Why training is important?
I can't believe I have to write this. But I think common sense is not that common. Or is it, but people just choose to ignore it and just something stupid anyways?
Yes, I am always yammering about David Goggins and how he ran his 1st 100 miler 3 days after signing up for it. That was his determination and his drive. Do you know what happened to him?
He broke both his feet. All the bones in his feet. And his shins. And he had renal failure.
Just because he is a really tough human being, he finished 100 miles and then he was out of commission.
And he did that once, because he had to. Do you know how he trained for most of his life?
He used to wake up at 3 AM in the morning. Run 15-20 miles. Then bike 40 miles to work. Run 10 miles at lunch. Bike 40 miles back. And run 5 miles. And then hit the gym and go to sleep at 12. Every. Single. Day. (He went "long" on weekends, wonder what that was like.) Killian Jornet trains 1200 hours an year.
I don't expect people to be David Goggins or Killian Jornet. I don't expect people to train as hard. I tried to coach a few but it just frustrated the hell out of me. My coaches have had a problem with me doing more and more. I can understand missing 1 week of training because of sickness or missing a day or two because you are unwell. I welcome that. I always encourage listening to the body.
But do you know why you train? Why it is important to get out of bed and actually put in the hours?
So that when race day comes, things don't come to you as a surprise. It's like studying for an exam. You can pass and even get good marks once, if you go for an exam without studying. But then you're forgoing the biggest point of education. You study for the knowledge. You study so that you know what you are talking about.
Do you remember that person at your workplace or school who repeats the last 3 words of your sentence to act like he/she knows about the topic?
That's the person who studied because it was a chore and not because it meant something. Not everyone reads books or articles, but when you do just because they are there and then a group of intelligent adults talk about the topic and you make a valuable contribution to the conversation rather than the last 3 words, you feel good about yourself. And I think isn't self improvement the whole point of life?
Not everyone likes the idea of waking up early and doing their Sunday long run. My training partner, who is an amazing athlete said to me last Sunday that a part of her wants to be like the other women, who are having coffee at the restaurants, taking their kids for a walk and enjoying life. But the other part of her, which is a competitive being knows that this won't get her anywhere. So she trains. (I have no dog in this fight, I am a maniac who loves to wake up early in the morning and run a lot, because I love to suffer. I am a masochist).
And do you think it is fun to be in pain afterwards, groaning and walking up and down steps like John Wayne?
No. It is miserable. Try to run in 5 degrees weather with the wind blowing in your face, when everyone else is comfortably asleep.
But we do it anyways. Because when it comes to race day, we are prepared. Things won't come to us a shock. Yes things might go wrong, but we'll be prepared for it. Obviously we'll take to social media and complain about it, otherwise how can you justify all that training and that time, right? *wink wink*. But then every race becomes a lesson and you change your training according to the lessons and then you do stuff better the next time.
My 1st Ironman I trained 6 hours on the trainer and couldn't climb because hills aren't on trainers. (Not the cheap one I had). So this time I trained on real hills and for more hours facing the winds. And no matter what happened during the race, I still did pretty well. It was a tough day, not a time I was expecting but I didn't falter and made it despite tough conditions. And I know what I did wrong during training and I can better it.
And we train because our race results matter to us. Finisher's medal is not enough. We compete with ourselves and bettering ourselves. If you do sign up for a race months in advance and then don't train for it, you are the idiot. And if you follow through with it, once it's fine. Twice, you're pushing it. But if that's all you're doing then you'll just end up with irreparable injuries and mate, you've got some serious issues and should seek professional help.
You don't need to do a race to prove yourself to people. First of all, you don't need to prove yourself to people at all. But even if you're trying to prove something to yourself, you don't need to do a race.
What you need in life is the discipline rather 1 day of masochist behaviour followed by a long social media post. You can keep doing that and people will buy into your bullshit every time, till you really get hurt from it and then life your whole life in a retrospective flashback.
If you don't train, you're not even getting the essence of the sport. If it is fame and fortune you want for your achievements, you've got to work hard for it. Nomads in deserts too walk hundreds of miles. The sport is called "Running" for a reason. There is a separate sport called "Walking" and they "walk" 50k in 3 hours and 30 minutes.Training in silence is just a part of the whole experience. I run because I love to run and I love the happiness I get from it. If you are investing in a part of your life, if you're investing time and money in something, technically you should be make an effort towards making it worth your while!
And if you give me that weak ineffectual crap about how you can't find the time, then just shut up and turn the other way because I just can't relate to you. Even Mark Zuckerberg finds time to run everyday and he owns Facebook.
Just think about it. It's just logic and common sense. Like running fast, you just need to put one foot infront of the other really fast. And you can't do it for more than a particular duration of time if your body is not used to it. No amounts of race day nonsense will make you any faster. Training for the race day nonsense will.
