Patience > Running: Learning to Master the Art of Patient Training (Emphasis on Learning)
I think most runners struggle with patience. We want that PR not now, but right now. We want to skip our foam rolling sessions, get faster, faster, and build our mileage way too quickly. If this injury has taught me anything it’s patience. I’m learning, slowly, but surely that I one of the secrets to running success is patience. It takes serious time to build mileage, it takes time foam rolling on the floor or jumping into ice baths, it takes time to get faster. And if rushed, injuries and burnout happen.
One of the biggest lessons I’ve been learning this injury/recovery process is that I lack patience > in a lot of areas. AND if I want to become the best runner I can be (which I don’t even know what that looks like for me yet!) I NEED to practice patience > patience with the training, patience in the recovery, patience with the little things. Every part of me wants to be out there, mid-marathon training, clocking 10+ mile runs, and weekend long runs.
But, what I’m learning is / I’m not there right now and that’s okay. I can still work hard, I can still work on my weaknesses, learn from this challenge and comeback even stronger. As noted, one of my biggest weaknesses is rushes things too fast and too soon. I tell my athletes all the time (and make their training plans this way) to not build to fast, to run mostly easy runs, and to have patience with the process. And then I do the exact opposite. HELLO, I think I need to practice what I preach. Because I know the profound impact patience, slow running, and easy builds have on training.
I am SO excited to come back into my training with more knowledge, more hunger, and more patience. I want to continue to practice patience with my training and be okay with shorter distances, slower times, and easier builds. Because I KNOW it will eventually enable me to run faster, to qualify for Boston, and to chase down my big goals with a healthy, injury free body.
A couple ways I am practicing patience is
- Visualizing the big picture > when I get frustrated or want to go faster or longer, I remind myself of the big picture. Is it ideal that I am injured right now? No. But really, in the scope of all my running career (not to mention eternity) does 3 months or more really matter? If I embrace the waiting period, the recovery period, I am going to be so much better off than if I pushed through and had to wait 6 months +. I am trying to think of how small this time off is compared to my whole running career instead of freaking out about how long this recovery process is.
- Visualizing the future > This is similar to the previous bullet point, but a little different. When I start getting impatient, I think about the future. Where do I want to be with my running in 1 year, 3 years, 5 years? What goals am I striving toward? Where do I want to be in 10 years? What BHAGS have I set for myself (BHAGS > big, hairy, audacious goals.) If I try to push myself now (when I shouldn’t) I may be pushing my goals back. If I am trying to run more miles, faster times, or longer runs when I shouldn’t, I may be hindering some of those long term goals. Is it worth it?
- Learning from elites > I would LOVE to interview elites and sip coffee with them on my back porch. I would love to learn their mindset and how they train. And for a long time, I didn’t realize I could do *basically* this. Since realizing I could learn from the best of the best, I’ve been devouring books authored by elite runners, podcasts where elites are being interviewed, watching interviews on Youtube and anything else that I can find. It is an awesome gift to be able to learn how these amazing runners, think and train. A common thread: they train SMART. They just don’t go out there and run as fast as they can for as many miles as they can and call it a training run. (i.e. what I lot of ‘average,’ runners do) They have a purpose to each and every workout and it is designed to get them running at their peak performance levels. Yes, I think I shall do this too. 😉
So, until I can be back to where I want to be, I’m choosing to keep showing up. To keep working with excellence. To keep learning and growing. To continue to trust the Lord and let Him work. To keep waiting with patience. And to continue readying my body and mind for that day I can chase my goals with everything I have.
Questions of the Day
- How do you practice patience in your running?
- Do you struggle with patience?
- What is your Wednesday like?