GD

Thoughts from the day-

GD is not what you think it is... Nope.

Not the swearing. While I have been known to utter some choice words, this is not one of those times.

GD is now my nickname for our apartment. It stands for "Glorified Dorm-Room". It should probably be GDR but that variation loses a bit of the dramatic appeal. I am thankful and grateful for the place we have, but since both Derick and I have graduated from college we can not responsibly call the one room place we have a dorm room. It just doesn't work. But it stays warm and holds my two bearded wonders, so I am happy.

I think today was one of those days I also learned that sometimes it is ok to just dive into things and hope your body makes it. All you can do is inch toward whatever finish line is in front of you. But my boss at work sent me a cool article that I really liked. It reminded me of some of the things I used to do in college when I really didn't think I would be able to do the things I was going to have to do. And tonight I am too tired to write how I use my own version of this stuff to get me through those things :) Running a 10 mile long run was a scary scary thing and it took a lot of  "tricks" to get me through it...

Mind and Body Work Together

Seven mental tricks that can add miles to your running.
 By Megan Gorman Published 06/19/2007

You lying down? Find a couch, we've got a theory: So keen was Freud's understanding of the mind and how it relates to the body, that if the Father of Psychoanalysis had laced up a pair of Asics, he could have run forever.

Just a hunch--but no doubt one you've heard expressed in less extravagant forms a thousand times before. From a coach. Or your dad. Or even Bill Moyers. The gist: When it comes to physical performance of any sort, your mind and body work in tandem. Like runners on a relay, they produce as one. Sure, your legs will tend to snatch all the credit. But it's your brain that allows you to make it to the tape.

How? Your mind interprets and shapes into strategy the messages your body sends it. When you're tired, it decides whether you slow down, stop or speed up. When you're competing, it decides whether you falter at the finish or pull off the win. Given this interaction, coaches and scientists alike now believe your mind determines, to a large degree, how far and how fast you can run.

"We're not talking hocus-pocus here," says David Yukelson, Ph.D. "We're talking discipline, strategy."

Tricks.

You see, improving your performance by exercising your mind isn't really about being smart (Freud-smart, anyway); it's about developing smarts--tricks, if you will--for buoying up your body.

To run 10 miles instead of your usual 8? You don't have to go to med school. Or dive headlong into psychotherapy. All you really have to do is fully engage your brain at the same time you engage your body. Here are seven mental strategies to help you run longer and stronger.

Trick #1

Map out the run--in your mind.

Couch talk. In other words, visualize success. Create a mental map of a course that's always beaten you. Picture every uphill, every downhill, every shady stretch, every turn. Then run it, step by step, mile by mile, in your mind. This is your dress rehearsal.

"The idea behind visualization is to program your mind to respond a certain way in certain situations," says Andy Palmer, Ph.D. "By creating a mental picture of a difficult run, you're also creating a space for it in your brain--an awareness of it before you do it. By having this picture in place, your mind will have better control over your emotions as you run. And you'll have better control over your performance."

A physical plus: When it comes to the central nervous system, perception is reality. "All you have to do is imagine you're munching on a lemon, and your body chemistry actually changes," says Palmer. "So by visualizing your run, you're creating neuro-pathways that will someday allow your body to perform that run without conscious thought." Or pain.

Road action. A few minutes before you head out for a long run, lie down and visualize your performance--every facet of it. Watch yourself stretch your hamstrings, each Achilles, your calves. See yourself grab a quick drink. Feel the water hit your lips, your tongue, your throat, then follow yourself out the door. Watch yourself take your first step, cross the street, round the corner and stride down the alley. Feel a bead of sweat trickle down your forehead. Pass the oak, the school, the five-bedroom monstrosity. Feel your legs push powerfully as you climb steadily up the hill and the physical tension lift as you hit the crest.

Use as much stimuli as possible, recruiting all five senses. Pull in all the negatives and positives, the possible triumphs and defeats. Fully develop the picture (for the neuro-pathways). Finish with your final step. Then do it again.

And the rest of the article is here.

Stay hungry my friends. For the road is long and your feet need fuel.