Earlier this week I got some papers from my Coach. Did I mention already that I have a coach now. I guess I didn’t, about him another time. Anyway, he’s a bit older and he still works with papers. He gave me a lot of stuff on paper up to now, but the latest stack had some “special” material, the “attiude of the competitive runner”. I found it to be a great write up, don’t know who actually wrote it or when it was written, hence didn’t ask for publishing rights in advance. The only hints the paper provides are: female, probably living in the Lahti area (about 100km north of Helsinki), really good on the 3000m, current or past district champion on that distance and aiming for the 2012 Olympics. In case you read this and find yourself in it, let us know (comment below or through an email, see the contact page).
You might find similar text passages in running guru books or similar, but this is written so crisp and genuine that I needed to share it here (translated from Finnish into English).
The runner’s worst enemy is he/she him/herself. The mindset is the primary ingredient - more important than all other running ingredients together. The mindset consists of what the runner thinks of his/her running and in what he/she believes in. The runner’s mindset and belief in itself are more important than talent. Through this strong self-belief runners can find hidden reserves in themselves and thus find new opportunities
The majority of runners aim too low, although there wouldn’t be any reasons to remain on those [lower] levels. Their mindset does not provide sufficient motivation. A good runner succeeds, because he/she wants to succeed and has a clear goal.
Firstly, the longer the distance, the more this holds true. Secondly, this holds true not just for the pro-runner participating in local, national or international championships, but also for “normal ambitious” running dad or mum. Thirdly this holds true not just for aiming at a time in the marathon but also for other goals with running, such as weight loss, other health reasons, being able to run a certain distance or changing the lifestyle. And fourthly, beyond running this holds true for a couple of other things in life as well, wether it’s a challenging project or e.g. looking for a new apartment.
today’s training: 10 x 2min hills, with a 5.5km warm-up and cool down, 20.3km altogether
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