Just Another Day in Studville...

Is isolation my kryptonite?

With teammates either away on vacation with their families (at secret training camps?) or nursing a mysterious injury I was left to do my long run yesterday alone. Woe is me. But an interesting thing happened on that 20 miler that deserves a little discussion. With neither a running partner to talk with nor an iPod to listen to you would expect it to be quiet. But afterwards I realized that it was too quiet. Something was missing from my run but I couldn't quite figure it out right away.
Now normally when we run as a group I can voice my opinions on matters in more than one way. Sometimes its with choice words, sometimes through grunts. Butt sometimes my backside offers a burst of insight. A rebuttal, some might say. Since this backfire may catch some off guard I try to warn them with a little "Fire in the hole!" Sometimes you'd swear I could singlehandedly perform the entire 1812 Overture! Anyway, its a gift. And I think the others are jealous. Lately I've noticed Art getting in on the act and feeling comfortable expressing himself in our group setting. And why not? His first name conveniently rhymes with the act. Good for him. Personally I think its great to get it out there in the open. Share with the world, I say.
And that is what was missing from my solo run yesterday. One would think that with the dinner I had the night before there would have been something. Nada. I failed to entertain myself with a single for 2.5 hrs. You don't think... Could it be? Perhaps I can only perform for an audience? Do those guys actually bring out the best in me? Is the secret to my superpowers really the COMPANIONSHIP after all?
Hurry back guys, the sounds of silence are killing me. I have some things to share with you.

Declaration

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one to reduce the amount of pressure being placed upon oneself, and to prioritize the aspects of one's life in relation to their duties and responsibilities they should declare a new focus.
I, therefore, announce my intentions to not seek a personal best time at the Colchester Half Marathon as I previously intended. Rather, I will continue training to a certain degree to run a respectable and true Boston Marathon. I still intend to run the aforementioned half marathon in February but with no pressure placed upon myself.
By eliminating the pressure of training hard to achieve a certain time I am granting myself more leeway to handle personal and professional goals. This change in focus is a direct result of new goals for 2008. Intensive training and setting PRs will be placed on hold until I can accomplish more important personal goals.
There is only so much pressure one can place upon oneself. Some things have to give.

Thoughts on the "Feed the Warrior" Concept

I say "Bravo!" to Rick's latest post on "Feeding the Warrior".  Jay and I joked about it a little bit during the run this morning, but I have admittedly been kicking the concept around in my head since then.  At first I thought it might be another unique apporoach to diet and nutrition, but now I can see that it goes a bit deeper than that.  By the way, you might be a bit disappointed when you see the Nike commercial that this idea is based on.  It's actually pretty funny, but it's just not one of those dramatic Nike ads that leaves you whispering, "Wow" and desperate to get your running shoes on and do some training.

My interpretation of this concept is that the human psyche has, essentially, two different identities; the warrior and the coward.  The term "Kill the Coward" comes up in the commercial, but maybe "Starve the Coward" fits better (it's just that "kill the coward" sounds better in a TV commercial).  In other words, the message is to re-direct your time, effort and energy (the "food", so to speak) away from your inner-coward and send it to your inner-warrior.  The inner-coward is the guy that thrives on food in the form of sleeping more than you need to, eating junk food, mindlessly watching too much TV, putting little or no effort into training, etc.  To put it another way, the coward loves to take it easy and avoid the effort, discipline and sacrifice required to pursue ambitious goals.  Meanwhile, the inner-warrior is the guy who is all business, a man on a mission who does not fear challenge and is continuously desperate to leave the comfort zone.  He craves just the opposite of what the coward craves...a disciplined and focused approach to achieving goals and spending the time and effort to take the necessary steps.

The "warrior" image is something that obviously appeals to battle-hardened distance runners.  But this is a concept that can apply to other areas of life.  Like our careers, families, and other non-athletic endeavors.  Whether you want to break your PR in the 5K or hit a certain income level next year, you need to neglect the inner-coward and empower that inner-warrior.  Feeding the warrior and starving the coward is just a great all-around metaphor.  And Lance Armstrong is the perfect real-life embodiment of that warrior image.  Or Rick O'Toole, of course!

So...go ahead.  Kick that coward in the teeth and feed that warrior!