As I mentioned last week, I found some great info on the optimum heart rate level to train at for endurance sports. It is quite different from the high intensity trend that is popular today. Well I started it last week and I was very surprised at the results. Let me tell you all about it and then you can decide for yourself if you’d like to give it a whirl.
Challenges
I just recently began trying the barefoot method of running and I can say that I do like it a lot. I was open minded about trying it, but I wasn’t tied to the idea that I would love it. I’ve been using Merrell’s Barefoot Run Vapor Glove. As these are my first pair of minimalist running shoes, I don’t have anything to compare it to except traditional shoes. But I will give you my impressions of this brand of shoe and also tell you how I have made the transition.
Lately I’ve been running without music and focusing on my mind, using my run as an opportunity to reflect, plan my day, and practice positive thinking. I even developed my Heart Meditation while running. Today I want to share a mental focus theme that I used yesterday that was really helpful in motivating me, generating energy, generating a positive mindset, and passing the time.
Has your run become just another task on your to-do list that you need to check off so you can then do the next thing and the next and the next? Does it feel like a dreaded obligation? If so, you can change this and in doing so you can make running enjoyable, as it should be!
The last 2 days I ran later in the day than usual and boy my head felt like it was being melted in an oven. So today I decided to try the Bandana Cooler. It worked great! Here’s how to make one yourself. (Read all the way through to the end of the article for a funny anecdote.)
I’ve been so excited to write this article because I have found running mantras to be so helpful that I want to share them. Included here are mantras for beginning to experienced runners that will help increase your enjoyment, enhance performance, and keep you going when it gets tough. Click through to check these out!
Over time running gets easier.
Our heart, lungs and muscles get conditioned. We can go farther without stopping. And hopefully some of the jiggling of fat goes away which makes things a lot easier!
But it also stays difficult.
There’s the breathing. Heavy. Sometimes there’s the tired tree trunks, I mean legs. And then there is the ever challenging mental struggle of staying focused, not quitting, and gently pushing ourselves to do a little bit better.
But at the end of every run is the sweet satisfaction that makes it all worth it. So can we make the running part easier? Sometimes we can. This is what I’ve noticed.