Hello runner friends!Welcome back to the Bass Pro Fitness SeriesMIDWEEK M😊TIVATI😊N blog!
Now let's get started by talking about the obvious. Summer is knocking at the door in the form of heat and humidity. And while the temps are going to go up and down for a while before the hottest season of the year settles in for good next month, now's the time to "embrace the suck" and begin to mentally and physically prepare ourselves for those serious, suffocating, and slow slogs that are on the horizon.
This was the thought I had Sunday upon walking out the door with my husband for our usual early morning run before church and being hit with the humidity I knew would make it's way to Missouri but still wasn't ready for. "Yikes," I said to my husband. "This is going to be an ugly one." As is our routine though, we set out together and remained side by side for the first two miles before going our separate routes for some personal meditation time. It wasn't very long, though, before I received a text from Sweet Larry (aka my husband) that simply said, "Current situation" and contained the above photo of our Lottie Girl. Upon receiving the message, I immediately called him to learn that I wasn't the only one struggling. This duo that runs together regularly were too. Crazy how the heat and humidity will affect a person (and animals), isn't it? The day before the three of us ran 10 miles with no problem... but then the heat. *On a side note, Lottie and Larry both made it safely home and recovered quickly.
So here's the deal... no matter how much you love it or hate it, it takes approximately two weeks to acclimate to heat and humidity and there's very little you and I can do to speed up the process by more than a day or two. However, we can adjust our attitudes during the 14 or so days it takes our bodies to make the physiological changes they need to endure summer running by embracing the suck. What exactly do I mean by that? Well.... Michael Fisher explains the Marine jargon this way:
Embrace the suck. What exactly does that mean?
This was the thought I had Sunday upon walking out the door with my husband for our usual early morning run before church and being hit with the humidity I knew would make it's way to Missouri but still wasn't ready for. "Yikes," I said to my husband. "This is going to be an ugly one." As is our routine though, we set out together and remained side by side for the first two miles before going our separate routes for some personal meditation time. It wasn't very long, though, before I received a text from Sweet Larry (aka my husband) that simply said, "Current situation" and contained the above photo of our Lottie Girl. Upon receiving the message, I immediately called him to learn that I wasn't the only one struggling. This duo that runs together regularly were too. Crazy how the heat and humidity will affect a person (and animals), isn't it? The day before the three of us ran 10 miles with no problem... but then the heat.
So here's the deal... no matter how much you love it or hate it, it takes approximately two weeks to acclimate to heat and humidity and there's very little you and I can do to speed up the process by more than a day or two. However, we can adjust our attitudes during the 14 or so days it takes our bodies to make the physiological changes they need to endure summer running by embracing the suck. What exactly do I mean by that? Well.... Michael Fisher explains the Marine jargon this way:
Embrace the suck. What exactly does that mean?
That means you’re in a situation that just sucks, and you need to embrace it. Meaning suck it up and deal with it.
When you are in “the suck,” it can mean many things, but my experience is related to the Marine Corps. It was one of the first phrases I heard when I put my feet as a young recruit on yellow footprints in MCRD San Diego.
“Welcome to the suck!”
Yet I never considered the Marines Corps a sucky place, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. “It” was the discovery of the self and what dedication one could have to do things you had never dreamed of before you joined. The definition from my vague memory was any undesirable condition that you can imagine. That was the suck.
Military jargon is a blend of acronyms and expletives. It has its DNA intertwined with war laced with psychological and physical trauma, tinted with the blood, body and soul of everyone who has ever served. That is what makes up the suck.
What is unique about military jargon such as this is that it builds camaraderie. It is part of the culture. Just like most any occupation, whether it be saving the world or writing code or delivering babies, each has its jargon. Most may have quippy sayings. Yet military slang and jargon are usually the most base, raw and deeply rooted in stress-inducing situations.
