Monday, February 13, 2017

How I Trick Myself Into Running Farther

Basically, I distract myself. If I had no distractions, I would be giving up after five minutes. Keeping my mind off the little discomforts and monotony of a track let me run a little farther each time and improve my cardio! I also love finding ways to conserve energy and make the run easier on my body.


Imagery: Growing up dancing and studying dance in college gave me tons of practice using imagery to get my body to do what I wanted. There are five major images I use to conserve energy and stay comfortable while running longer distances.

     1. Scapulas- Knit together. Not pinched! And no hunching forward.

     2. Picking Grapes- As your arms swing, let your relaxed hands reach in front of your belly button as if you are picking grapes!

     3. Heel to Toe- Be quiet on your feel and roll from heel to toe each time your feet strike the ground.

     4. Soft Face- Let your muscles around your face melt until you aren't holding any tension there. Even your tongue inside your mouth can release tension. And no grimacing!

     5. Bones vs. Muscles- I like thinking of my bones being pulled forward (especially the pelvis since it carries the most weight in one place) and my muscles doing as little work as possible. Only superficial muscles are engaged. Of course this is just an image, please keep your deep muscles engaged, too! Imagine you were jogging downhill. Let gravity pull you and only use the muscles that are needed to keep you from crashing. This might make no sense to you, but it is a huge help to me!

Music: Here are some girl power dance party songs I love....
   
     1. Hair by Little Mix

     2.  Shout Out to My Ex by Little Mix

     3. Work From Home by Fifth Harmony

     4. Hold My Hand by Jess Glynne

     5. Countdown by Beyonce

     6. I'm Gonna Love You by Tiffany Houghton

     7. Getaway Truck by Aaron Watson (Not in the same category, but still a great one if you love country)


Breathing: I like starting out my jog by taking two steps as I inhale and two steps as I exhale. Then later on in my run I check back in with my breathing and see how it has changed. If I'm huffing and puffing, I see if I can relax my breathing or slow it down. Just being aware of this can be calming and distracting.

Start Slow: Keep track of your pace and try to push yourself a little more after a certain distance. It is much better to start slow and finish fast than to start fast and die out before your goal distance. Also, I love sprinting to the finish. Always have.

Listen to your Body: Don't make aches and pains worse by trying to push through them. You could end up injuring yourself even more! Listen to your body and decide if it's a serious enough pain to take a break or walk the rest of the way.

Running Buddy: Talking during a run is the best! It's a good measure of your aerobic ability and it can be fun to keep track of your pace together and push each other to run faster or farther.

How do you trick yourself into running farther?

Thanks for reading!

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