Exercise Your Mind and A Training Tip

Earlier this morning Natasha and I winded our way down the hill to Sedona for a little track work. On tap for the day were some quarters ranging from 66-68 seconds, nothing too fancy but a great way to speed up my legs just enough before my next race to make me feel light and smooth. As all athletes can attest to, not every day is going to be your best (in face many aren't), and it's what you make of the days when your legs feel like concrete or your muscles have turned to goo, that measure the true gains you have made. 

Before

Today was definitely not one of my best days but after struggling in the past with having a great workout while not feeling my tip-top I was determined to turn this one around. It was apparent on the warmup that I was off, I just felt too loosey-goosey and my body was heavy. I thought maybe it was just a warm-up funk and I would snap out of it after a few reps, but early on it was clear I was going to have to battle. It was fairly warm down in Sedona and as a result my stride felt fluid, so I just had to relax my mind and think one quarter at a time - don't force anything to happen. 

During

 (video complements of tashyrunner)

Even though I didn't feel great at any point my confidence grew as I completed each rep. Mentally I challenged myself to stay on point and today turned out to be a win, but not in the way I had thought it might be. Instead of coming away with a stellar workout I did some heavy mental lifting - time to flex those muscles! 

After

Marco's Miles Training Tip: Post-Workout Recovery 


A big part of a runner's improvement comes after the hard work has been done, and most importantly right after a run or workout. What I have been doing lately to maximize some of this recovery potential is bringing along a banana, a bottle of vitamin water, plenty of water, and a recovery shake (Slim-Fast does the trick). There aren't too many things my stomach likes after a hard run but usually keeping my drinks and food cool helps digestion when my body is heated up. Bring along a small cooler with an ice pack to keep your foods the perfect temp after a run in the sun!