Sunday, March 3, 2013

Day 62: The Open Is upon us



WOD 1
20 Minute AMRAP of:
6 Deadlifts @ 225
7 Burpee Pull-ups
10 Kettle Bell Swings @ 70#
200M Run

-Rest 30 Minutes-

WOD 2
10 Minute AMRAP of: 
14 Hand Release Push-ups
7 Toes to bar

WOD 3
4 Mile Run



What do you think about when you're running? 

This is a question I got in response to one of my earlier blogs. Rather than have Coach Mike respond as I said would in the earlier post... I instead will respond. Please ignore any typos or grammatical errors as I did not proof read this. 

When you are running do you think about how tired you are? While running, do you think about how you should be running? Do you think about whether or not your stride is long enough? Do you think about whether or not you are going at a fast enough pace? Do you think about why you are running when you are running? Do you think about what you are going to do after you stop running? Do you think about that it was a bad idea to start running? Running is a rare activity because it is an activity that is pure reflectional (I am making up my own words now).   Running is one of the few activities in today's modern world where you don't have any distractions or influences from other objects such as the TV, Other people, etc. When running it is just you, and the path you take. 

With that said I will now answer the question. However I can only answer this question with regards to the runs I have already ran because of the fact that I do not pre-plan on having a certain mindset before going on a run and therefore cannot tell you what I will think on a future run. Running is one of the few things where I do not plan how I am going to do it. Running is one of the few times where I am actually free. When I get up and train for a CrossFit competition I create a plan for that day. When I get ready for school I create a plan. Everything in life requires some sort of plan. This is why when going on a run in the past I never had any plan or intentions (other that the distance). When running I have had infinite amounts of thoughts. Some thoughts are as follows: I am tired, why am I tired?, why am I running? How many other people are running? Why don't more people run? Am I running slow? ...basically anything related to running.

I have noticed in the beginning of a run most of my thoughts relate directly to running. After about a mile or so I notice my thoughts shift towards something else other than running. After a few miles I would catch myself thinking about random stuff that I would not have thought about but for running. In the past I have found myself studying while running. During the summer of 2011 I was studying hard for the Baby Bar that I was going to take and I would take study breaks to go run. Though this was a break from studying I would find myself studying as I was running. Definitions and legal concepts would flow through my thoughts during a 4 mile run. Before I knew it I had 4 miles completed. During the 4 miles I only thought about running maybe 4 or 5 times. 

On another occasion I had found myself reflecting on what I did that day, that week, that year. On another occasion I found myself thinking of goals that I would like to set for myself. On other occasions I thought of great ideas which I doubt I would have thought of if I hadn't have gone on that run. Bottom line is when I ran I did a lot of self reflection. 

These thoughts would not have been possible if I were not in good enough physical shape to be able to run for a long time comfortably. If I were out of shape when going on these runs then I am pretty sure that all I would be thinking about is running and how tired I am in some way or another. I have been running track and field for 75+ percent of my life and there was a time where I got sick of running. Running became a hassle and felt like a "job". For a while whenever I ran I would hate it because It reminded me of the pressure filled environment of training competitively for Track and Field for So long. 

CrossFit has helped me fall back in love with running because I am able to run comfortably for a long time without actually running more than 2 miles a week in CrossFit training. CrossFit has got me in the best shape of my life. I could say that my endurance running has improved dramatically since starting CrossFit. Before CrossFit and NoX training I would have to run 30+ miles a week to be at the running level I am currently at. As a result I am able to enjoy the long runs I do because I do not get tired when I do them. I mean I do get tired, but, not real 'tired' as I do during a CrossFit MetCon. The fitness that NoX Training and CrossFit has left me with results in allowing me to be free to think whatever I want without any competing thoughts on how tired I am. 

From your question I am assuming that running is a big burden and all you think about while running is how tired you are, and other thoughts that are defined as an internal mental war with yourself. I feel that many people feel that running is a big burden, is too hard, too boring, or something that involves all of these. Well, let me tell you, IT IS if you are not in the proper physical shape to handle it. Being in the proper physical shape to be able to run 5 miles at a decent pace will allow you to run with a FREE mind and you will not think about running. Running without thinking about how tired you are is a great thing because you are not distracted by the big distractions that Modern Day life has to offer (TV, INTERNET, ETC). In order to get to this point you will need to build up a 'base' of fitness to allow you to do this. For those of you who did not grow up running a lot, building a base will require lots and lots of running, and lots and lots of CrossFit. But let me tell you, getting to the point where you can run with a FREE Mind is worth it and there is nothing else like it! However I already know there are people out there that think runners are crazy and don't make sense when they explain why they run. Again, SICFITs motto has it right..."Those who know, Are." I could keep going on and on but don't want to write a whole novel and bore you...So this is where my run ends. 

Any other Questions?