Up until this point I have been keeping track of my training in my everyday diary. This has been working quite well for mebut because it is mixed in with all of the other things in my diary I cannot easily look back quickly over it and see whaere I’ve been and what I have done with my training. I find that the blog and logging on the computer in general isn’t that great for looking back over things either – I just tend towards not doing it at all (Looking back).
This other thing I often find is that I come across an interesting tidbit of information in a magazine or a website related to training nutrition or recovery or tapering before a race etc and I promptly forget where I read it or forget about it entirely.
I think that I am going to create a book for all of these things as well as my preparation calendar for upcoming events.
The past couple of weeks I have found myself wanting to look back over something of this description – especially in relation to feelings – tiredness, excitement, how food makes me feel, and looking forward to an event. When I am feeling low or tired I think something useful like this to look back through.
One thing I will menton on here is this great post I came accross the other day on a blog of a running coach that I read regularly – it is in relation to how fast a long run should be and you can find it – here!
There is also an interesting read in the latest issue of Runners World magazine about organisational factors that can impact on your training schedule. The part of it that caught my attention was about putting conditions on your training – and if the conditions aren’t right – sabotaging your training schedule. I’m sure that most of us have been there before, it goes a little something like this. You get up at 5:30am to go running or to training and off you go with your pre packed gym bag. When you get there, you set yourself up on the elliptical trainer to do your cardio only to find that your ipod battery is dead – you’ve got 40 minutes ahead of you with no music. How do you feel? Downflated? panicked? This means that this cardio session will totally suck, you go ahead and do the session but the attempt is half hearted at best, you get to 30 mins and throw it in. Sound familar at all? I know that I am certainly guilty. Ipods, heart rate monitors, GPS systems, even a specific class at a specific time of day.
In the article, Julia Morgenstern (Author of a great book Organising from the Inside Out – I own both of her books and they are a great read) calls all of this “ritual clutter” going on to say that ‘ritual clutter comes from making something into such a production that the activities and thoughts associated with that thing become alomst paralysing’ (Morgenstern, 2008,p 30). Between Julia and Scott Douglas – the author of the article – they make a good point. I know that I absolutely hate running without my ipod – and my fuel belt is quickly becoming just as necessary to me. But a few weeks ago when I was out on a long run and my ipod battery died with about 4km to go, what could I do but keep on running? So I took out the earphones and I was so pleasantly surprised by how free I felt – I almost felt as though I could go faster because I wasn’t using the music as a basis for my rhythm. I don’t run with a watch for this reason also – because I know that I will start having negative thinnking patterns and beating myself up if I am not running at the pace I think I should be running at. I begin to focus SO much on these little electronic devices that essentially make no impact on my performance at all – although I do like to keep an eye on the time when I am running so that I can calculate an average pace and make sure I am running at the right intensity (in general) I don’t want to become so reliant on all of that feedback that I can’t exercise without it. anyway – if you want to read more – have a look at this months Runners world magazine!
On the mental health side of things, I read an interesting article in the Fitness First magazine (usually hanging around outside Fitness First Gyms for Fr*ee) about happiness. Wendy Daniels in her article, The Price of Happiness(March/April 2008, p 23) talks about the popular thinking that material objects and a higher income will in the long run make you a happier person. She looks at the Buddhist philosophy of ‘letting go’ – changing your attitude towards these material things and letting go of desire and focusing on the feeling that come from within that contirbute most to our happiness. She quotes Martin Seligman – authour of the bok Authentic Happiness – who says, ‘ materialism is counterproductive and that all levels of real income, people who value money more than other goals, are less satisfied with their income and their lives as a whole’.
Lately I have been doing a lot of thinking about all of the things we have in our lives that we don’t really need – all of the stuff and clutter that takes up so much of our minds that we don’t really need (I am sensing a theme developing in this post), the things that we lust after and want so badly, and then after the newness of the item wears away, it gets cast aside and we go onto wanting something newer and shinier – and for what reason – because if we have that item in our lives surely we will be happier – right? For me, it comes down to trying to be a little less materialistic and not buying things (ususally clothes and make up) if I don’t really NEED them. Recognising that I have everything that I need in my life right now – and just because it is a new season and there are dozens of pretty new things in Country Road and Espirit – it doesn’t mean that I have to go out and buy them. Wanting after these things, focusing on the fact that I can’t afford them and comparing myself to those who can- doesn’t make me very happy. Focussing on what I have, knowing that I have all of the things that I need to satisfy my needs – that should be enough – I guess it comes down to living simply. I love the concept of living simply – but I’m not sure I’m ready to take it to this level just yet!
Have a great Sunday!
Andjxx
