The concept of control and discipline for runners can be viewed differently by many of us. There are those of you who struggle with the task of disciplining yourself to run 4-5 days each week, or to run continuously (if that is your goal). For others, it may be to stick to the training plan. When you think of control you might think of the self-control that you need to leave the ice cream in the freezer, or at the store. My struggles with control and discipline are varied.
Hal Higdon stresses the importance of “control and discipline” in marathon training. More specifically, he stresses the importance of having the discipline to control the pace on the weekly pace runs. I have *not* been adhering to this part of the plan. I have been guilty of replacing my pace run with speed work. Probably worse yet, I have been guilty of pushing the pace towards the end of my long run so that my overall pace for the run is the equivalent to my marathon race pace. Is this wrong? Will I pay dearly for doing this? I certainly hope not.
Upon re-reading Hal’s reminder, I examined my past couple of training weeks. There is a fine line between pushing hard and just going all out to really enjoy the run. This may be like a young teen in a fast car that is testing the limits. I’d like to think that my all-out runs are safer. That’s my hope.