Thursday, January 29, 2015

Mind Games

It's crazy how my confidence is so easily effected by a recovery/ low mileage week/  Last weekend was a recovery week (which was convenient with the weather) - but it really shook my confidence in my training... I just feel like I'm not doing enough.  I equate my mindset while training for an ultra like being pregnant... it's never far from my mind - no matter what I do; at work, sleeping, hanging out at home... in the back of my mind I'm always thinking "I'm training. I'm training."  Talk about OCD.

Anyway - recovery weeks shake my confidence.  I start to feel like I have forgotten how to run and fear my training run.  I have scheduled an overnight run where I hope to run somewhere between 10 - 12 hours.  It's supposed to be pretty cold too... will see how it goes.  I'm getting very nervous (and excited, of course).  I read all sorts of things on various blogs and hear on podcasts all this contradicting advice about how to succeed and what it takes to finish.  It's hard to sort through it all and trust the training I am doing.  Some people run 50 mile weeks, some run 100 mile weeks, etc... what is right? What is enough?

So far we have raised $7,600 and are at 51% of goal to build Cindy's Memorial Playground at West Rock Young Author's Academy - this dream of building a playground for Cindy in this area is actually happening.  I just have to keep thinking of those kids and how they will benefit from this race and how I am lucky enough to be able to run, while Cindy cannot.

On the brighter side, we are resurrecting the UltraJess UltraBus - which includes piling into a rented RV and camping on the side of the trail.  I'm collecting a bunch of my favorite mantras to put on the side of the bus as motivators.  Interestingly enough, and I did not know this before today, the word "Mantra" is Sanskcrit for "Instrument of Thinking".  Some of my favorites (feel free to post yours in the comments!)

  • Relentless forward progress
  • Pain inevitable, suffering optional
  • Sometimes you just do things
  • All day
  • One step/ moment/ mile at a time
  • Grind it out
  • Run your own race
  • This is what you came for

No comments:

Post a Comment