On Sunday, I was starting the second of my back-to-back 3-hour run days, and I thought to myself, "I can't do this, I've never done this. This is crazy." And it dawned on me that even before I tried, I had already placed limits on myself through negative speak. I then recalled some of my blog posts prior to races, and I realized there were a lot of negative speak. For example, I wrote about the possibility of bonking, walking, and not nailing my nutrition. Also, friends would email me telling me to crack 10 hours or race fast, and I would respond with a lackluster, "hopefully I won't bonk." Compare this to the words Charisa emailed me prior to her race at Challenge Henley, "My goal is to win on Sunday...Last day in Wales tomorrow - then off for London, on to Henley and some very hard racing and work to be done. Got to show those UK girls that us USA chicks are tough cookies and can't be written off :)" Charisa went on to place second, 50 seconds shy of the W, and PR'ed her ironman by 19 minutes.
I spent a lot of time during my run dissecting my season, and how the negative speak could have placed limits on my performance. I finally decided that when I go back to racing, I'm going to liken my racing season to a house with no roof; there will be no ceiling to limit how high I can go, and I want to be able to see and reach for the stars. And as corny as it sounds, I really thought of this metaphor during my run and before I knew it, I was finishing up my second day of a 3-hour run. Before Sunday, I had never run 46 miles in two days, but that's because I never tried.
Monday, September 19, 2011
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7 comments:
This is such an awesome post!!! I like the house with no ceiling idea. :) Just what I needed to read before Kona! :)
Oh and AWESOME work on your 46 miles. Yipes!
love it. anything is possible when you believe!!!
Your a super star!!! And yes, positive talk is huge, plays a big role in outcome. Athletes set goals all the time that I know they are capable of, but then they set limits say things like, "well, we'll see, I was so slow the other day".... you gotta believe in yourself! I know you do, and will achieve your next athletic endeavor!!
tn
FOR SURE! Awesome post! Glad your runs went well!
sky is always the limit!!!
OMG - you ran 46 miles in 2 days - INSANE Mr. SUPER Congrats! Charisa is a SMART girl and you are smart for seeing that. Reach for those stars and grab handfuls while your up there - because you WILL get them!
Coach Beck's best advice to me from all her experience and awesomeness is that the most important thing she's learned is "you are only limited by your own expectations."
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