Week 17 Dress Rehearsals: Practicing for your Marathon

1. Sign up for weekly news and information email list on the home page (you only need to do it once): This will be our primary way to contact you. Some spam blocking programs will put this email in your junk mail folder. Please check your junk mail folder if you do not receive emails from us.

2. Click on the link below and PRINT OUT your weekly Training Schedule:

Sole Runners Week 17 Full Training Schedule.pdf

3. Use the Training Schedule to take notes on how you felt that day. It will give you a guide as to how things are going; what’s working and what’s not.

4. Click on the link below and PRINT OUT your weekly Study Guide:

Sole Runners Week 17 Study Guide.pdf

5. Listen to the notes for the Study Guide: click on the play button (note: The Audio says Week 16 but it is for Week 17)

6. Get a notebook and keep your weekly training schedules and study guides in the notebook.

7. Join the Sole Runners community and start blogging. You can post stories, reports, ask questions and make friends.

Week 17 Article – by Coach Steve Mackel
 

An Important Message

There is
no such thing as a problem
without a gift for you
in its hands

You seek problems
because you need
their gifts

— The Messiah’s Handbook – Illusions by Richard Bach

I believe that one of my jobs, as a coach, is to motivate and inspire, so I read and listen to a lot of inspirational material. I came across this yesterday. The first stanza is gentle reminder of something most of us know, yet we choose to ignore. For most of us a problem is just that, a problem.
Then comes that second stanza, like an unexpected punch in the kisser.

Maybe its time to start re-framing our lives and running. Since this is a running site, I’ll keep it about running. Here are some common problems and some gifts:

PROBLEM #1 – Injuries. Your body is screaming out to you, all you have to do is figure out what it is saying. Listening is the gift. It may be that you are pushing it too hard. It could also be saying, “Take better care of me.” Re-examine your lifestyle patterns. Some injuries come from your mental state. Are you setting realistic expectations? In the end, the body follows the mind. To run your best, you have to be mentally in the zone. I am always listening for ways to get in touch with that zone.

PROBLEM #2 – Finding the time to run. Are you always making excuses not to run? What really bothers you about running? It’s probably true that some people just don’t enjoy running, yet far more of us do not give it a proper chance. A gift here is learning how to schedule and then following your schedule. Running is one of the most natural things we can do. We were designed to run. Let’s schedule it in.

Problem #3 – Getting faster. Speed is a gift and speed is relative to each individual. We can all get faster. It just takes the work and desire. Many of get into that “same run–same pace” rut. We run the same routes. We don’t run with faster runners. You should practice your form at very slow speeds, too. There are many ways to vary your training to increase your speed. We are here to help you get faster.

These gifts are all around us in each problem in our lives. We ask directly and indirectly for them but we don’t take them when they are right in front of our faces. Start re-framing your problems and you’ll probably find your gift faster. When you do find it, take a moment to be thankful and share that thankfulness with your family and friends.

Train Focused looking for gifts,

Coach Steve