Hello and welcome! Congratulations on becoming a better stronger and smarter runner, join me for just a couple of minutes, that’s all it takes. See, sometimes you are stuck in a running rut and you have plenty of excuses not to go running  Let’s change that 

Excuses  Aaaah yes we runners’ are so good at finding them  come on be honest  yes even you who is 

“I am out there everyday” Or 

“Miss I post everyday on Instagram” with a big smile, also you 

“Mr. I post my miles”, and speed daily HaHa.

Oh have a look, if you haven’t done so at our new site heikostribl.com one word, that’s where you can get access to the blog 

Sorry that’s not nice of me, I am making fun of other runners and their desire to share on Instagram  or is it addiction.

Anyway,  you know, even me, yes Mr. I have done numerous 365 day run streaks. Mr. certified endurance coach, Mr. I run marathons and ultras  ha ha  I had a favorite excuse  HAD  Why well because I cracked it. Yup I had that excuse for many years.

And believe it or not, it seriously affected my running. My run performance, my run training, my efficiency. 

But before I dive in, do you know  there are no ads on this blog? Can you believe it? Yup not one single one. Another thing, there is no swearing or cursing either. I have a couple of reasons, see let me explain.

I used to enjoy reading Joe Rogan blogs. Seriously had some interesting guests, I liked how he dove into questions. And hey I wasn’t wrong, I meant to listen to him. After all, didn’t Spotify pay him millions to host his blog exclusively? 

But then I realized it got a bit out of hand, for me. The cursing, the talking about smoking dope. I understand this is not for me. I want to have a different blog, and reach a different audience. 

Plus the ads  This morning on spotify  just imagine that  I am serious. This is not an invented story. I am running up a hill, Well seems like I always run up a slope, because I live down in a valley, ( I posted a photo of the incline)

Picture it a beautiful morning, low clouds, cold, and still wet from the rain that fell. 

Next thing there is a Spotify ad  and it went something like this 

Early morning, you look up to the sky and at the road ahead, your soul knows you are a runner. ASICS  

I was like, are you serious? 

I didn’t know what to get upset at first. The fact that the ad uses subliminal messages. See they anchor a great feeling with a shoe. 

A shoe  for goodness sake. Tell me, has a shoe ever made you faster? I mean as in you started overtaking people during the whole race? No, of course not. But who’s that ad, excellent, well written.

Now, that’s exactly what I don’t like. That’s why I started to make this blog. See if you as a runner want to become better stronger or smarter, hey maybe go for your first 10K race, or start exploring a half marathon. Or maybe you want to finally go for that marathon  well, I want you to get to know me. The person you are going to be handing your money over to.

See, a sports company wanting to sell shoes, socks, t-shirts, you name it, they will make you a lot of promises is it not true? But at the end of the day what will help you become a better runner?

Well by running, and then training better. Definitely not by spending money on shoes. And that’s what this blog is all about, helping you get from A. your current state as a runner, to B. the runner you want to be.

Did I take the wind out of your sails? Ha. Good because today I want to tell you about my former favorite excuse I used to have for postponing my run. Might come as a surprise to you, but it wasn’t the heat. No, as a regular listener you are not surprised. You know this, I love running in the sun. Actually one of my races still on my bucket list is the Florida Keys 100, is it 100? I think so.

Running in the cold, well somehow I have gotten used to it. After completing a few 365. Day run streaks, and living in Germany I am geared up to run even in -10.

So what was my favorite excuse? It’s too windy. Yes, that was exactly that was my main punchline. Windy as in actual wind, not passing wind. Nope farting wasn’t the issue. If you have that issue, don’t worry about it, nothing lightens up the mood in a running group if you squeeze a fart, and shout TURBO mode. Jokes aside The reason you might be farting comes whilst running is that running usually speeds up your digestion process. Combine that with the pounding of your feet, and you get the fart frequency. 

There is another type of wind  The second wind  heard of that  what happens is 

As your body pumps more blood through your muscles, you start to perspire and running usually feels easier 

Other runners talk about a second wind when you are approaching the 7 or 8K mark in a 10K race. Suddenly you get a boost in energy, a power surge, ignore the tiredness, the soreness and boom off you go suddenly at a much faster pace crossing the line in style.

What actually is happening is One hypothesis is that your body is switching from burning carbohydrates to fat, but there are a few holes in the theory. Other experts think it could have to do with lactic acid and oxygen in your muscles. Research blogs the chemical lactic acid requires less oxygen to power your muscles than other sources of fuel. When you have a build up of lactic acid in the muscles, you may be able to go harder and feel less pain as you do, “You tell everyone that you suddenly got your ‘second wind,'”  “But actually you started to use huge amounts of lactic acid, which requires less oxygen for energy, and your blood became less acidic so you were able to run faster again.”

