Tag: Learning from Running

Put in the Work, Reap the Rewards

I was trodding my way through an iFit Winter treadmill workout with Billy Demong (the former Nordic combined skier and Olympian gold medalist) yesterday.  During this, I think he said something that helped me put workouts and the point of workouts in perspective.

What Billy Demong said was this: Put in the work, do the workouts, follow the simple formula of “keep your hard days hard, and keep your easy days easy,” and you will improve.  Your endurance and your speed will get better.  Time on your feet and building endurance is like increasing the size of your engine, but by also doing hard work on hard days (speed play), you improve the speed of your engine.  Both are important and vital to improving.  I have heard this time and again in other books and lectures about workout plans and improving performance in sport, particularly distance running.  It is a simple idea.  But putting in the work itself is definitely not easy.  The work is hard, and often painful, and it could be easy to give up.  Showing up and doing each workout requires perseverance and diligence.

Our cat Oscar shows inspiring perseverance and grit, jumping over 3 feet in the air to reach my precious flowers. Nothing will hold this little guy down.

Billy also said it well later on in the workout that if you put in say an hour most days of the week (5-6 days/week), you will advance. It does not require many hours to get better.  To be the best, you can put in 3-4 hours/day.  But for my own novice athlete purposes, I can see 30-60 minutes/day, most days of the week way more doable, and achieves what I want to get, which is 70-80% better.  Getting that last 10-20% improvement takes way more time and effort.

I have definitely seen this myself, particularly in my first year of following marathon training plans.  In that first year,  I went from essentially 0% ability to about 60% ability in marathon running pretty easily, by doing the work and finishing the workouts.  From here, though, over the last 4 years, the gains have continued but are not as dramatic and not as plentiful.   I agree with Billy that the key is steady, repeated work.   I like seeing how my endurance and enjoyment of a longer run has steadily improved.  I feel comfortable running at a faster baseline pace.  I find it comforting and cathartic to get in a run most (if not all) days of the week, as my schedule allows.

I think the same thing holds true with everything else.  We put in the work in school and professional/job training.  Being in the very moment of grade school, high school, college, and med school, the work is hard, but doable.  We do the same at work with our work goals and projects and deadlines.  Chunking it up into a day, or week, or month, I can see that each goal I strive for is relatively simple and achievable.

If I focused too long or too hard on the end goal (26.2 miles, graduation from a 4 year college degree, or achieving a degree in medicine, or finishing a tough, grueling residency), I could see myself getting demoralized or overwhelmed.   By being nearsighted though, each day or each week, I can see myself achieving and growing.  And indeed, by piecing these days and weeks and months together, I have definitely improved and grown. I see the parallel with tough workouts and tough segments of workouts.  A 2 minute push at tempo pace is hard in the moment.  But afterward, the feeling of accomplishment is a huge reward in and of itself.  I am sure that is why we keep going back for more workouts, and keep pursuing more goals.

I don’t yet have another race or goal in mind.  But I strive to put in workouts most days, if not every day, of each week, to keep my endurance up.  And it also serves to help me decompress and keep my mental health in check.  I have not yet come up with a perfect schedule to coalesce with my family responsibilities and work responsibilities.  I tend to squeeze in a workout here or there where it will fit, and it is not consistent day to day or week to week.  But by prioritizing my health and my workouts, I can see myself performing better in my personal life and my work life.

I think my health is the best reward of all of this hard work, better than any particular medal or time on the clock at the end of the race.  (But don’t get me wrong – I will keep pushing for the PR (personal record)!)  Health is one of the most valuable commodities we have.   I feel I need to put in the work each day and each week to nurture myself, body, mind, and spirit, to approach the best version of me.  Self improvement (health wise and professional wise and family wise) is one of the most valuable rewards I have seen through my fitness journey and my journey in life. The process of getting better is a never ending process, and I look forward to continuing to improve.

Facing Pain and Adversity with Grace Under Pressure

Endurance running as my training ground to help me face life’s inevitable pain and adversity with grace and strength.  Life has pain.  Life has heartache.  There are wars, there is famine and poverty, and there is injustice in this world.  Of course I wish there were no challenges and heartaches in life.  But this sadly is not our reality.

Looking strong on a straightaway. Don’t get too complacent…there are plenty of Pittsburgh hills to tackle ahead!

In a parenting podcast I was listening to today, Zen Parenting Radio, the hosts talked about a common theme in parenting in the last couple of decades of protecting and shielding our children from pain.  I agree with the discussion that this is a disservice to our children.  Of course we will all face challenges and setbacks.  I agree it is better to help kids navigate their way through heartache and challenge, rather than eliminating anything negative from their lives.  As in running, there will be miles that hurt and are harder than others. There are times you will want to quit.  Rather than giving up and going home, though, I strive to push through.  This, I think, helps me improve my strength and stamina to face life’s challenges, too.  And I hope, that by setting a good example, I can teach my kids that the goal in life is not avoiding pain.  It is hitting it head on with a mindset of creativity, perseverance, and grit.  Get through it, survive, and this too shall pass.

