I’m 27 days away from my next race – Skunk Cabbage Classic 10k (or try the Half) – and as I was on my run today I was realizing that I was already preparing myself mentally. I found myself often thinking of the course, and how it compared to what I was running at that moment. I even found myself thinking of other races while I was running. As I was tackling the hills in my neighborhood I couldn’t help but think of the Mountain Goat race, or even the Phelps Sauerkraut 20k race (my arch nemesis at this time), and just kept putting myself out on the course and pushing myself just as I would on race day, if not harder. I know hills are tough, sometimes tough is a major understatement, but you have to remember it’s going to be hard, it’s going to hurt, but in the end it is all worth it. Whether it be just when you reach the top of the hill, the victory in that, or when crossing the finish line you know you conquered it. I fully admit that I often give up, and more times than not I blame it on physically being unable to keep going, but reality is I know it’s my mental toughness giving up. We all have our good days and our bad days, but when you’re ready to give up, try to take a step back because chances are you are stronger than you thought, and you in fact CAN DO IT!
It’s never too early to mentally (or physically) prepare for that next race or obstacle. The more you prepare, I guarantee the better the result.