Hello Heroes!!!
Thanks to all who made it to Saturday's group training at Forest Park last week. Everyone did a great job!!! Thankfully, the weather has been holding up pretty well so far.
Mission moment: So much progress has been made over the past 25 years since TNT's inception. Childhood cancer was considered a death sentence back then, but now, as many as 90% of these little darlings are living normal lives all because you sacrificed yourselves and gave them the gift of life. We're not done yet, but we're sure getting closer to a cure. Ask for every dollar you can. That last dollar you raise might just be the one to put researchers over the top. I'm attaching a link of a speech I gave at the 2010 San Antonio Rock n Roll Marathon, just 4 months after my wife, Debbie's, diagnosis. We were chosen to be the national speakers at the inspiration dinner the night before the event.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMpEt6g0UPI
OK, we're starting to climb into the higher miles. Many of you are hitting distances that you've never done before. It's a pretty amazing feeling, isn't it? Maybe now's the time to look back to when you started your training in Nov. You probably looked at the schedule and thought "what did I get myself into?" Now, fast-forward to today. The miles you're doing during the week used to be your long miles!! Pretty cool, huh? The coaches knew all along you could do it and we know that, going forward, you won't have any problems as we head into the next several weeks. Which leads me to this weeks topic - staying motivated. Training is not only physical but mental. You'll need mental toughness to finish those last few miles of your event. Now is the time to start thinking about what you can do to help yourself during your long miles and especially on event day. Some things to consider:
Thanks to all who made it to Saturday's group training at Forest Park last week. Everyone did a great job!!! Thankfully, the weather has been holding up pretty well so far.
Mission moment: So much progress has been made over the past 25 years since TNT's inception. Childhood cancer was considered a death sentence back then, but now, as many as 90% of these little darlings are living normal lives all because you sacrificed yourselves and gave them the gift of life. We're not done yet, but we're sure getting closer to a cure. Ask for every dollar you can. That last dollar you raise might just be the one to put researchers over the top. I'm attaching a link of a speech I gave at the 2010 San Antonio Rock n Roll Marathon, just 4 months after my wife, Debbie's, diagnosis. We were chosen to be the national speakers at the inspiration dinner the night before the event.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMpEt6g0UPI
OK, we're starting to climb into the higher miles. Many of you are hitting distances that you've never done before. It's a pretty amazing feeling, isn't it? Maybe now's the time to look back to when you started your training in Nov. You probably looked at the schedule and thought "what did I get myself into?" Now, fast-forward to today. The miles you're doing during the week used to be your long miles!! Pretty cool, huh? The coaches knew all along you could do it and we know that, going forward, you won't have any problems as we head into the next several weeks. Which leads me to this weeks topic - staying motivated. Training is not only physical but mental. You'll need mental toughness to finish those last few miles of your event. Now is the time to start thinking about what you can do to help yourself during your long miles and especially on event day. Some things to consider:
·
We know it's tough to get out
sometimes, especially with the short days and colder weather, but it's
essential to get your miles in during the week. You need the shorter miles to
help you from one long run/walk to the next. No doubt there have been many
times when you felt like saying "I don't feel like going out today, I'll
wait until tomorrow". The hardest part is just getting out there. Once
you start, you'll be glad you did. Sometimes you have to push past the negative
thoughts and force yourself to go. Some of my best runs happened when I almost
didn't go at all.
·
Mantra- create your own mantra when
you hit a tough part of your run/walk. Something like "our HTM's can't
quit, so I won't quit", or anything you want to say to yourself. It
really helps.
·
Honored Teammates - Think of your
HTM's. They are the ones you're doing this for. They should provide more
than enough inspiration to get you through any run/walk. Think of their fight
and what they're going through. We should all be looking at Barnes Hospital
each time we pass that part of Forest Park. Many of the patients we're training
for are receiving treatment in that facility.
·
Don't think of
your long miles as one long run/walk. Break
it into several 3-4 miles segments. Imagine one of your weekday workouts when
you're doing 3-4 miles and picture that as you're doing your long run/walk.
·
Start your long run/walk about a
minute or two slower than your normal pace. Mentally and physically, you’ll
feel better at the end and you’ll finish stronger.
·
Pick out landmarks (trees, signs,
intersections, etc.) along your course. Run/walk from one to the next. This
will mentally help you set small goals that are reachable giving you more
confidence to complete your workout stronger.
·
Put your favorite music in your Ipod
and head out. Sometimes mixing up the music helps. Sometimes running with no
music helps. Personally, I never run with any music. I love hearing everything
around me. During your event, I highly recommend
leaving your music behind. Hearing the crowd cheering you on is all
you'll need to get through.
·
Find a partner to workout with. Coming to group training will increase the odds of
finding a teammate who runs/walks at your same pace. The miles go by very
quickly when you find someone to talk to. Plus it makes the overall TNT
experience so much more fun.
·
Don't get discouraged if you have a
bad training day. We all have them. I always say that you don't want to have
your best workout during training. You'll want it on event day.
·
Change your routes often to keep
those weekly workouts fresh. Running/walking the same trail or streets can get
stale. Try somewhere new to liven things up. New scenery will help keep your
workouts from becoming mundane. Plus it's fun to explore!
OK, that's about it for this week.
Hope these tips help. You'll see as the miles get longer, having a strong
mental game in place will help you have a successful event day.
As always, the coaches, mentors and staff couldn’t be more proud of each and every one of you for all you’re doing. We realize it’s a sacrifice to train and fundraise with everything else you’ve got going on, but that’s what Heroes do. You are making a difference and we can’t thank you enough.
John
Certified Marathon Coach
Team in Training
TOGETHER WE TRAIN TO BEAT CANCER
As always, the coaches, mentors and staff couldn’t be more proud of each and every one of you for all you’re doing. We realize it’s a sacrifice to train and fundraise with everything else you’ve got going on, but that’s what Heroes do. You are making a difference and we can’t thank you enough.
John
Certified Marathon Coach
Team in Training
TOGETHER WE TRAIN TO BEAT CANCER
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