 

Like everyone else, I have faced challenges in life.  Anyone perceiving that life is easy or without setbacks is clearly off base.  I wish that life was not always so hard or painful, but it is impossible to go through life without setbacks.  These setbacks, in retrospect, make the happier and positive days that much greater.

 

The biggest setback for me in my life was being sued several years ago.  Do I wish this never happened? Absolutely.  If I could go back in time and erase that entire situation from my life, I would do so in a heartbeat.  And I wish that no one ever has to go through that situation.  It is unfortunately a true and ever present specter in our American litigious society.  It made me feel less than.  It made me feel betrayed.  It gave me indescribable shame.  Should such a situation do this, though?  Being sued as a physician is seldom discussed, I feel, due to the negative feelings it evokes.  It took me many months to heal from this event, but I have come to accept that I cannot control another person’s perceptions or another person’s view of a situation.  I can only control my own actions and my own perceptions. I have power over my own thoughts and my own emotional health. I can study and I can read and attend courses.  I can work hard.  I can exercise and care for my body and mind.  I can devote my time and energy to perfecting my personal growth.  I cannot be perfect.  But I can own my own actions, thoughts, and emotions, and I can use these to positively shape my perceptions and mindset.

 

The setback of being sued, however, did teach me to persevere.  You must face pain and adversity head on.  In the toughest of situations, survival is the only choice you have.  You face your challenges, and you learn to forgive and let live.  You learn to hold on to all that will serve you and help you grow.  You let go of anything that does not make you a better person.  You take it one hour at a time, one day at a time, one week at a time, one year at a time.  It is still an indelible memory on my psyche and definitely shook my confidence and feeling of self-worth. It will always be with me.  I hope, though, in spite of all of its negative connotations, it will shape me into a caring physician, an empathetic mom, a devoted wife, and a compassionate friend.  I hope I can teach others that through resilience and vulnerability, you can persevere through all of life’s challenges.

 

You can wish and hope that a painful situation does not stand before you.  Believe me, I have tried.  But wishing and praying will not make it go away.  You must often hit it head on, face that awful situation, and know that tomorrow, the sun will rise again.  Another day will come.  Your children and your family will still need and love you.  Another patient will appreciate and value the care you provide.  Life goes on.  I have accepted the fact that this situation will always be a part of my past.  As time goes on, I see that the situation was like a fire, forging my resolve and my strength.  It could have destroyed me and brought me down, but instead, I feel it built me up and made me that much stronger.

 

I know nothing in this life is perfect.  I can simply exude confidence and work hard each and every day.  I show up each day at work, ready to do my job.  I can show others empathy and patience, and I strive to give all of my patients a kind and listening ear.  I try each day to share my knowledge and skills with the world.  I hope also, that in the process of living my life with strength and fortitude, I can set an example for my children that life is hard, but you can and will survive.  Through practice and grit and determination, you can persevere through life’s challenges, and come out of the battle a stronger and better person each and every time.

Staying Motivated

I am finding it challenging to stay motivated during this COVID-19 pandemic. The lack of in person races is particularly a roadblock for me with my exercise goals. I would use the act of signing up for races as a motivation to start and stick with a new training plan. The training plan would be added to my calendar, providing a framework each week for my exercise. This exercise would help develop me physically but also help improve my mental health, as a form of moving meditation, time away from others and being alone, and improving my self-esteem by achieving little goals (achieving “X” amount of miles per week, doing 2 strength workouts per week, etc).

Photo by RUN 4 FFWPU on Pexels.com

I miss the fun of in person races and adding completed races to my lifelong list if accomplishments. I have tried virtual races before and now, but I feel these just are not the same for me.  When the time comes to safely return to in person races, I will truly cherish this.  Toeing the line and running with others is a fun challenge that I miss right now.

 

One thing that is keeping me going is envisioning the fun that will be had returning to an in person race.  I will value the first race back.  Lining up at the start line.  Reveling in the prerace festivities.  Running the race and enjoying the camaraderie of fellow runners.  And best of all, crossing the finish line and feeling a large sense of accomplishment after finishing not just the race, but the several week training plan prior to ensure a successful race.  I hope this gratitude and appreciation will carry forward in the future as well, as it truly is a gift to have events together with others.

 

Though I cannot race in person right now, something that I have found helpful is setting a small but doable goal each week.  My current goal is to do 3-4 workouts per week.  This is a far cry from my prior intense marathon training plans that sometimes entailed 5-6 workouts per week, each often averaging 1-2 hours in length.  But setting a doable goal has helped me set my mental and physical health a priority each week. And achieving “checkboxes” each week has helped me stay motivated.

