Hope all of you are continuing to stay focused though the weeks of the summer. Once again, I want to reinforce how important it is to keep up with your morning time and your physical training. The other big piece to the puzzle is doing your vision time, as Ed discussed in detail in Atlanta. The feedback I am getting is that the vision time is more fruitful with the focus points that Ed taught. Let’s not forget the WW90Day as well.
So there you have it, simple: morning time, physical training, vision time, and WW90Day. Do that, and you will rock the summer and fly into the fall.
Simple, but not easy. The old saying, “if it was easy everyone would be doing it” applies here. You know what to do but the song is stuck in your head: Those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer. You didn’t want to, but the pretzels and beer have crept in.
You have to train your brain. A really good way of doing that is during your physical training. The brain will tell you to stop well before your body needs to stop. You are committed to doing a threshold workout at the track: 10 times 400. Sounds easy enough, if you do the math it’s only 4 k in total. On the way to the track you look at the thermometer and it reads 30°C. Maybe I should cut it short, it’s awfully hot. At the track, your legs are a little wobbly from yesterday’s bike ride; your brain is saying maybe we should turn this into an easy run instead of intervals. After the first 3 sets, your lungs are burning and your brain is saying maybe 5 times 400 will be enough. At your 8th set, your brain is saying that there really is little benefit from doing two more, besides, you’re feeling weak, thirsty, hungry, and your water bottle is empty.
Your brain will go on and on and on. Ignore your brain and see it through to the end. Last night I had a threshold bike workout on the schedule: one hour workout with two 10-minute intervals at threshold, and a third 12-minute interval at threshold to finish up. I was driving home from the office and it was pouring rain and the brain started chirping away: it’s too wet, the trainer is not set up, you had a long day, blah, blah, blah. Just take the day off and get back on schedule tomorrow. Well, the brain didn’t win out. I put the bike on the trainer in the basement and the suffer-fest got going. By the third interval, the brain was screaming to cut the last interval short. You can stop at 3 minutes, and then 6 minutes, and then just let your watts drop off, but I managed to fight through the chatter and complete the workout as scheduled.
I did it by focusing on the spirit. I focused on my breathing and shut out the pain. Then I turned my brain onto positive thoughts. I thought about how this workout was going to build on yesterday’s, and how it will lay a foundation for tomorrow. I thought about how a little suffering now will save me a lot of suffering down the road, especially on race day. In the end, I achieved victory! Spirit and body over the negative chatter of the brain. Tell me that doesn’t relate to how the rest of my week is going to play out, with my family, at the office, and every single aspect of my week moving forward.
Once again, I’m challenging you to stay focused and do the work this summer. Where is your brain telling you to stop and just take it easy? Instead of listening to that old message, think about: What is your motivation? What’s your why? Everyone around you is watching. Be the leader that God has called you to be.
Be blessed,
Yurij
Warrior Coaching
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