Yes, I am always yammering about David Goggins and how he ran his 1st 100 miler 3 days after signing up for it. That was his determination and his drive. Do you know what happened to him?
He broke both his feet. All the bones in his feet. And his shins. And he had renal failure.
Just because he is a really tough human being, he finished 100 miles and then he was out of commission.
And he did that once, because he had to. Do you know how he trained for most of his life?
He used to wake up at 3 AM in the morning. Run 15-20 miles. Then bike 40 miles to work. Run 10 miles at lunch. Bike 40 miles back. And run 5 miles. And then hit the gym and go to sleep at 12. Every. Single. Day. (He went "long" on weekends, wonder what that was like.) Killian Jornet trains 1200 hours an year.
 |
| This guy is just magic. |
I don't expect people to be David Goggins or Killian Jornet. I don't expect people to train as hard. I tried to coach a few but it just frustrated the hell out of me. My coaches have had a problem with me doing more and more. I can understand missing 1 week of training because of sickness or missing a day or two because you are unwell. I welcome that. I always encourage listening to the body.
But do you know why you train? Why it is important to get out of bed and actually put in the hours?
So that when race day comes, things don't come to you as a surprise. It's like studying for an exam. You can pass and even get good marks once, if you go for an exam without studying. But then you're forgoing the biggest point of education. You study for the knowledge. You study so that you know what you are talking about.
Do you remember that person at your workplace or school who repeats the last 3 words of your sentence to act like he/she knows about the topic?
That's the person who studied because it was a chore and not because it meant something. Not everyone reads books or articles, but when you do just because they are there and then a group of intelligent adults talk about the topic and you make a valuable contribution to the conversation rather than the last 3 words, you feel good about yourself. And I think isn't self improvement the whole point of life?
Not everyone likes the idea of waking up early and doing their Sunday long run. My training partner, who is an amazing athlete said to me last Sunday that a part of her wants to be like the other women, who are having coffee at the restaurants, taking their kids for a walk and enjoying life. But the other part of her, which is a competitive being knows that this won't get her anywhere. So she trains. (I have no dog in this fight, I am a maniac who loves to wake up early in the morning and run a lot, because I love to suffer. I am a masochist).
And do you think it is fun to be in pain afterwards, groaning and walking up and down steps like John Wayne?
No. It is miserable. Try to run in 5 degrees weather with the wind blowing in your face, when everyone else is comfortably asleep.
But we do it anyways. Because when it comes to race day, we are prepared. Things won't come to us a shock. Yes things might go wrong, but we'll be prepared for it. Obviously we'll take to social media and complain about it, otherwise how can you justify all that training and that time, right? *wink wink*. But then every race becomes a lesson and you change your training according to the lessons and then you do stuff better the next time.
My 1st Ironman I trained 6 hours on the trainer and couldn't climb because hills aren't on trainers. (Not the cheap one I had). So this time I trained on real hills and for more hours facing the winds. And no matter what happened during the race, I still did pretty well. It was a tough day, not a time I was expecting but I didn't falter and made it despite tough conditions. And I know what I did wrong during training and I can better it.
And we train because our race results matter to us. Finisher's medal is not enough. We compete with ourselves and bettering ourselves. If you do sign up for a race months in advance and then don't train for it, you are the idiot. And if you follow through with it, once it's fine. Twice, you're pushing it. But if that's all you're doing then you'll just end up with irreparable injuries and mate, you've got some serious issues and should seek professional help.
You don't need to do a race to prove yourself to people. First of all, you don't need to prove yourself to people at all. But even if you're trying to prove something to yourself, you don't need to do a race.
What you need in life is the discipline rather 1 day of masochist behaviour followed by a long social media post. You can keep doing that and people will buy into your bullshit every time, till you really get hurt from it and then life your whole life in a retrospective flashback.
If you don't train, you're not even getting the essence of the sport. If it is fame and fortune you want for your achievements, you've got to work hard for it. Nomads in deserts too walk hundreds of miles. The sport is called "Running" for a reason. There is a separate sport called "Walking" and they "walk" 50k in 3 hours and 30 minutes.Training in silence is just a part of the whole experience. I run because I love to run and I love the happiness I get from it. If you are investing in a part of your life, if you're investing time and money in something, technically you should be make an effort towards making it worth your while!
And if you give me that weak ineffectual crap about how you can't find the time, then just shut up and turn the other way because I just can't relate to you. Even Mark Zuckerberg finds time to run everyday and he owns Facebook.
Just think about it. It's just logic and common sense. Like running fast, you just need to put one foot infront of the other really fast. And you can't do it for more than a particular duration of time if your body is not used to it. No amounts of race day nonsense will make you any faster. Training for the race day nonsense will.
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