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.
I’ve got two half marathons ahead of me. I plan to “race” in this week’s half marathon using a 3:1 approach. As for Nike, my main goal is to have fun with my sister before and after the race, and to get the bling. I am entering into Nike with the mindset of just having fun. This takes the pressure off of me a bit. It is especially important for me not to push too hard as Nike is sandwiched between my 18 mile and 20 mile long runs.
I have found that at times it has been hard for me to separate from Cindy’s timeline for the Silicon Valley Marathon. It is easy to get caught up in the pre-race enthusiasm. But, I need to remember that am not supposed to be hitting my peak performance level now. My marathon is still 9 weeks away. Control and Discipline will need to generated in order to stay on course. I definitely don’t need an injury to derail my BQ at this point in the game.
For my Monday cross training, I cranked the pedals on the spin cycle again. I hit a lot of energy that gave the message NOT to work out. I arrived at the locker room to find no socks, no sports bra, no iPod, and a few loose screws on my shoe cleat. But I made do and “suffered” through 30 minutes followed by some abdominal work. I tried to keep my mind busy with the TVs in front of me. I had All My Children, Tool Time, and the Cooking Channel to occupy my mind. It didn’t work. Instead my mind was focused on how much time I had left to go.
When I hit the stairs after the work out, my legs reminded me that they had worked hard for me on Sunday’s long run. It is a good thing that I am stepping back this week. It gives me the time to rest up, take back control of my training, and regain the discipline that I need to make it through these last 9 weeks ready to BQ.