Commitment
Recently I
was driving to an early morning group session when I noticed
that summer was slowly disappearing and what was daylight at the
very same time only a few weeks ago was now pitch dark. It made
me aware of the challenges that early morning runners face as
the days grow shorter.
Mottram
would be treated the same
I have a
thriving running group in Brisbane and I believe one of the main
reasons it is so successful is that every runner is treated
equal. I always make a point of cheering as many runners as
possible throughout the group sessions. If Craig Mottram joined
us he would be welcomed as an additional member of the group,
nothing more.
The
majority of runners I am involved with have goals which they
wish to achieve so it’s therefore my responsibility to make each
runner aware of what is required to achieve their full
potential. Given the fact I treat each with equal respect all I
ask for in return is commitment.
PCRG - Group members are respected by how much an individual is
prepared to reach within, not by how long it takes to get from
A – B.
Every run
is an opportunity
The
combination of a realistic/achievable training program and a
genuine desire to achieve a goal should bring a level of
commitment allowing every scheduled run to be completed. Every
training run should be treated as an opportunity to become
fitter/stronger and also a way to achieve a better quality of
life. The dark cold mornings can test us though.
Commitment
- Motivation - Commitment
One of the
most common obstacles effecting commitment that runners seem to
come across is an occasional lack of motivation.
I recall a
story about
Douglas Wakiihuri (87 World Marathon Champion). Douglas had
a poster of himself winning a race, hanging on a wall in his
bedroom. One may be excused for thinking that this is the
obvious sign of a vane individual however when asked why he had
a poster of himself displayed, Douglas advised that when he sees
it he is reminded of what it is like to win.
Yes, even
the most supreme runners occasionally need to be reminded why
they should knock out those km’s.
Locking in
an imaginary training partner is something I have often
mentioned and the following words came from Tony when he was
confronted with weighing up the options:
When I woke up this morning there were few things I wanted to do
less than get out of bed and go through an hour of pain. I had
actually convinced myself that I had a busy day at work and that
I was sore from the weekend and could do with the rest and
rolled over to go back to sleep. All of this was probably true,
but somewhere deep in the back of my head though I couldn't get
the mental image of a friend putting on a pair of shoes and
getting ready for the run. This was what made me drag my butt
out of bed (albeit late) and get myself to training which ended
up in an unlikely PB.
Chances are you are at the start of your campaign and it’s
totally up to you to lock in the level of commitment you are
going to adopt.
Prepare for
the journey ahead
Douglas and Tony prepared well for the journey ahead with
motivating reasons to overcome their weak side. I hope that you
do the same, as life is something you only get one shot at and a
degree of commitment is essential if you wish to achieve your
goal in distance running.
Walk the talk, for the desire to achieve your goal is
meaningless without the commitment to prepare.
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