Caitlyn Clark is already one of most impactful athletes in women’s basketball- from her days as the Nation’s All-Time leading scorer at Iowa, to becoming the first player in WNBA history with 100 points and 50 assists in their first eight career games. However, with all her talent, her team is near the bottom of the league, with only 2 wins in 9 attempts.
The answer to why this is the case, is something that endurance athletes and weekend warriors alike can learn from. In a recent ESPN article we gain insight as to why one of the best players in the world is seemingly unable to help the team perform- and we can learn from this critical principle: The historic Boston Marathon took place a few weeks ago, and Ethiopian Sisay Lemma quite literally ran away from the men's field to win the world's most famous road race. What struck me about his performance is that this was his 4th attempt at this iconic event. He finished 30th one year, and dropped out the other two. But he kept at it. He kept grinding away and persevered even in the face of seemingly constant failure, and was finally rewarded for his endurance- not just over those 26.2 miles a few Monday’s back, but for the years and years of plodding away at a goal, regardless of the numerous setbacks he experienced.
Over the past few months, I’ve had several conversations with athletes and personal training clients alike about how to overcome setbacks, or how to endure when things don’t go to plan or just plain get hard. For some this could mean grinding away at an athletic goal- and for others, it could be the challenge of juggling the priorities of family, work, and training. Possibly it's struggling with a physical illness or injury that just won’t heal. Or maybe it could be a serious mental health challenge that just won’t allow us to feel good. There is no easy solution for every situation that involves persevering in the face of adversity, whether that be voluntary or not, if we take a step back we can identify a few things that can help. At the risk of grave oversimplification, here are three keys to help us continue to endure in the face of a challenge- in both racing and in life: Over the past few months, I’ve had several conversations with athletes and personal training clients alike around nutrition. With both beach season and race season just around the corner, everyone is asking about how to create the right nutrition plan. So, what is the ‘right nutrition plan’? That’s a complicated topic, and it’s different for everyone.
But HOW we create a plan can actually be fairly straightforward for both endurance athletes and those simply looking to tighten up their diet. While there are numerous aspects to consider, we can break down most of these into three important factors or questions to ask regarding any new approach to nutrition: In late February, many struggle with the resolutions they set for themselves. As I stated, in my last blog post, only about 8% of Americans maintain their New Year’s resolution, especially in the health and fitness area. Simply because it is hard to change habits, and requires lots of determination, dedication, discipline, and sacrifice, regardless of the goal.
And while I am not a huge fan of using “motivation“ to move us toward action (motivation is an emotion that ebbs and flows, while discipline is a skill that can be learned and improved), it can be a useful tool to help move us forward from time to time. As such, I thought it interesting to consider some of the incredibly motivating athlete performances in the endurance world which have occurred in the past few years. And then recognize the sacrifices that those particular athletes make to become great. Maybe as we reflect on these herculean efforts and the sacrifice and discipline it took to achieve them, we can find the determination to continue to persevere when our desire is low and our discipline is weak January is the quintessential time to make changes in our lives - those all too-familiar New Year's Resolutions. For millions of people, that means working to achieve health and fitness goals throughout the following year. However, most well-intentioned resolutioners start with a bang and end with a fizzle. In fact, Time Magazine states that an estimated 80% of people quit their resolutions by February, and only 8% actually stick it out to the end of the year. And, well it's that time of year again (end of January) and statistically, many of you may have already fallen short of your goals.
Why is it so difficult to change? Why can't we just, well- simply DO IT?! As human beings we have the tendency to take the path of least resistance, which is usually the anthesis of change and the enemy of success. While there are many reasons we may fall back into our old ways we can boil it down –at least in part– to willpower. Or as is the case in most of us, the LACK thereof. As the days get shorter and the temps get cooler, our activity levels drop, and we tend to eat more. A lot more. In fact, the average American gains 2+ lbs over the six weeks between Thanksgiving and New Years. And it’s not just the holidays that lead to weight gain. The CDC estimates that over 40% of Americans are overweight or obese. That statistic is alarming, but what is downright frightening is that the CDC also states that obesity is linked to our Nation’s top killers: diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and even some types of cancer. So, what do we do to avoid succumbing to statistics like this? If we need to lose weight, how do we do so successfully? (Hint: it DOESN’T involve trendy diets or repeatedly starving ourselves of calories.)
Over many years I’ve worked with countless clients on some aspect or another relating to weight loss- whether that be a primary goal, or a secondary one. During that time, I’ve found there are a handful of changes people make who are successful at losing weight and keeping it off. Here are my top six: As endurance athletes, we spend hundreds (if not thousands) of hours preparing physically for a specific event, or series of events. We work tirelessly to improve our speed, endurance, strength, and technique for our respective discipline (or disciplines in the case of triathletes). Many resort to spending thousands of dollars on gear, coaching, recovery tools, performance nutrition, and a host of other expenditures in hopes to improve performance just a little bit. However, there is one glaring gap that many athletes - or even weekend warriors - neglect: the mental side of performance.
I have had CPR training of sorts for more than 30 years, going back to the time I was a Boy Scout, and culminating with a refresher course I took last year, yet I never thought I would really ever need it. In fact, I’ve asked instructors at times if they had ever used their CPR training and only a handful have, ( former EMTs or those currently in the medical field.) Yet I, along with two other training camp attendees, were thrust into this situation several weeks ago when we happened upon a cyclist, who had just crashed and was unresponsive.
Springtime means warmer temps and longer days- which means longer outdoor workouts, bike rides, and of course, outside runs. It’s a great time to hit the track, the trails, or the roads, and see how the legs feel unencumbered by layers of warm-weather clothing. However, with solo outdoor running - or any activity done outdoors- there are safety concerns. Yes, we risk dehydration, injury, getting lost and a host of other possible maladies. However what I’m referring to are threats to our safety that come from others.
Whether we run in an urban or a rural setting, we can be lulled into a false sense of security- either because there are supposedly lots of other people around who can help if we have a problem, or because we are isolated and feel like the fact that we are alone means no one else would be there either. Either way, we lulled into feeling ‘safe’, even if we aren’t. However there are precautions we can take to help maximize your safety and minimize yourself as a target. Here's 6 suggestions to help keep us safe on outdoor run: Anyone who's ever made a New Year’s resolution to get in shape knows, developing and maintaining a sustainable fitness regimen is much easier said than done. And the key to doing so is to develop the habit of fitness. When a habit is ingrained, we are more likely to throw a leg over the bike, get out and run, drive to the pool, go to the gym, or unroll that yoga mat in the living room, regardless of the circumstance in which we find ourselves. But again, we all have the best of intentions, but the grand majority of us tend to fall short. However, there are that small percentage of people that seem to never miss a workout or skip leg day- they are constantly eating healthy, and always look fit!
So what makes those weekend warriors able to develop a sustainable fitness regimen? How come they never seem to lack motivation, are able to navigate hectic work commitments, the kid’s carpool schedule, and still keep those abs looking good or the run times dropping? |