Friday Ramble 07/22/22

This week: Mental preparation for mega training. Plus, making peace with yoga and having tater tots for dinner. 

There comes a point in every training cycle when the realization hits: You’re actually going to have to do the thing you signed up for several months ago. In my case, that’s a return engagement with the Vermont 50 in late September. 

It’s not quite crunch time, but it’s late enough to start getting serious. To put it another way, shit’s about to get real. Over the next seven weeks, I’m going to run more miles and train harder than I ever have in my life. At least, that’s the plan. 

As I sit here a few days before the physiological storm starts to roll in, there are a few things I can do to prepare my body for what it’s about to endure. Among them: sleeping 7-9 hours a night, dialing in nutritional habits, and staying on top of strength training without overdoing it. 

Those are all important factors, but perhaps the most important training element to develop in these quiet moments is a mental outlook that will carry me through the lows and help me appreciate the highs, all while maintaining some semblance of personal equilibrium throughout the entire process. Easy peasy, as my son likes to say. 

It won’t be easy, of course, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be done. Here’s how I’m preparing to channel my mental energy while testing my physical limits during this training buildup.