Free your mind and the rest will follow

A good run after work last night before heading out for dinner with some of the girls from my training group.

It was a bit cool yesterday and I must have looked weird standing out the front of my office waiting to cross the road clapping my hands and psyching myself up. In all though it was perfect running weather and I got a steady 8Km in, 41:32, average pace 5:11

I am about a quarter of the way into my new book at the moment and it is a great read, I am going to quote from it so had better credit the source:
Running Within - A guide to mastering the mind-body-spirit connection for ultimate training and racing by Jerry Lynch and Warren Scott

I marked one page in particular because I reckon it pretty much sums me up
Persistence
....deliberate, slow cultivation is the path to success and good fortune. Realising your goals and attaining success are the by products of persistence and perspiration. Talent accounts for a mere 5 percent of most achievements. Those runners who appear to have much talent were once struggling beginners. It was persistence and hard work that led them to achievement and excellence.

.....Becoming proficient as a runner requires years of training and persistence through setbacks. It usually takes about 5 years of consistent training before you come into your own as a runner. However ,know that you continue to improve for at least 10 years from the moment you initiate a running program, no matter how hold you are when you start (unless you are 80 LOL, my words here) Naturally this assumes you are committed to a seasonally and yearly progressive training program. Every dog has his day; you just need to keep at it. The problem with many good athletes is that they are willing to give up just as the palm trees of the oasis begin to appear on the horizon. Giving up is not part of the warrior's lexicon; persistence and consistency in training are.

Ok, the warrior stuff is a bit OTT, in fact the whole chapter is called Exhibiting the Warrior Within, a wee bit daggy, but some excellent advice in the whole chapter. Though I don't completely agree with the talent accounting for only 5%, there is no disputing that at the elite level talent is an enormous factor. Having said that there is also no doubting that to rely on talent alone is a fools errand and that those guys and gals work damn hard. Now back to me, who's to say that I can't have my own piece of personal glory if I work hard. I was going through a brief period where I was starting to feel like a bit of a doofus, maybe taking it all a bit too seriously, started telling myself "it's not like you will ever be any good". I checked myself pretty quickly though, why would I bother spending over 6 hours a week training if I was going to take that shit attitude, what a waste of time!

So I think the positive thinking is stating to take hold, I had one of those vivid dreams this morning that really stick, you know the ones you have in that semi awake state in the early morning before you are fully awake. I'll keep it brief, hearing about other people's dreams can be tedious - I was lined up for race, the gun went off and I was running very comfortably, next thing I knew we were working up a huge hill and I found myself lugging a big heavy bag, then the hill turned downwards and I felt free again, I rounded a corner and there were 2 girls waiting for me dressed in normal clothes who started running with me. We got to the finish line and they backed off. I said something about how they should kick on, they had been way ahead of me. I can't remember what was said but one the girls spoke and the intimation was that it was my race to run and I should take it, so I crossed the line and I had won.

Some pretty transparent and obvious symbolism there I think, my subconscious must have decided not to bother being subtle and just bash me about the head with it instead ;-)

Anyway, I think I have rambled on enough here, well done to anyone who saw it through to the end.

No running today, it is my rest day, will be catching up with some Ausrunners for a run tomorrow morning, we have a NZ visitor so looking forward to showing off one of my regular haunts around The Tan and along the Yarra.