Thursday is the fourth day of the week according to the international standard ISO 8601. It is the fifth day of the week in countries that use the Sunday as the first day of the week in their calendar. Hang on I thought this blog is going to make me a better runner. Hang in there. We are going to get there but first here is the -.
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Yes, today I want you to realize what Thursdays can do for you. Saturdays are the best days,” you think to yourself, deciding to stay in bed a little longer. Or perhaps it’s the joy of sleeping in yet again, indulgent and serene, that prompts you to think, “Ah yes, this is it — Sunday is the highlight of every week.” Maybe you’re a Friday-loving sociopath. It doesn’t matter. You’re wrong. All of those days are fine, but they’re not the best day.
The best day is Thursday.
Thursdays are wily: Unlike most days, there are no expectations for Thursday, and it deftly plays that lack of promise into a wealth of possibility. Thursday is that guy at work who you never talk to, the one that seems nice enough, always blogs up on time, doesn’t raise a fuss, and quietly does a quality job every time. Thursday is humble, understated excellence. It will never make you feel ashamed of not “doing enough with your Thursday.” You’re welcome. (Thursday would never say it sarcastically like that, which is why I’m saying it on behalf of Thursday.)
Did you know if you are reading this blog on the day it was published it is the 119th day of the year 2021? Means there are 246 days left. That’s all. Actually, if my math’s isn’t deceiving me. 30% of the year is gone. If you are reading this on this date the date 29th April 2021. But to put it into another perspective there are 36 Thursdays left. Perhaps Thursdays is where it’s convenient, and you plan your POWER training day. The tough stuff, the grind Ha!, ok, the day where you do that type of workout that you actually don’t like. But hey 2021, you said it’s going to be different. Right, ok Thursdays 36 remaining that’s really scary isn’t it.
Now, if you think about it. Taking into consideration you want to improve your 10K and have 36 Thursdays and let’s say for some or other valid reason it’s a good reason, not an excuse you had to or you were skipping every second power Thursday would mean 18. 18 Thursadys, and then if you perhaps don’t feel so well or you lack that willpower and therefore, you only really train or workout properly and with that I mean, if it says hills repeats you really DO hill repeats If it says 400 meter intervals, you are really giving it your best.
Now if you only do this half of the time, you would have really trained 9 times. 9 times. That’s it. That’s when you wake up and analyze your running or it’s the end of the year, and see, hey, I haven’t crushed anything. Actually, you did so little of your training plan, you even forgot the password, or where you kept it.
Which doesn’t mean you didn’t run. Sure, you ran, and yes, you went outdoors even when it was cold or uncomfortable. But, you didn’t exert yourself. You didn’t put in the effort you should’ve. Your interval training never happened. Your tempo ran, well it was more like driving with the handbrake on.
Bad example, nowadays the cars have these electric handbrakes you won’t move an inch, but if you think back to that handbrake lever hey you could drive till you hit the motorway, and then realize this car is really slow today. What’s wrong oh Handbrake. Never happened to you? Well that’s what I see happen to many runners.
And then well, two things happen. Internal and External representation. Internal means the words and reasons you give yourself. Might be you justify it:
show
If only the weather would have been
Or some runners’ and this you should pay attention to if it sounds familiar
Again I didn’t improve.
Couldn’t even finish the training program.
Or
That training program isn’t worth its money.
That would be the internal side Not putting you into a strong mindset.
Externally:
Let me find some like-minded people on social media.
Let me put some energy into posting well formulated critique
What is my point? Time is flying. And if you haven’t been adhering to your run training program maybe you bought some or other training plan your fastest 10K ever, or your half marathon crushed Something with a really great sounding headline and thing is when you bought the course or signed up I mean you were really psyched up, you were really “all missions set” and have been skipping runs more regularly than running them. Wake up. The year will be over before you know it, not in terms of a happy new year, but in terms of reaching goals, of obtaining that special time, that time frame you need to not only learn a new thought process, but also start doing and applying techniques. That’s where time is running out.
Because history has shown or proved me right time and time again, if a runner wants to improve, and learn new processes, it is usually best to start the training in winter, starting off with a solid base training in spring, and this time frame. Or this window of opportunity, it is going away.
Now I know that all I just said was factual information. And when do we act? We act when we add emotions. We act when something inside of us starts to make us uneasy, when there is something stirring internally.
And how do we avoid that out of 36 hard training days we suddenly only have 9? I am glad you asked. That’s what we here at Advanced Endurance Coaching specialize in. That is what has become my passion over the years, to blog that it’s not the lack of workout options, or the lack of opportunity. It is the lack of coaches that enables a runner to a. realize where he or she is standing in their own way. Blocking themselves from becoming the best runner they could be.
And today just wanted to first off make you aware of what it means to “skip a training day”. And yes there are more in depth solutions let me share them with you Actually I could refer to share them with you during next week’s blog 9 power-points and their practicality
And I know it was a lot of information you might feel inspired or even motivated. I am going for 36 Thursdays workouts But where to start?
Easy. Start on Thursday. Well that would mean TODAY And then start with the workout you enjoy the most. (Or if you are really in a negative mindset) start with the one that you dislike the least.
If you know exactly you, you don’t want to run up a hill. Hey, today is the day where you are going to overcome that negative thought.
You need to have some faith. And as a runner, that’s usually what gets us to the finish line so often, isn’t it? You have had that experience where you were in a race and might have been halfway, might have been right from the start and the idea of I can’t continue appeared in your mind. But, you didn’t stop, you went forward. A step at a time, and what you did was you stayed in motion.
You know the saying it never gets easier, you get better that requires faith. Faith in your abilities, faith in your competence, in your strengths, in your skill. And you know it is there, come on what about all those past success stories, they will help you overcome that resistance to overcome your hill training, or whatever your HILL might be.
See, listen up the more you focus on don’t want to don’t like it feel like I can’t, am convinced I can’t, the more you will turn to other things that pull your attention. And that attention will take you in another direction.
The same way you ask google maps how to get you to the nearest fast food outlet, the same process is available in your brain to enter a new destination. Don’t fret over the other distractions like on facebook, or the well done on Instagram . You focus on the direction you want to go.
Feel the urgency of those 9 or 18 or 36 Thursdays that are at your disposal. And listen if you don’t go out today. What will happen on the remaining 35 Thursday remaining? That’s IF all goes well you know maybe next Thursday it’s too cold, or too hot, or hey you forgot its your aunts birthday and what do you know Something else came up.
And there will be times where you can do a long slow lazy bone run. But today, it’s thursday.
Just pay attention to the details of the training plan. Go through it mentally, if the hill repeats, then just before starting mentally go through in your mind’s eye of how you are running up the hill. Feel that heartbeat, your quadriceps pumping
If you do this on Thursday, you have taken the first hurdle. You are on track towards making a difference, on the road called process. A process One that will get better as you put time into it.
Have I asked you to come and have a look at our no excuses runner https://noexcusesrunner.com website. That’s the name, no excuses , just check it out because you will find some information on what it is that we actually offer.
You should join me next week. A little preview here we will look at and you know this, the importance of self-confidence. How to make sure it is at a healthy level, and where there might be areas or room for improvement.
As always I will present it in such a way that you can remember it and make it user friendly for runners’.
Yup, clever isn’t 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. The link to the video you know what.. just go to youtube, enter “heiko stribl” and concentrate or you will get sidetracked and end up somewhere you don’t want to be.
Today I have a really powerful bible verse for you 2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV. You have power over your thoughts. They don’t control you.
Don’t just keep that in mind, apply it.
My name is Heiko, thanks for joining me, God Bless you and remember take it easy