Listening and interpreting

It is pleasing that so many folks from across the world have been writing in a saying that they have been gaining from my musings on here. Sharing of knowledge is one of the most powerful ways that we can enhance things in this world. No one knows everything and the more we learn, the more we find there is to learn.

Today I wanted to focus on an often overlooked part of training – that being rest. This morning I woke and was due to go for my normal 90 minute Wednesday run, but my stomach was not feeling great and to be honest it felt as if Mike Tyson was going 12 rounds with its insides. I’m not entirely sure why this was as I hadn’t done anything different over the past few days and have been eating that which I normally would eat through the course of a week. That said in the pain I was in, there was no way that I was able to go for my run.

Being in the taper for Six Foot Track, means that I’m not panicking at all. As the great Bruce Fordyce said, if in pain, rest. If in you are tired and feeling washed up and weak – rest. In fact he added ‘If ever in doubt then rather rest’. This has always proved sound advice for me (although at first it took some getting used to).

Your body will tell you what it wants on the day (or any day for that matter). It will tell you how much of something it wants and when it is not happy about something. It is only a matter of listening to and being able to interpret these signals that will provide us with success. That is if we are only willing to listen.

Running together (while interpreting your body’s signs), stride for stride on a life changing ride! – Sean Muller

The different forms of winning!

Winning comes in many different shapes and forms.

In the past I enjoyed participating in sport for the sheer selfish pleasure of winning and bringing whatever glory that meant to myself and my team mates. Since my competitive days are behind me, nothing beats hearing about those that have done well and succeeded through a range of hard work and training, self belief and mental strength.

Today was just such a day when a really close friend stood up to a great athletic challenge, overcame it and stood on her own mountain. I am immensely proud of her as she is one of the most phenomenal individuals I know but often doesn't see this herself.

Hearing how she executed her race plan perfectly, I'm so incredibly awe inspired and motivated to draw on some of her strength in my upcoming Six Foot Track Marathon.

Hearing about her success suddenly makes any selfish wins and records that I have produced completely insignificant.

Running together (while drawing inspiration from others achievements), stride for stride on a life changing ride! -- Sean Muller

Channeling previous difficulties to attain success

I was speaking with a close friend who is stepping up to her first half Ironman this weekend about the taper and race planning. It has been fabulous to see this young lady come so far in the past months to the point of her current fitness where I feel she will even outdo her own expectations.

Key to race prep for me is always spending at least some of your last week in your own head and in a positive frame of mind. Once your training is done you will know that it is taper time as you will start to get antsy, your legs will start to twitch a bit and you will just be ready to take on the race.

Once you’ve jumped in at the gun, it is important not to fly off the handle and go out too quickly. Distance events are precisely that – distance events. There will always be a few idiots in any race who will go out like a bull out of a gate. Let these individuals go and think only of your race. Pace yourself nicely from the start and let those clowns surge ahead. Time will ultimately tell if they are stronger than you or if you will be cleaning them up in the last few K of the event. I have often found that in my case it is the latter.

Personally I also find that flying under the radar always allows one to relax and perform at an optimum.

Trust in your training and listen to your body and what it wants in terms of nutrition.

Above all though there is a small trick that I use to trick the mind when things become tough in any event or when it starts to hurt. I always cast my mind back to other difficult situations in my life that I have managed to overcome and channel that resilience to overcome the current hurt and pain.

In this regard, I find sometimes that hurt and pain that you may have been feeling is ideal to not only channel success, but to help to set aside that hurt from your life once and for all. I ran one of my best times after really being hurt in the past. That even helped me to also get past that time in my life.

If this is not enough then I also use the phrase that I was taught by a very wise Scottish coach who helped me through Comrades:

‘The urge to quit something in life or in sport will come but once..Once you have defeated it, like a coward it will not return for another fight’.

Rise above – channel your previous difficulties and ACHIEVE! -- Sean Muller

When life goes well.

Today I encountered a young lady who used to be part of a training group that I worked with a few years ago. She had wanted to get fitter and improve her running which she has clearly done judging by the way she moved and her physique, but she also seemed a lot happier.

On chatting some more, it came out that she had met her current partner while out on a run and had quite literally almost run into him. They have been very happy together and share a mutual love for physical activities.

Now the fact that she had continued to improve so much over the past few years is fantastic, but that she was also to have other great news in her life to was just the double whammy. I'm thrilled for her and this is another example of just how life can dish up anything at any time and that we quite simply don't know when our lives may be changed forever.

Positive great stories around running, relationships and life. What an awesome way to end a Thursday.

Running together (while embracing what life outs in our path), stride for stride on a life changing ride! --Sean Muller