 

I look forward to a return to “normal” times in the future.  But in the mean time, adjusting to a change of pace via smaller doable goals is my way of staying on track.  And this COVID-19 pandemic, though challenging, scary, and different, has afforded me more time to slow down, which is a much needed reprieve for this busy mom.

In It For The Long Run…Sticking With It Even When You Want to Bail

I completed my first 20 mile long run for this training cycle (yes, 20 whole miles…gulp!).  It was a steady buildup to this distance in my training cycle, so I have been slowly adding a couple miles to my weekly long run over the last few months.  Therefore, I knew mentally and physically I was ready for this.  However, there were several times in the run where I felt like quitting.  Some examples of what runs through my head sometimes: Hmmm…maybe 6 miles would be good enough.  My legs feel tired. It would be nice to walk. Or maybe walk home and take the day off.  Wow, that person is sitting on that swing. That looks so comfortable. Maybe I could take a quick break and enjoy the view, too.  11.5 miles sounds pretty good, I made it this far, that is a pretty good day.   (Yes, I am a running nerd and track my miles by the half mile. have alerts on my phone for every half mile I run.   I love to geek out on all the data!)

photo of man running during daytime
Photo by Tembela Bohle on Pexels.com

When these thoughts of bailing out would crop to the surface though, I would argue back in my mind why it would be even better to stick it out. I envision how good it would feel to see the mileage posted on my completed run. Being able to check off my workout on my workout calendar. Personal satisfaction at a job completed as planned.

As long there isn’t anything truly unsafe keeping me from running, I will try to keep going. (Sometimes the weather is a factor. Or a worsening injury is brewing and running is hurting. Then, it is time to stop. Discomfort and fatigue from gaining stamina, athletic ability, and strength are good things. On the other hand, outright pain from a injury is bad. Sometimes it is hard to admit the difference. But in my heart, I can tell the difference as the run progresses. It is better to stop, cut the run short, and live to run another day.

Here are some mental tips I use to keep going on runs I should keep going on (I.e. as long as there is not a sidelining injury in the works, or as long as I won’t be swept away by hurtling winds and bad hail).

–Take it 1 mile at a time.  I described in a past post the power of taking each mile as it comes, and focusing on the present. Indeed, this is a good reminder in life also that it is important to take time to be in the moment and not so future (or past) oriented.

–Think about the end goal.  I try to visualize myself in my race.  What it will feel like to be trekking along on the course. All the fans.  All the noises.  The fun of the competition.  I remind myself that this training run is practice, and this practice will get me to that finish line.

–Think about something I am thankful for.  Not everything in life goes well.  But there is a ton to be thankful for and not take for granted. I often think to my husband and kids.  I think how fortunate I have to be a part of their lives.  I try to think of something funny or silly from the day before, an “inside joke” if you will in our own small tight-knit family.  I remind myself that this discomfort is temporary.  And my runs also give me mental clarity and peace to tackle to stresses of my everyday life.

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These two smiling faces often come to mind and rescue me when I need mental distraction from the tedium of a long run.

–Revel in my abilities.  Our human bodies are amazing machines. It is hard sometimes to fathom all that goes on inside of us, to keep us going.  Particularly amazing, in fact, is how I am able to keep on running.  And sometimes running crazy distances, like my recent 20 miler, or 26.2 miles.   The mind and body are capable of tremendous and sometimes mind-boggling things.  As I am running along and get tired or tempted to quit, I remind myself how amazing it is my legs are moving, or my arms or pumping, or my heart and lungs are moving the blood within me, propelling me cardiovascular wise on my run.

–Think about fun things coming up on the day to come or week to come.  Pure distraction is a good technique as well.  I sometimes use the repetitive motion of my running as a way to zone out and start thinking about things on my to do list. I strategize how I will fit things in to my afternoon or the work week ahead.

–Listen to some good music, audiobooks, or podcasts.  Again, distraction works wonders.  I try to have a good playlist on my phone available to turn to if I need some motivating beats.  And I also have several podcasts downloaded if I prefer to learn something on my runs.    If I am into an audiobook, I will have that downloaded to my phone too, and have that as an option to keep my mind occupied.

app earbuds earphones google play music
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

As I have progressed and developed as a runner, I have learned the ability to persevere and continue on my quest each run, particularly when approaching a race.  I think one last thing that helps me get through a tough run is learning to accept things when they are good enough.  I think this is also good training for life – the stamina and grit I gain by sticking it out in a run translates nicely to mental fortitude in real life.  And sometimes, a “good enough” day in running or in my work day is just fine.  A tough long day ahead of me?  I can do it.  Heck, I’ve run 20 miles recently (and 26.2 miles before)…if I can do that, I can do anything.  I will just take it one minute and one hour at a time.

