Tools for your running: a change of directions is something we can benefit from greatly.
And the direction decides where are you going to end up, not intention
And the reverse is also absolutely true. Your destination ends up which course you are going to follow
Which might seem obvious, but the clear your goal is it will influence what you’re going to eat how are you going to train how much time you going to commit
So there is a clear causality
So if you know your goal is to train for a Trail run.
And let’s say previously you have only run on flat street surfaces.
You need to train and strengthen your core, your ankles, you need to practice running on and even surfaces, you need to get comfortable running on gravel, in mud, you will need different shoes, you will need to incorporate hill training you will need to learn the art of downhill and this will be a trial and error situation until you find the correct balance for yourself
So you won’t be able to shortcut.
Those that commit to the new weak areas.
So to reach a goal you must really commit to it
And you need to do it regularly. You need to evaluate where you are at and where are you still need to correct
And the environment will change, sometimes or some days will be better than others
Now some people think that it’s an exaggeration, somehow I’ll be able to do it just by going out and trying. But honestly this is not lining you up to achieve your best possible goal, it might even line you up for failure when this could’ve been avoided
And that’s why you need a constant change of direction. To gain advantages
And to avoid losses
If you just go out and run and it’s not working out for you, your ankles aren’t strengthened yet or you haven’t got the correct footwear for trails you will be in a uncomfortable zone and by not changing your what should be changed, you will lose the ambition for the goal
Change of direction
If you have a good goal, and you really know why you want to achieve it, you need commitment and perseverance
So when do we need to change direction?
Many changes in life start running
Short distance to longer distance
10 K to 20 1K
Start changing attrition
Overcome injury
From unhealthy to healthy from weak area to strong area from running flat to running hills. Some changes are easier than others how do we do this what is the center of change or what is the center of change of direction. Okay back to the question when do we need to change direction we need to change direction when the current steps we are undertaking are not helping us or are not blogging us improvement. And again this sounds like basic info but so often runners end up with injuries because they refused to train certain areas or ended up ignoring proven advice
And how easy they already prepared the story that they’re going to tell me I once tried it it just didn’t work for me or it just isn’t for me and they by leaving themselves closed for what could be a wonderful new opportunity to explore running in nature. And this is where you can change the direction.
See, for a second we dive into swimming. In swimming you are constantly changing direction as soon as you push off the wall you see the blue line below. With the running you’re doing the same but even on the more subconscious level pavement avoiding a dustbin, judging whether you will make it over the red light or not
Situations are usually always changing. But let’s get practical. How do we change course?
The two most important things are 4 words that
what the
Why and the
how
The what the is basically the conclusion that affect what needs to change I’m not succeeding at this I am not meeting the plans of the specified training app. And this is a important realization I can change and I will change. If not now, it won’t happen. Which then leads to the question: what do I need to change? Changing your diet avoiding sugars avoiding carbs
You know you’re supposed to do it, but you still don’t want to do it.
That’s when you still need to do valet the will power. And I’m sure you know many people who want to achieve something or who want to change something
So the decision hasn’t yet been taken
And some they have taken the decision yes I will put in the effort let’s stick with the example for Trail run
And these people are stuck at the implementation
And you know this a journey of 1000 miles starts with a one step
And now at this point you are changing direction
And some people have the more have developed the skill to just remain silent and to avoid dealing with such points
How do you know this now is really the time you need to change where are you are heading to
What circumstances decide this
Usually the signs are obvious for an external coach, trainer or even colleague. As the person is not thinking about it, it’s not obvious.
Just ask yourself, am I putting in the effort? Am I getting the results?
If not
It’s like the book who moved my cheese. If the cheese is always in the same place you will build a habit of always going to where the cheese is. And even when the cheese is moved you will still be going to the same spot. That’s the runner who has the aim of doing a trial run but still continues to practice on the flat top surfaces
And this waking up process of realizing that the cheese is no longer where it was, this takes time.
Oh sometimes, it is pure desperation, it seems like everything is falling apart. Overtraining, stress, leading to lack of enthusiasm and eventually lack of emotion to get motivated
And usually we should also listen to our own feelings, if there is a an ease or a feeling of something is not right listen to it, your feelings usually on wrong
And exactly at this point many people are stuck because they are building a negative thought process and then start to doubt themselves even though there is no reason to do this. But it seems like a more obvious choice to doubt oneself especially living in the world full of comparisons
Turn the point also usually comes if you realize that you are so far away from where you want to be that’s when you need to really wake up and smell the roses all the coffee whatever you like
Change direction. Now!
So how do we know what is the correct new direction change we should undertake?
So we spoke about the that are now is speaking about the what
One way is
What works and what doesn’t work what is giving the results what doesn’t give me results
How long have I been training in the same way in the same manner
How many weeks months years have I avoided hills
How many weeks, months , years have I avoided changing my diet?
And then we need to accept that this is not going to work it’s not going to help me improve. And immediately follow that up with a Conor McGregor to phone himself with a broken ankle and he’s talking about how he’s going to come back and fight again.
