’t appear to be a widely developed enough skill for such a basic and obvious mental exercise. I know that I spend quite a bit of my time worrying about how my words affect how other people feel, but rarely give a thought to how my dialogue is impacting MY mental health. Why is this?

A study on male kickboxers described how a motivational self-talk routine improved confidence, increased positive affect (experience of joy and interest), and decreased negative affect (experience of anger, contempt, or nervousness). Simply applying a self-talk routine before, during, and after performance by both identifying negative self-talk and apply positive and motivational self-talk resulted in this statistically significant improvement in affect and confidence over the control group. If you read the study, there is a further mental training program utilized that shows even further mental benefits, but for now, let’s just worry about the self-talk routine!

Based on this study, we can conclude that three exercises may improve our mindset:

1. Practice control negative self-talk. We’re already  working on this independently of our positive self-talk routine through our meditation practice. The ability to actively identify these negative thoughts as they come and either suppress them or push them away is something we can improve through practice. Science already shows us that meditation improves the way the brain operates in a positive manner, which we may be able to use to support our mental strength in running.

2. Replace un-constrained negative thoughts with a positive alternative. Once we’re able to recognize when negative self-talk occurs, we can either support these thoughts with positive alternatives, or dismiss them completely as irrational, as they often are.

• Try keeping a notepad with you in order to identify negative thoughts relating to your running. Read them back and ask if it is something you would ever say to another individual besides yourself.
• Consider how this negative thought could influence your psychology down the road (hah…road racing), or how it may be a reoccurring thought pattern influencing your confidence.
• Frame the thought in a positive way, writing it down next to the negative thought.

3. Develop an independent positive self-talk routine. The possibilities are endless! While everyone will have a different preference regarding their own routine, experiment with what makes you feel the most confident. Or, you are welcome to try some of my pre-fab phrases:

Pre-run:”You are really really really ridiculously good looking.”

Mid-run:*Screaming* “I’M REALLY DOING IT! I’m FLYYYIIINNNNNGGG”

Post – run: “Did I just run? I barely felt it.”

Conclusion

To conclude on a serious, and philosophical note, if I could separate myself into Young Austin side 1 and Young Austin side 2, and speak soft whispers of love and affection into one ear while also speaking toxic negative self-talk into one ear, what difference would it make? Further, is this measurable and does it make a lick of difference in the end? Could I coax Young Austin side 1 into Kipchoge Mode while denigrating Young Austin side 2 into Mountain Mode? Would I kick more ferociously at the end of my race with a little more confidence? It’s possible that these techniques won’t do much, but it’s also possible that they makes all the difference in the world, and that this hypothetical verging from our best possible self is always occurring, we just can’t tell because it’s a slow moving train wreck. Even if it’s just a small difference, it’s placebo, or it has no application to running, what’s the harm in trying this 30 second exercise? Worst case scenario it has no effect, but in the best case scenario, it could be the confidence booster that allows you to make the decisive move.

I’m still looking .05% game changers, and this one is backed by solid science. Even if it doesn’t translate into running performance, maybe this will just make me a happier person overall. A little more self-confidence can’t hurt!

Do good, 

Young Austin

Have you heard of the importance of the mental component of athletics performance? If you’re like me, then yes, maybe hundreds of times. While I tend to just shake my head and brush off these basic, generalist types of statements, i.e., “Running is 90% mental and only 10% physical,”  I do recognize the obvious fact that there’s something more beneath the surface than the day to day of the training.

Why do some runs seem to violate the fabric of space time, ending almost as soon as they begin, while others drag on and on in misery. Why are we able to tap into pure instinct in some races, but overthink others. We give up or fall off the pace group, and end up kicking ourselves for days or weeks afterwards for a performance where we obviously didn’t squeeze out every drop of effort? We feel great, but it just wasn’t our day, and then sometimes we feel as if we’re pulling our feet through drying concrete, but crush a PR anyway.

I happen to believe the explanation for these sorts of struggles, where fitness and performance are misaligned, the ones that be excused due to poor weather and poor competition, lie somewhere within our mind frame, willpower, and mental stamina.

Framing the Issue

Getting straight to the point, however cliche it may be, if there is any thread of truth to the statement that running results are the outcome of 90% mental and 10% physical inputs, or even if they are only the result of 10% mental and 90% physical inputs, then the mental aspect deserves a deeper dive. In my development as a runner, no one even remotely suggested HOW to become mentally tough, or HOW to generate more internal motivation! Runners just either were tough, or were not!! Why aren’t we leveraging mental prowess to our advantage if it really is an untapped value, even if only a 5 or 10% driver of overall performance? I assume it’s possible that everyone besides myself is secretly working on this, behind closed doors, but who’s coming to practice bragging about how powerful their morning meditation was, or how much they believe in themselves? This is someting we should be talking about much more, but that’s what we’re about here. We want to try the things that no one is talking about, the things that seem to go slightly unnoticed but may have the ability to make a difference.

