Twitter: @clercsimpson
Email: clercsimpson@me.com
Embrace the Hill; The Power of Positive Thinking
Courtesy of and inspired by Jillian Tholen and @run_far_girl
During every season, repeat in training, or lap in a race a there comes a point where you can choose to “Embrace the Hill.” Your hill can be a bad race, simply a bad workout; an illness, injury or anything else that you feel is a hindrance. This Thursday as you are reading this, I am having sinus surgery to relieve a few chronic issues with my breathing and recovery. This is my HILL. I have two options. I can choose to be upset that the timing of this is not perfect and falls as we are all gearing up for outdoor season. I can also choose to be upset that this is an unfair situation that I have to deal with that my fellow competitors may or may not have to face. What I am choosing to take from this life event is a view of the big picture process. In the big picture of life, this surgery is necessary for good health. In the big picture of training, this will allow me to ultimately breathe and recover properly for years ahead. I am grateful that we (my coach and doctors) figured this out and now I have an answer! We always have a choice, choose to see the good or choose to the see bad. I believe LOUISIANA has a great habit of seeing the good in life and the good in people.
Over this past year, I have learned that being tense and stressed does not allow your body to heal properly. If you are sick or are injured take a step back, find a way to relax and rest so that your body can recover and get back on the track quicker. How do you I do this? Focus on the things that you can control. Two things I tend to focus on are hydration and trying to become
mentally stronger.
Hydration:
In Louisiana, there isn’t a much more important supplemental act that you can perform to improve performance other than HYDRATION. Our level of humidity and heat reaches heights that I am convinced rivals the toughness it takes to do a workout at altitude. I carry around a water bottle that I can sip on and refill all day. It is the only way I will drink. It becomes habit to simply drink in class or between classes and then refill it on your breaks. I read a study earlier this week that a 1% decrease in optimal hydration will slow an athlete down 2%. Think about it like this; If you are a 11 minute 3200m runner, and you have 2% decrease in your performance, that is just over 13 seconds. By simply hydrating properly you can improve drastically. Who wouldn’t want to PR by 13 seconds?
Mental Game:
This is something that can be done daily before you go to bed, after your cooldown in training or when you are sidelined from running for something unforeseen.
Stay in the moment.
This is important on a few levels and also pertinent to life. We as athletes need to stay in the moment in training, in racing, and in our current season that we are competing. By staying in the moment we can control what we can control and that is present moment. By focusing on the present moment of each step of a workout, we do not look ahead to the pain that may or may not occur. By staying in the moment, you are able to ensure that are doing everything today that you need to do to be successful and the best version of you.
How do you focus on staying in the moment? First of all it takes practice, just as being able to run certain paces takes practice. Focus on controlling your mind as it begins to wander ahead. Focus on a single relaxed breaths or each step as you glide across the track. Focus on positive thoughts: how hard you train, how good you feel at this moment, how you love and are grateful to be able to run and compete. Your ability to control your thoughts and keep them positive will keep you on a path of enjoyment and success. Put up “brick walls and blinders” that deflect any negative thought that tries to enter your mind. Imagine them bouncing off, hitting the ground and bursting into small pieces. Sounds silly, I know, but trust me, it works.
By staying in the moment you are able to focus on the journey. This leads me to my next point.
Focus on the journey not on the end result.
The possibility of seeing how good YOU can be is a direct result of your ability to enjoy the journey. If you enjoy what you are doing; If you enjoy challenging yourself day in and day out; If you enjoy finding out your limits on any given day, then you will ultimately find out how good you can become and the end result will make you ecstatic. The most important thing is that the end result of any race will not define you and this is important to remember. You are not defined by any single race but by the body of work you are willing to put in day in and day out. By looking at it this way, your fears will diminish; you will be able to EMBRACE YOUR HILLS along the way and ultimately find YOUR own success.
Good luck this week to all of you racing around the state at local races and the Sugar Bowl Classic in New Orleans, one of the coolest high school races around! As always, I look forward to hearing from each of you!
Louisiana, let’s do this.