There's no doubt that we'd love every training session, every workout, every run to go perfectly. The reality however, is that it doesn't always happen. Our best intentions for a powerful or focused workout, can be foiled by a body that's not properly fueled, weather, sick family members or a million other things that can throw you off physically, emotionally or mentally.
Earlier this week, mid-way through a long training run, I suffered one of these moments. The day was crystal clear, my pace was spot on, and the trail lay wide open before me. Then half way into the run, it happened. My body simply slumped. My energy levels drained, and before I knew it, my run transformed into a walk as I attempted to figure out what had happened. As the energy levels dropped, I felt the motivation start to slip and frustration settle in.
Eventually, I recovered and was able to finish up the run. But the frustration had wedged its way into my mind, and what started out as a beautiful day on the trail ended in disappointment as I felt like I had shortchanged my routine.
The reality is that we all suffer moments like this. Small set-backs and frustrations can derail our efforts and hurt our focus. That's why it's important to remember that there's always an unexpected variable that can throw a wrench in your routine. What matters is how you respond, how you push through the frustration. It's the choices after the frustration that have the biggest impact on our goals and ambitions.
Success is buried on the other side of frustration. It's that frustration which presents an opportunity to take take the necessary actions that will eventually support you in achieving your goals. You get through this roadblock by plowing through frustration, taking each setback as feedback that you can learn from and push ahead.
As Coach John Thompson Jr. once said, "Stay the course. Trust the course. Don't forget what you're doing."
Confession time: I'm not a runner by nature. I'm more fish than gazelle, more porpoise than cheetah. Traditionally, I've always been far more comfortable in large bodies of chlorinated water than I have been on any track or run course.
Granted, running has always been part of my training regimen, and I always used it as a component of my cardio routines. Yet the reality was that every time I tried to embark upon a lengthy run program, my body would tap out a few weeks in. Without fail, my knees and lower back would succumb to increased pressure and pain. The shin splits would kick in, and the distance running would come to a crashing halt.
I wasn't built for running. My knees weren't built for long miles across the asphalt. My long lenky frame was better suited for a life of almost any athletic endeavor outside of running. At least that's what I told myself.
Then, two years ago, I stumbled upon ALTRA Footwear and the concept of Zero Drop Footwear, and all of my preconceived notions of running melted away.
To understand ALTRA it helps to understand the "minimalist run movement" that has firmly grabbed hold of the running world. At the crux of the movement is the notion that the foot can do a better job at self-stabilizing and balancing the weight of the body when it can move freely and is allowed more, relatively unencumbered, natural contact with the ground than when it’s in a shoe that is thickly cushioned or overly correcting by design.
Unlike traditional overbuilt running shoes, the "zero drop" footwear by ALTRA is built on a 1-to-1 ratio meaning that the heel and forefoot are the same heights off the ground. This encourages a more natural stride allowing the runner to land on the midfoot or forefoot -- the way Mother Nature originally intended. Their shoes do this all while offering cushioning and protection.
In my own experience, the results have been dramatic. Gone are the days of suffering through shin splits, weary knees and a tight lower back. Gone are the short mile runs followed by long sessions of ice packs. The pain and frustration of running has been replaced with new goals, new challenges, and a passion for the running experience.
And this is why I'm honored to be an ALTRA Ambassador for 2013. I believe that the ALTRA family is fostering a revolution of better running techniques through a line-up of footwear that mimics the natural shape and heel-to-toe ratio of the foot thereby allowing the body to run more naturally, more efficiently. It's a revolution that's changing the way people everywhere view the running experience, and it's a revolution I look forward to sharing in the year to come.