What I’ve been asking myself lately is whether our mental strength is something we can improve through a form of active mental training, or if it’s simply a fact that because we’re human, and not driven to run by pure instinctual fear that we will always talk ourselves into running slower than we need, to not hurt so bad. We all have the subconscious ability to rationalize, “you know body, this running thing is stupid. Why would we decide to start a long grind at mile 18 because we’re only a measly 15 seconds off sub 2:19 pace?” Ultimately, mid-race, excuses start to seep in. We should slow down because it hurts really bad and we still have 2 years before we need to qualify for the trials, and yada yada yada. The curse of the frontal lobe, our reason. I believe in the power of the mind, however, and that the mental component can be drastically improved to achieve a gain of 5%, 10%, or 100% in mental toughness. This incremental mental strength, I hope, will have a direct impact on my running, and also on my daily demeanor.

So here we go…I’m going to focus quite a bit on the mental aspect of training in a series of posts, which I am looking forward to as a way of keeping myself accountable.

Part 1: I want to talk about meditation

I’ve been experimenting with a daily 5 minute meditation practice. 5 minutes just feels like a good number to start with and something easy to accomplish right after I wake up in the morning. I sit here on the floor, where I also do most of my writing, and I try to think about nothing, continuously clearing my mind the endless stream of thoughts that creep in. It’s challenging, and I can never go 5 minutes without thinking of what I have to do at work, or whatever else I was stressing about before I went to sleep the night before. But you know, it’s gotten better, much better. I think of it like doing the dishes. If you work on clearing out the sink of your crummy dishes every single day then it always stays relatively clean, but the longer you wait, the harder it gets to scrape off the crusty sweet potatoes. That is your mind, full of sweet potatoes…keep it relatively clean with a consistent mental practice. It’s a skill that takes constant diligence, much like marathon training, so this is why I’m making it a daily habit of mine.

When I’m meditating, I’m focussing mostly on clearing out the mental junk that makes me anxious, self-conscious, and unconfident on a daily basis. I may not be fixing the fact that I’m behind on a project at work, but I can feel that it buffers me from the worry and stress through improved mental strength. Why worry about that which you cannot change?

When I’m running, I’m similarly focussing on clearing out the mental junk that makes me anxious, self-conscious, and unconfident during the marathon. I may not be solving the fact that it hurts, that it’s a physically demanding and challenging race, but if through meditation I’ve developed the mental strength to control for the inevitable moment that negative and self-doubting thoughts creep in, then I should be able to push myself through more challenges mid-race. There is (almost) always a time when you say, either consciously or subconsciously, “That’s it, I can’t hang onto this pace, this group of runners, and I’m done.” There may be several of these during a marathon, but this is what we’re trying to solve for. How can we get this subconscious thought to vanish? It’s through honing our skill of being able to push it away, because honestly how often do you really need your conscious thought while racing? Let’s just worry about putting one foot in front of the other and breathing well.

Maybe we can…just stay there in this mental purgatory where we manage to push out the self-doubt, which is obviously better than the burden of managing it! Even more, maybe if we can just keep out the self-doubt we can also figure out a way to talk ourselves into the fact that we can like, pick up the pace or something equally as crazy. I think the mental component is a snowball, and that if we can just push out enough of the junk then we can build to some sort of mental position that we can truly build off of.

I’m not a scientist, but a few sources say:

1. Meditation may ease anxiety and mental stress, based on a meta-analysis  performed in 2017 (link to study).

2. Brain Activity is significantly altered during meditation, leading to an slowing of frontal lobe activity.

3. Meditators, based on a 2012 study, perform better on cognitive tests challenging a participant’s ventral posteromedial cortex (“PMC”) stability (whatever this is). The PMC, a region linked to spontaneous thoughts and mind-wandering, lies on the underside of the brain, in the middle of your head.

These represent just a few links, after a quick search, of the hundreds and thousands that boast the mental benefits of meditation. Meditation is an ancient Eastern practice which has been popularized, but nowhere near normalized in Western society. How many can actually say that they’ve truly utilized the mental benefits from a structured meditation practice? Maybe everyone but me! But I don’t know that!

So there I go. My theory is that meditation can solve a piece of the mental puzzle. If we manage to strengthen our mental capacity by even 5%, especially if you believe in the old adages of how large of a factor the mental side of marathoning is, then why wouldn’t that make a discernible impact on our running performance?

I’m going to explore a number of other interesting theories to developing mental toughness in other parts of “Can You Think Your Way Marathon Success?” but for now, this is a good place for me, and my audience of 0 to start.

Give it a try, worst case scenario, meditation is supposed to make you a friendlier and more compassionate person, so what do you really have to lose?

Do Good,

Young Austin

With 100 days remaining in my training program, I want to take the time to refocus and reframe this period of time as a heightened dedication to running.

According to Pedram Shojai of The Urban Monk blog, “A Gong in Chinese Taoist tradition is a set amount of days one devotes to a particular task.  It’s a promise to one’s self to stay focused and on path towards a designated goal.” My Gong is 100 days of London Marathon focus.

The count down I’ve started on my Training Log emphasizes that I’m working towards the goal within a finite period of time, a fact that I’ve overlooked during previous marathon cycles, which sometime feel never-ending, unfocussed, and at times, random. As opposed to getting lost in the middle of the cycle with no perspective as to the end goal, complacent because there’s always another run tomorrow, I’ll be counting down and framing this period of time to maintain my perspective. This countdown will remind myself that every training run counts. Every run counts and every week is a brand new emphasis on simply doing everything I can to squeeze out the last 2%.

Running under 2:19 again currently seems hard, if not impossible, but committing to the first 10 days seems doable, as does the next 10, and the next 10…for just 100 days.

Do good,

Young Austin