What a week! It is odd how looking back over the work week it just becomes a blur of rushing around, too many phone calls, grabbing meals on the go, working late or coming in early, and trying to remember to take gym clothes (in case you do stop by after work). How was your week? I hope you got a chance to make time for your health.
So let’s get back to our health goals… We have set them, we have verbalized them, and we have started documenting the training. We have a great beginning. But be careful, training if set too rigid will fail. There are just too many variables in today’s world that you have to be able to adjust for so know that going into it. My plan for this week was not what happened and that is Ok. I still feel good about the work I put in, the effort I made. This week I was hoping to get more altitude training but when my hiking buddy mentioned that this weekend would be good for a night hike .. I was thrilled!
Jason Koop (author, ultra runner/coach) discusses how we must…. “Be Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable”. I swear that man was talking directly to me…lol. I am a planner, a type A, a worrier and so on so this advice hit home hard. The cool thing about it is that he is talking about everything. If you want to race in the winter and you know there is a possibility for bad weather, then train in bad weather. If you want to race with elevation, train in elevation and if you want to race in a night race (yep.. I have signed up) then train in the night. That is so simple to me and yet so brilliant. Planning for all aspects of a race is definitely up my alley.
Night Training Hike here we come! The night could not have been better suited for a hike with a full moon to help guide us. It was very warm, about 95 degree when we started out at 8:00 pm. We had our gear and we headed out in the night on a trail that we are familiar with.
I quickly realized that it is not so much training for the technical, the head light, the reflective gear but more about adjusting your eyes to seeing the trail in that light, and being able to calm your mind when your new surroundings have you anything but. I will admit I didn’t really expect the nerves or the anxiousness that I felt. I have hiked and ran this trail maybe 30 times so it is familiar but not in the night, not in the dark, and not with all those sounds! I have to laugh I never thought bugs could make so much noise. I am thankful we didn’t see any glowing eyes out there. The hike was hard and hot with no running, we were too unsure of ourselves and our footing but it was beautiful.
I am gonna say it again. Seek out those scary goals.
Making The Effort... 