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Last Monday was the 130th running of the Boston Marathon.
The weather was excellent, and there was even a strong wind, how glorious. The setup was so good, 609 women ran under 3:00, and the men's course record was shattered. But for Sharon Lokedi, the day started with a major hiccup. She forgot her watch. A professional runner. Reigning champion. Course record holder. So what happened? She borrowed a watch. Crushed the competition. And set the 2nd fastest time on the course as well (only slower than her time last year). Why is this an important story? As runners, we tend to be a bit Type A. Maybe slightly obsessively... a touch controlling... a smig micro managing... sometimes anticipating and planning for the worst. Which honestly, probably does say us a lot of headaches. Annnnnnnnnnnnnd... when inevitably something does go wrong... Remember Sharon. You don't need to have the perfect morning to have the perfect day. And now an exercise form tip. If you have any suggestions, please let me know! Splits Squats and Lunges can be tricky for balance. Make sure your feet are separated, but parallel (like train tracks, just not as wide). Not like you're balancing on a tightrope. Until next time, Meg
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You probably already know this, but motivation is fleeting.
So how do you keep working towards your goals? Discipline. "Discipline bridges the gap between motivation and action" - Brad Stulberg's from his new book on Excellence How do you become more disciplined?
So yea... a great habit makes discipline pretty straightforward. And now an exercise form tip. If you have any suggestions, please let me know! More is not always better. Faster is not always better. Having great to perfect form is best 99% of the time. Moving with controlled effort, esp so that you can feel the right muscles, is best most of the time. Bouncing in and out of movement (esp relying on your joints to do the work)... is usually bad bad bad. Resting appropriately can allow you to squeeze more juice out of your exercises. Make sure you understand the game plan. If you're like me, you want to squeeze out as much of your potential as possible.
I schedule workouts, set alarms, find workout buddies, clock splits, do my PT, track my protein etc. I have systems. I optimize. So when I read from Brad Stulberg's new book on Excellence (bc duh, isn't reaching your potential all about excellence??)... I was shocked he said Excellence is not optimization. Wait... WHAT?! "Optimization lends itself to predictability and efficiency, working like a machine..." Yes, systems... got it. Love it. "...Excellence requires curiosity and exploration..." Oh crap, something about that feels right. "Excellence is the opposite of mechanical. It is distinctly human, alive, and full of feeling" What does that mean for us as runners?
Just don't tell my calendar that. And now an exercise form tip. If you have any suggestions, please let me know! Struggle with foot placement when you do Rear Foot Elevated Split Squats aka Bulgarian Split Squats, try this tip from another Coach Meg. Sit on the box, step, chair, or bench. Stretch out both legs. Leave one leg forward. This will be the front foot. Slowly balance to stand up and put your other leg up. Ta-da! ***My intern told me it's time to put out some new programs...
So coming soon:
Onward! The internet can be a tough place. There's a LOT of information and not a lot of fact checking or adjusting for nuance. Every once in a while I'll see someone site a study like this. Because when you're trying to grab attention (and who online isn't?)... It's easy to say something against the grain. Even if the sample sizes, testing period, and unknown weights would completely alter (and likely negate) the results. So if you ever read a headline that feels off, feel free to email me and tease out the truth and/or significance of the study. Oh and strength train. For more than a few weeks. With heavy (80%+ of your max) weights. And now an exercise form tip. If you have any suggestions, please let me know! Don't feel the hammie stretch when you do Deadlifts? If you don't feel the stretch, it's hard to feel the squeeze and easy to compensate in weird ways. So... trying putting a book or small circular weight underneath your toes as you Deadlift. Not enough to throw you off balance, just give an extra little stretch. |
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