How to Get Psyched for a Workout

Without psyching yourself out

You see the words written in your training schedule – tempo, threshold, intervals, hills. Sweat begins to furrow your brow as your heart rate quickens and your muscles ache in anticipation. It’s once again time to throw down the gauntlet and see where your fitness stands with a workout. 

Running, Probably is all about meeting runners where they are, yet there does seem to be a dividing line between those who include workouts as part of their regular running repertoire, and those who don’t. 

Have no fear if you’re among the latter group. Many runners fall into the nebulous zone of accumulating miles without ever deviating from ‘their’ pace. That was me for many years because I didn’t know how, when, where, or why to incorporate workouts into my weekly routine.

This post is for those who do (or would like to) get after it on a regular basis. Rather than delve into training theory, we’re going to journey through our brain from prep to post-run where the goal will be clarity and focus in pursuit of performance. In the words of the prophet George Clinton: Free your mind and your ass will follow.