Hello runner friends! Welcome back to the Bass Pro Fitness Series
MIDWEEK M😊TIVATI😊N blog. Now let's get started by talking about resilience and how cultivating it can make you a better runner.
First of all, what is resilience anyway? Resilience is the capacity to recover and adapt quickly to difficulties, misfortunes or change. It's also described as toughness and being able to withstand or even thrive on stressors or anxiety. And why is this important? Because as every runner knows, running isn't always easy or predictable. Neither is life! The COVID pandemic clearly demonstrated that.
But guess what? A person doesn't gain resilience overnight. It's one of those crucial traits a person needs but can only acquire over time and through trials of various kinds. Think of it this way. A person gets stronger only through repeated battles in which they choose NOT to give up. Every small victory won builds and reinforces a person's resolve to press on.
Remember when Desiree Linden crossed the finish line of the Boston Marathon to win the women's division in 2018 to become the first American woman to win the race since 1985? She did it because she was ready to battle the adverse conditions on that day when her closest competitors were not! And you can bet she didn't get that resilient overnight. In fact, she said this about it: When I was training for the Boston Marathon in 2011, I ran 115 miles a week. I almost won the 2011 race. Almost. I lost by just two seconds. I was crushed. It’s risky business putting your heart into your dreams. Coming so close that year — but failing — could have taught me to be less vulnerable, to risk less, to believe less. But it didn’t. There’s value in behaving like a champion every single day for years — in making it a habit. As time went on, I realized that my daily habit made me a better version of myself. In 2018, the year I finally won Boston, we were pelted by rain and pounded by wind from the first step in Hopkinton. I felt lousy in the early miles, even apart from the brutal weather. Running rewards consistency and resilience. So does life.
So now that we know how important resilience can be in keeping us motivated and mentally prepared to press on, let's look at three ways runners can build this much-needed trait.
RUN EVEN IF YOU DON'T WANT TO... AND ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU DON'T WANT TO.
Run when it's raining. Run when it's cold. Run when you're hungry. Run early in the morning. Run late at night. Run when it's dark. Run trails. Run roads. Run hills. Run when you feel slow and run when you feel tired. Run in every condition so you'll be ready for every condition. And I'm not saying to up your mileage from 20 miles a week to 115 either!!! That wouldn't make you resilient but reckless! Run the miles you normally run, just don't always wait for the perfect time or conditions to do it. Each time you conquer one of these elements, you will not only be more physically resilient but mentally resilient. And every runner knows, the battle to the finish line is won in the mind.
Run when it's raining. Run when it's cold. Run when you're hungry. Run early in the morning. Run late at night. Run when it's dark. Run trails. Run roads. Run hills. Run when you feel slow and run when you feel tired. Run in every condition so you'll be ready for every condition. And I'm not saying to up your mileage from 20 miles a week to 115 either!!! That wouldn't make you resilient but reckless! Run the miles you normally run, just don't always wait for the perfect time or conditions to do it. Each time you conquer one of these elements, you will not only be more physically resilient but mentally resilient. And every runner knows, the battle to the finish line is won in the mind.
BE CONSISTENT...
in your running and in your thinking. Being consistent means being unchanging over time. Which means constantly and continuously training yourself to be the best you can be by always making your thoughts positive and running regularly. And like Des said, "There’s value in behaving like a champion every single day for years." That means making the determination that you will not give up on achieving any goal, big or small EVER. Because let's face it... you are your biggest rival and you must think like a champion to overcome and surpass that rival.
EMBRACE DIFFICULTIES AND DISTRESS.
I didn't say you had to like the disruptions or hardships that you will experience in running and in life, only that you should look at them for what they are... opportunities to get better, stronger and more flexible. These are opportunities to learn and grow as you find ways to adapt to changing conditions. Think about it. Every time you make the intentional decision to work through a problem or prevail over a trial, you win a small battle. And each small battle you win makes you equipped to fight a bigger battle, and a bigger one and a bigger one. And remember, keep a smile on your face! Joy won't move the mountain in your way, but it will help you to be happy and sing as you're climbing it.
And on a final note, keep the joy in every one of your battles by knowing this... after a heavy rainfall, water saturates the ground to a deeper depth. This causes the mighty oak tree’s moisture-seeking roots to follow the water and plant itself down deeper into the earth. It’s believed that the stress of storm wind also causes the outer layers of the tree’s trunk to grow faster, helping it to thicken up in a shorter amount of time. It’s not just one storm, though, that helps a tree grow deeper and stronger where it stands. It’s several storms over time, a series of torrents and gusts. All of this rooting and growing in the face of heavy weather protects a tree from simply blowing over. And, it prepares a tree for the storms yet to come... just as your battles prepare you.😊 Be blessed.
Happy Running!!!
Warrior - Hannah Kerr
James 1:2-4
I didn't say you had to like the disruptions or hardships that you will experience in running and in life, only that you should look at them for what they are... opportunities to get better, stronger and more flexible. These are opportunities to learn and grow as you find ways to adapt to changing conditions. Think about it. Every time you make the intentional decision to work through a problem or prevail over a trial, you win a small battle. And each small battle you win makes you equipped to fight a bigger battle, and a bigger one and a bigger one. And remember, keep a smile on your face! Joy won't move the mountain in your way, but it will help you to be happy and sing as you're climbing it.
And on a final note, keep the joy in every one of your battles by knowing this... after a heavy rainfall, water saturates the ground to a deeper depth. This causes the mighty oak tree’s moisture-seeking roots to follow the water and plant itself down deeper into the earth. It’s believed that the stress of storm wind also causes the outer layers of the tree’s trunk to grow faster, helping it to thicken up in a shorter amount of time. It’s not just one storm, though, that helps a tree grow deeper and stronger where it stands. It’s several storms over time, a series of torrents and gusts. All of this rooting and growing in the face of heavy weather protects a tree from simply blowing over. And, it prepares a tree for the storms yet to come... just as your battles prepare you.😊 Be blessed.
Happy Running!!!
Warrior - Hannah Kerr
James 1:2-4
No comments:
Post a Comment