For the past 17 years I have been told:
- Your hips are too weak, you need to do X,Y,Z.
- Your calves are not strong enough, you need to do X,Y,Z.
- Your upper body is super weak, you need to do X,Y,Z.
Honestly the list could go on forever. These statements came from some of the best coaches, sports medicine doctors, physical therapists, and many more professionals within the running industry. All these statements are in fact true and I did and still need to do all the workouts, exercises, pre and post rehab routines which were given to me. However, it can be a little depressing being told all the areas you need to work on in order to run faster, stay injury free, and so forth. It gets to a point where you are constantly managing all of your weaknesses. It is definitely important and vital to work on all your weaknesses. By strengthening the areas of weakness, you become so much stronger physically and mentally. When you finally conquer your weaknesses, you are that much closer to your goals. My advice is to not let your weaknesses overshadow your strengths. Your strengths are the reasons you truly made it this far!
With this in mind I have been telling myself to–work on your weaknesses but DO NOT forget your strengths. I have noticed with this mindset I feel more confident and excited to put in the work. Don’t get me wrong, I always love putting in the work, it’s just easier now.
So how have I fused this mindset with my own running endeavors? I went back through my old training journals and reminisced in my past. I needed to rediscover my strength and included it in my training. What is it that made me “good/love” running? After a little bit of research… I remembered. The workouts which showed my strengths were aerobic threshold runs. Simpler term: marathon- half marathon paced runs. Knowing my strength, I have focused on making sure I run one of these workouts every 7-10 days. Having something to look forward to every week makes it so much easier to do the hard stuff and the little things which I need to power my weaknesses.
Go make a list of your strengths and do not forget to include them into your week!
litefeetracing 