Being Present In Your Training

Do you head out for a run, throw on the iPod and get ready to zone out?  Or jump into the pool with the sole purpose being to escape the horrible day you've had?

No doubt, there are many worse things one can do instead of working out, in order to de-stress.  Nothing wrong with that!

However, if that is your only MO every time you work out, you may be missing something.

If you're an athlete who is training with specific time or performance goals in mind, you'll see far more advancement if you're in the moment when you're training.

I used to run with music all the time.  It was my husband, who had just started running Ultra Marathons around the time we started dating, that introduced me to the idea of 'just running'.   Now, after several years of serious training, with a serious coach and resulting much faster performances, the idea of running with music is far less than appealing, to say the least.

When I'm running, I'm thinking of so many things, that to add music would be a frustrating distraction.

What's my cadence, my heart rate, my stride length, my RPE, my pace, just to name a few things, are what I'm thinking of.  In addition, just being aware of what a gift it is to be able to run, to have a healthy body, to be able to push myself to go deep… so many things to be thankful for.

Keep it in mind.  Do your zone-out workouts when you need them, but also remember to include those sessions when you're so in the moment, there's nothing else aside from your feet hitting the trail…

It's a beautiful thing!