More Than Tuesday

This has been a month full of races! We had The Big Party Half, GoGirl, Rock the Parkway, Run For Clean Water, MercyMe, Frisco, and Illinois. Way to go to all of our runners. You raced hard this month, and there were a lot of PRs as well as lessons learned.

Now, let's get into the topic for the week. Why is everyone getting faster than me? Why is everyone nailing PRs except me? Why is everyone looking stronger than me? What am I doing wrong? I'm working hard every single time we meet! I'm really working hard on Tuesday morning and I'd like to know what I can do to reach my goals.

​It takes more than Tuesday.

It takes more than a 45 minute killer workout one day per week. It's more than Tuesday.
What does it take? It takes dedication to your goal. What does this mean? It means running on rainy days. It means eating well. It means doing the workout even when you don't want to. It means showing up mentally and physically to every run and every workout even when you don't want to. Dedication equals work. But, it also equals success in the long run. We have a feeling that success is what you're after.

Now, not every day of every week of the year must be dedicated to training. Training goes in cycles, and you need a break. We don't expect to see you at every workout year round because we know you aren't in full on training mode all the time. Just because we meet doesn't mean you have to be there. Everyone has different training schedules. Your body needs a break - no one trains hard year round. It's okay to take a few weeks off between race cycles (but you already know that). Sleep in. Take it easy. Everyone is on a different racing schedule, so we will be here, but we know we won't see each of you every week.
But, when you're really trying to get faster and reach a PR, it will take more than Tuesday.

It takes more than Tuesday. It takes mental toughness and a lot of thought. It takes pushing through the last rep, or going the extra mile when you want to give up. It takes you telling yourself that you are good enough.
You have to be smart about it as well. Let's say your goal is to drop time in the 5k. What should you be doing? Should you be doing one workout per week and jogging slow runs the rest of the time? No. Should you be doing one speed workout and focusing the rest of your energy in the gym on weights and not running but another mile here or there? No. Of course not.
If you want to run 26.2, should your workouts consist of a few 5 mile runs here and there and lots of time in the yoga studio? Probably not (although we do recommend you throw the yoga in with your training). If you want to nail 26.2, it's going to take a heck of a lot of work, and you need to do it right if you want to be successful. Recognize and respect the distance you want to race, and focus your goals.
​Moral of the story - be smart and strategic about how you reach your goals.

But what if you don't want to race? What if you just like to run? That's fine too. But face it - you wouldn't show up on Tuesday if you didn't want to get better in some way. Here's a little hint though - sometimes racing gives you a good reason to put in the work on those days when it's tough to get out the door. But, if you don't want to race, don't let others pressure you into it. Run for you.

So here's the thing. If you want to get faster, nail PRs, move up into a different group on workout day, or just feel more fit in general, it's going to take more than Tuesday.

It's easy to say you train hard. Anyone can say that. But, will your results show it? If you want to be successful, you have to put in the work when no one is watching. You have to speed up your every day runs. Start dropping the pace on your long runs. Get out there and aim to kill the last mile of your run. When you start incorporating these strategies on more days than Tuesday, you'll start to see the changes you desire. Keep up the good work - we are so proud to have you on the team.

See you Tuesday.

​#thefitclub417 #earnednotgiven

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