Well I at least had a workout this week - which makes a change from the previous 72 weeks.....

I ran a bit faster than I have done for the last couple of weeks for all of, I dunno, 20 seconds at a time yesterday, then today I ended up running the last 1.6 miles or so of my run at tempo pace.  Wow.  I'm really going for it.

Nice workout Spaniel.

Well I at least had a workout this week - which makes a change from the previous 72 weeks.....

You should add cross training. Perhaps pushing your wife's car to the shop can be logged.

 

And you thought those December stunts were stupid.

This is stupid, but not stupid in a good way.  See, if I were pulling some kind of stunt I might actually do something worthwhile.  Instead I went out for a bimble and got a bit faster at the end.  Return to my usual, unimproving, self.  I ran slower most of last week in case I hurt my cankled body while running more than I had been, I can even convince myself that I can't try harder and will fail if I do by the power of thought alone.  Wuss.

 

And you thought those December stunts were stupid.

It has probably helped that despite an inexcusable number of goose eggs in my log, November and December were both two of the highest mileage months of 2012 (Dec was highest).  When I DO run I get it done.  Now if only I can eliminate most of the goose eggs...

When you called yesterday I was actually enjoying my first treadmill run over lunch at the new company gym facility.  That should help with some goose eggs.  It will be better when the January-ites filter out.

MTA:  In retrospect I am glad I approached Dec 2012 differently than Dec 2011 and did not let the stunt overwhelm real training.  I think that paid off.

 I need to have other things to fail at.

So is the new gym facility well set-up?  Any competition for the TM? 

I expect to see an attitude change or I am going to find an excuse to come over there and confiscate all your penguins and scotch. 

There is a reason many Olympians have both athletic and mental coaches.  In virtually any sport, if you have already mind-fucked yourself the competition won't have to defeat you; you've already defeated yourself.  I can't say I've ever seen someone acheive something that they had already decided they could not do, or were going to fail at.  Self-fulfilling prophesies are real.  What was someone calling it on the GSP...the jerk brain or something like that?  Basically that your mind will shut you down long before your body will if you haven't sufficiently hardened it to what is required to acheive results.

I remember doing a 8X1000m with 90sec recoveries averaging 3:06 with a buddy in 2004.  It was TOUGH.  Cooling down after we were discussing how breaking 31 for 10K was a lifetime target for both of us, but how unworldly it was for us to think of being able to take the workout we had just done and run it straight through with zero recovery, then add 2km more at the end.  We could not even comprehend that!  But instead of focusing on a seemingly impossible target off in the future I just focused on putting my head down and improving, taking whatever that lead to, be it 32 or 31:30 or 31.  A couple years later the same friend was on the sidelines reading off splits when I got under 31.  Even as I ran it I found it hard to believe I was doing it, but I believed in myself absolutely.  Sure, my real goal was to qualify for the Olympic Trials and I failed at that.  But the potential to fail is not an excuse not to try.  You can't win big without being willing to fail along the way.  It's the people who keep believing in themselves even as they fail again and again who eventually reach their biggest goals.

You are a good runner and you put in the miles.  Athletically the potential is undoubtedly there.  You just need to throat-punch the candy-ass voice in your head that is holding you back.  Every time she speaks up I want you to visualize that and get it done. 

MTA - The gym is set up decently.  4 treadmills facing out a big window towards the new 1/5 mile track (now snow-covered) and courtyard.  No TV to watch so I did music; there was one fan for each treadmill.  I hit it an lunchtime and despite the 30min time limit during peak hours I was able to stay on for 8 miles.  Usually at least 1 empty machine but all 4 were full some of the time.

 

 Are you still going for those 2006 PR's?

Heh.

Best running SINCE 2006, the only PR I could remotely reach is my marathon as it was mostly an injured jog.  All of my shorter PRs are probably lifetime at this point.  That marathon is a big maybe for the spring but I am still searching for a decent marathon that allows me to run the Indy Trail 50.

 

You should add cross training. Perhaps pushing your wife's car to the shop can be logged.

Damn French garlic munching rubbish