And now according to the British Medical Journal listen to this 

Most likely, second wind is a mental thing, having to do with your neurochemicals or psychology, scientists believe. The BMJ notes that “second wind” phenomenon is similar to the concept of a “runner’s high,” which has been researched throughout the years.

Right but as I said, that type of wind is not today’s topic. No, I was referring to the fact that my favorite excuse not to run was due to wind.

Some background. I grew up in Pretoria, which is a city that has excellent weather, weather how I like it. LOL.

Hardly any wind. I mean if it is windy there it’s like everyone is commenting on it.

Now that’s not all, I have many more excuses to add on top of that. See there is something called windchill. And living in the UK was the first time I really understood what that word means. Because I felt it. What is it with all you British runners  that singlet t-shirt, and that white skin turning pink in sub zero temperatures  lol  buy a wind resistant jacket for goodness sake.

You might be agreeing with me, yes, running in windy conditions. Not nice. See before it was a normal sentence that would cross my mind, look outside the window, trees are moving, aaah I see the birdhouse is moving pretty violently, definitely too windy to run. And I wouldn’t run. 

Maybe you can relate to this, maybe you have a sentence like that pertaining to some other matter. I ate ice cream, I never run after eating ice cream, or hills, no I don’t run hills. Whatever crossed your mind, that is a limiting belief.

We will go into that in a second. Let me go in a little deeper. See, whatever thought keeps you from doing something you actually want to do, is a limiting belief. 

I am too short, I am too old, I am not a fast runner  I can’t run  hey I have heard them all. Honestly, 35 years as a runner, working with runners, coaching athletes. Most runners have one that is so well embedded. 

It sneaks up on you  like that ASICS ad  That problem can be solved by upgrading to Spotify premium, but I hardly ever listen to music whilst running  Besides the point  

It is easy to share it now, my limiting belief. What is wrong with that  With having one? I can tell you, good question  

I have great running memories, of my 12 crazy days, where I did a charity event  raising money awareness for kids in a refugee camp in Jordan. Anyway, I ran those marathons during the European winter.

Along the white cliffs of dover  it was so windy actually I nearly got blown off  and the next day Boulonge Sur Mer the Atlantic coast of France  a windsurfers paradise  

Or running in the Faroe Islands in Norway, honestly some of my best running was actually in windy conditions. Yes, running in the sun would have been more fun, sure. But, I ran. The wind, or my way of thinking didn’t stop me.

Great moments are out there, once you decide to question whether what you are thinking is true. 

So how to progress, how to get out of your head. You know this, get out of your head or you are dead. 

A limiting belief is a state of mind, conviction, or belief that you think to be true that limits you in some way.This limiting belief could be about you, your interactions with other people, or with the world and how it works.

Limiting beliefs can have a number of negative effects on you. They could keep you from making good choices, taking new opportunities, or reaching your potential. Ultimately, limiting beliefs can keep you stuck in a negative state of mind and hinder you from living the life you truly desire.

There are many ways to go about this, some are adapted from Byron Katies’s highly successful The Works, it doesn’t matter who’s form of inquiry you use. It is important to do it. To apply it.  So that you start to get acquainted with that feeling, that asking yourself the following three questions will get you to confront those debilitating negative beliefs.

Is it true? Is it true that I cannot run if it is windy? Have there been times when I had a great run experience anyway?

Is it logical? Is it logical that just because I didn’t wear the correct running gear running in the wind isn’t for me?

Is it helpful? Does having this belief enhance my chances of improving as a runner today or in the near future?

If you can dispute your own beliefs, it opens up room for more productive beliefs and thoughts. Productive, positive thoughts enhance self–confidence, improve focus (Focus on what you are doing in the present), help you remain calm during pressure situations and create a positive mindset for competing. Accepting that you can’t perform perfectly and not seeking perfection helps you as an athlete to perform better  Better than yesterday, better than last week, last month and last year.

Let’s close today’s wendy blog  there is a great verse I want to share with you 

John 3:8 “New Living Translation
The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.”

Make Every Step Count, a running guide that changes your attitude?

And if your first thought is “I doubt it” then definitely you should get the book. Doing the basics, is the best place to go to once you are in a negative rut once your minds cruise around the same negative thoughts. Make Every Step Count keeps you focussed on what matters. And if that doesn’t help, then do 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.