To embrace the suck means to have discipline. Having that mental toughness to see the hard work through to the end. You continue with the hard-charging attitude of being able to keep moving forward and never give up. When one Marine would say to the other it was to say, “Dude, we have been here before, it sucks. Now adapt and overcome and quit complaining.”
When you “embrace the suck” is when you are able to push through that barrier — whatever that barrier may be — either physical or mental, to reach your destination. This is the time for you to realize if you have the guts to stick it out. This is an internal discussion and battle, one that rages in parallel with the one in the physical world that you are wrestling with. This is where you ask yourself, “Can I do this?” Flip the coin, some have it and some want it, but not all embrace it.
The suck is not the end all. It is at that point where you decide to keep going (embrace) and persevere. Not everyone wants to do it. But when you do decide to embrace it, you are stronger and better for it. The suck is eustress. The antidote to the suck is to improvise, adapt, and overcome. When you feel the suck sucking you down, pause, hit the reset button and redo it. Keep moving forward. Keep marching. Discipline and consistency. Drive and motivation. Growing and taking the leap. Discovering the new you.
Go forth and be brilliant.
When you are in “the suck,” it can mean many things, but my experience is related to the Marine Corps. It was one of the first phrases I heard when I put my feet as a young recruit on yellow footprints in MCRD San Diego.
“Welcome to the suck!”
Yet I never considered the Marines Corps a sucky place, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. “It” was the discovery of the self and what dedication one could have to do things you had never dreamed of before you joined. The definition from my vague memory was any undesirable condition that you can imagine. That was the suck.
Military jargon is a blend of acronyms and expletives. It has its DNA intertwined with war laced with psychological and physical trauma, tinted with the blood, body and soul of everyone who has ever served. That is what makes up the suck.
What is unique about military jargon such as this is that it builds camaraderie. It is part of the culture. Just like most any occupation, whether it be saving the world or writing code or delivering babies, each has its jargon. Most may have quippy sayings. Yet military slang and jargon are usually the most base, raw and deeply rooted in stress-inducing situations.
To embrace the suck means to have discipline. Having that mental toughness to see the hard work through to the end. You continue with the hard-charging attitude of being able to keep moving forward and never give up. When one Marine would say to the other it was to say, “Dude, we have been here before, it sucks. Now adapt and overcome and quit complaining.”
When you “embrace the suck” is when you are able to push through that barrier — whatever that barrier may be — either physical or mental, to reach your destination. This is the time for you to realize if you have the guts to stick it out. This is an internal discussion and battle, one that rages in parallel with the one in the physical world that you are wrestling with. This is where you ask yourself, “Can I do this?” Flip the coin, some have it and some want it, but not all embrace it.
The suck is not the end all. It is at that point where you decide to keep going (embrace) and persevere. Not everyone wants to do it. But when you do decide to embrace it, you are stronger and better for it. The suck is eustress. The antidote to the suck is to improvise, adapt, and overcome. When you feel the suck sucking you down, pause, hit the reset button and redo it. Keep moving forward. Keep marching. Discipline and consistency. Drive and motivation. Growing and taking the leap. Discovering the new you.
Go forth and be brilliant.
So there you have it friends. That's some great advice! You and I certainly can't change the weather but we can change the way we view it by embracing the suck. And believe it or not, heat training has benefits beyond being able to run in the heat. Numerous studies have shown that training in heated conditions, two to three times per week for 20 to 90 minutes, can produce a multitude of beneficial training effects. These include: Lower core temperature at the onset of sweating, increased plasma volume (Plasma is the liquid component in your blood. If the volume is increased, you can send blood to cool your skin without compromising the supply carrying oxygen to your muscles), decreased heart rate, increased oxygen consumption, and improved exercise economy. The result? We can run faster and/or more efficiently in all temperatures. Those are all significant reasons to "embrace the suck" and get out there with a smile on your face so you can slowly, smartly, and safely start acclimating!
Happy Running!
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