Not all runs will go perfectly.  I may need to bail out if my body can’t handle it, for example, if an injury is forming.  But I try to also accept the fact that not everything goes perfectly, and sometimes a run does not feel so great, and that’s okay.  There are good days and there are bad days.  The bad days, though, make the good days shine in comparison.  And the best thing after a run (good or bad) is that feeling of accomplishment!   That is probably what keeps me going, and keeps me coming back for more.

Running As a Metaphor For Life

Distance running has taught me a lot about life.  I think the key things I have taken away are:

  1. Life is suffering.  Life is hard. Running, in turn, is also hard, particularly going long distances when your body and mind are tired.  But it is through suffering that you can reach and appreciate beauty.  Without suffering and challenge, we would remain the same.  Life would be boring.  Sure – there would be minimal failure and disappointment. But there would also be no glory, or chance for self improvement.  I can see how much easier running has become for me.  It is a way for me to decompress after a tough day.  It is a form of therapy for me, as the repetitive action is a way of physically meditating and zoning out.  Sure, sometimes the runs are uncomfortable.  But with that discomfort, I can see parallels to other parts of my life that are uncomfortable, and I realize that the run will eventually end, I will reach my destination, and the suffering will be relieved.

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    At the end of my tough runs, if I endure the suffering, I’m often rewarded by smiling little faces like this one.
  2. Focus on the mile you are in.  I recently read the memoir, Run the Mile You’re In, by Ryan Hall (a recently retired marathoner).  I think that one of the themes he touches on, that is the title of the book, is very poignant.  We should continue to refocus our thoughts on the moment at hand, or in running, the mile you are in.  In a race, or a workout, it is easy to get ahead of yourself, and start thinking of all the other miles you have left.  Or in life, it is easy to start focusing too much on the future, and neglecting the present.  Take a moment to relish the here and now.  You are only going to have this day once.  Tomorrow, sure, is around the corner, but it is crucial to not be so future oriented that you fail to live in the present.

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    Sometimes life gives you a long journey, or a traffic jam.  Don’t get too focused on the car lengths ahead of you.  Instead, stay mindful of the present.  Enjoy the beauty (and in this case, organization and order) that can be present in life.
  3. Take time to relish victories.  Take time to reflect on the past, and see how well things have gone in your life.  It is good practice to take some time and think of your past victories.  Sure, I am no elite runner, and I will probably never truly “win” a race in a field of runners, and I am okay with that.  But for me, success is able to be self-defined.  It can be finishing a distance you have never finished before. It can be setting a new personal record.  It can be finishing a training plan and/or race injury free.  As in my 2nd marathon, it can be gritting through a less-than-deal situation (e.g. illness) and finishing a race anyways.  And as I reflect on my own past successes, I think of ways to incorporate these into my future plans, so I can repeat things I have done well.
  4. Learn from mistakes.  Life is not perfect.  That is also true in sports.  Sometimes things do not go as planned.  A particular meal, perhaps, the night before a long run is one to avoid in the future.  Forcing a run after a long week of work or stressful night of call can lead to a weakened immune system and make you more prone to catching an infection or getting injured.  Learning to listen to your body is an acquired skill, and takes practice. I think that by analyzing things I have done wrong, I am able to hopefully better plan for future situations, so I won’t make the same mistake again.
  5. Being content with my own thoughts, and letting creativity run wild.  I find running helps often burn off excess negative energy, e.g. a patient encounter that did not go well, or a conversation with my family that could have gone better.  And it also opens up my creative side.  Sometimes I have music playing, or a podcast or audiobook going while I run. And with this audio simultaneously playing and inspiring me on my run, I notice new connections and ideas cropping up organically.  Exercise, I feel, is a way to get in better touch with your inner mind, and all that it entails – emotions, thoughts, and hopes for the future.  Running for me is my exercise of choice, and it has brought me to a greater connection to my own creative and spiritual side.

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    Enjoy all that life has to offer.  Life is sometimes rocky (or wobbly as in this ride) but it can also teach you a lot, and these challenges are what make life interesting and worth living.

Life is full of trials and tribulations.  In this journey of life, it can be easy to be one-track minded, and go day in, day out, in the same routine. Wake up, go to work, get home, eat dinner, go to bed, rinse and repeat.  I think my hobby of distance running has helped enrich my life.  It isn’t only cardiovascular exercise (although this, don’t get me wrong, is truly quite valuable).  I think more than that, though, it gives me an outlet, and serves as my form of therapy and meditation.  Running has taught me a lot, and I think this hobby will continue to teach me as I advance further in my development as a runner.