Running Mental Scale

On a few of my long runs, I've been thinking about my running limiters. When I first started running, it would clearly flip between cardio and leg strength as I built up my mileage. Somewhere during the course of training for two half Ironmans, my limiter clearly became leg strength since all the swimming, biking, and running I was doing built my cardio to the point that my legs always limited me. During all this training I also came to realize mental toughness is just as much of a limiter as cardio and leg strength. Lately my mental running state has been at an all time high and thinking about how all over the place it's been, I decided to create a running mental scale. I can usually tell where my mental state is at based on how often I look at my watch and what I think when I see how long I've been running.

State 0. This is the run funk state that keeps you from even getting out the door. Not a good place to be at all.

1. This the the worst state that involves actual running where you look at your watch within two minutes of starting and already start negotiating with yourself on how short you can cut the run and still get some exercise.

2. Slightly better than state 1, but you know it's going to take some effort not to quit early. In this state, I usually figure out how long I'm going to run, figure out about how many songs that is on my iPod and start counting down how many more songs I have to go.

3. Feeling good about running. Glancing at the watch every 10-15 minutes thinking about how much longer you will be running.

4. Feeling really good about running. You don't look at the watch until well into the run but still have the end in site.

5. The ultimate running state. You don't look at your watch for at least an hour into your run and when you do, you think "how long do I get to run before I have to be somewhere". It's a great feeling.

 

Last weekend I joined Patrick for part of his 12 hour run. Patrick ended up running 46 miles and his friend Cheri did 50 miles! I knew I couldn't run for twelve hours so I slept in and showed up about 9:30 and joined them. I felt great and immediately settled in to run state 5. My cardio was perfect as well. We did two mile loops in the woods and stopped by our cars for water and fuel every loop. We didn't stop long because it was chilly in the wind. After about three hours of running my left hamstring was getting tight and very tender to the touch so I knew my day wasn't going to last as long as I wanted. I ended up running 18 miles (my longest run by three miles) in four hours. It's too bad because I had all day open and wanted to keep going.

What are your limiters? Do you have a mental running scale?

Random pics from this weekend.

You can't tell the depth from the picture above but when I stopped to take this picture, the far hillside seemed to shrink as I stared at it, Matrix like. It was a really weird depth perception moment that I'm guessing my eyes/brain were reconciling as I was looking at it.

Looking back at the trail you can see in the previous pic.

Random pic.

If I don't post again before Thanksgiving, have a great one! It's my favorite holiday.

 

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A couple pics from my run

My run today was amazing just like last week. I drove out to the university for a run in the woods.  I was out there for two hours again and didn't see another soul.  Perfect. Anyway here are a couple pictures.  I notice new things just about every time.

Replica log cabin by one entrance

Had the woods all to myself

Fallen giant

my view after tripping on a root

Tripped on a root and ended up looking up at the sky.  Of course as a good blogger, I had to pull out my camera :-).  If I wouldn't have fallen, I wouldn't have noticed that beautiful blue sky.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Big Woods - Winter Edition (no snow)

This weekend I decided to drive to one of the woods I run in on campus.  I usually run there from home then run back, but thought running the entire time in the woods would be that much better (instead of 3.5 miles on the road).  I was not disappointed and may make a habit out of this approach.

I don't know why these woods have the nick name "big woods", to me they are the "old woods" since this is where I use to mountain off-road bike 15 years ago before they were closed by the university.  These woods have lots of fond biking memories, now I'm filing away fond running memories.

Saturday I made it to the woods for a run.  I planned on running an hour and a half, but I just didn't want it to end.  I never saw one other person out there.  Just me and my tunes.  It was so peaceful and I never once got nervous about mountain lions :-).  Not sure why I start thinking I'm being watched when running alone through woods, but it didn't happen this time (maybe no one was watching me, but they really are at other times :-)).

Anyway here are some pics.

Pretty barren in February

nice single track

went over the handle bars coming down this

10+ years ago I was biking by myself and coming down this I ended up looking at the sky without knowing exactly what happened.  No phone, by myself, I was stunned.  I really don't know how long I laid there.  Could have been a second, could have been 10 minutes.  Felt my collar bones and helmet, no trouble so I kept going.  That was the last time I rode down that though :-).

interesting obstacles

can't remember what I saw here

You have to pay attention in some places, specially on a bike

another drop off, it seems tighter in person

sorry, no stupid crooked grin pictures of me today :-)

more obstacles 

The woods change so much from season to season, I'm hoping to take a few pics each season and blog them. I've had this thought before, but then again, I wasn't a blogger before.  We'll see.......