Immediately start with building a better picture in your mind. Break it into small manageable blocks that you can mold into positively stated slogans. And this needs to be embedded in your life plan as well. It needs to fit in with other areas of your day today doings. So many Internet or online courses pretend that you have unlimited time, whilst actually dealing with the time is the most important
See if this new training regime the change of diet doesn’t fit in with your whole lifestyle with your spouse with your kids with your work with your social activities it will be doomed to fail. Lets ive into the why and into the how
Usually runners don’t change because they never ask themselves why?If you have a strong enough why and that is something I listen for when I deal with a runner, that will unleash incredible potential inside each and everyone of us
The bigger the why, the easier the how. Know how without a strong why. Confused? If I don’t start training now the Trail marathon I plan to do will not be a success And change the sentence around I will get huge success in my Trail marathon if I adhere to the training plan, so let me change direction.
And how usually it isn’t such a complicated story anymore. Yes, I agree so many runners are just struggling about the house and are searching for quick fixes or something that will magically come and change them. But the answer to this lies in the Y a strong why will unleash incredible amounts of dopamine remember from the last episode I told you even lying in bed you can increase your dopamine you are releasing and use this to start getting inside your motivation and use this as a kickstart
The how is just based on the new picture in your mind
How are you want to do it
Then you start to implement it
And before you know it, usually after 21 days it will become the new habit
And you no longer dream of ale cheese location that isn’t relevant
And this is the actual process of
Changing direction
It’s a process between transformation and transition
Many people can do a change but the emotional connection is lacking
You all know the cousin the colleague the neighbor who constantly admires you going out for a run and complains about his or her lack of ability to shed weight
They are lacking the emotional connection
It’s like Moses leading the people out of Egypt but emotionally they were still back home missing the good all days
So what does it help if you are or you have change direction you are following the process but emotionally there is nothing no connection
Make an emotional change.
Wrong changes. Yes sometimes if I have a real clever runner they will be afraid of taking or making a wrong decision. Going a direction which might not be correct
Two factors your responsibility and the effects of the circumstances around you
Very often there is a new image in the runner’s mind of what he wants to achieve but the regular follow-up and taking the time to really ingrain it in your minds eye that hasn’t happened
Runners that wanna progress to a marathon at least get that converted middle but then after sometime training they leave it and decide to rather perhaps it’s not for them
Leave the new which hasn’t even been completely dried and go for something else that is perhaps simpler
And to change from one goal to another one training plan to another is quite complex, yes they are people that have done that however it is full of difficulties and challenges
So yes what to do if the change of direction is or didn’t work out and it is a failure
The answer to this is simple, you start again from the beginning
Repeat
Try again
So I change the direction which results in a current failure is just a route that didn’t work, nothing else.
Definitely no shame in realizing this is not the way forward
It’s just another moment in time on a route to progress
But just to go back once more on the subject of being associated emotionally as well and the importance there
What type of emotional influence is there and how do you harness it?
All of this falls under the process of change. First off, even though the Internet is full of go from 0 to hero or from couch to 5K or from your best time ever or from other over exaggerated marketing words which ultimately catch our attention. The fact is it is not a linear progress picture at more like a chart on the stock exchange, moving up and down violently in the beginning and then later having smaller and smaller fallouts
But the average is moving upwards progression. Thats why you should access your current situation and your new picture the new situation you want to arrive at.
Things need to happen inside your mind like that of Moses and his posse, they need to emotionally evolve around the fact that they are leaving Egypt and going towards a holy land. This is sometimes easier said than done. The process needs to manifest itself in your mind and nobody can do this for
You need new guidelines
Transformation is, I am already mentally in the new picture
Transition are the processes which I need to compare to be in the new situation
So it has to do with loss in this case a loss of comfort a route that you know, a distance that you know you can manage even on Worst days
Uncomfortableness you are not feeling at home in this new surface perhaps they are insects which before you never felt before
And before you reach the new revelation and you can understand why you needed to change each of these processes of change
Then you reach the three steps feel think and do
So if you don’t control your feelings you will not get through it. You need to get that feeling and say I need to overcome this. So that’s emotional process
Oh and then of course I do. Feeling thinking and doing
At this stage you need to watch out for RTC. What does that mean resistance to change? You know the fuel is something that is used in big organizations implementing kaizen and Japanese motor corporations which inevitably lead to reliable and large-scale manufacturing never seen before.
And this only happens if you are emotionally involved in it.
Your 365 Day Run Streak, one whole year of running Why who or what would you want to do that?
And if your first thought is “I couldn’t do that” then definitely you should get the book.
Remember what I said in the beginning of the blog, that our minds sometimes cruise around the same negative thoughts Well those 9 points they will help to implement what it says in the bible
Colossians 3:2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.
Today I had a lot on my mind. Thanks for your patience. Thanks for your interest. Do leave me a rating and share the blog to someone who needs to hear it. My name is Heiko thanks for reading.
God Bless You and remember, take it easy.
