S3 - E11: Stop Playing It Safe
Stop Playing It Safe
It’s crazy how our mindset can change over the season. A few weeks ago, we were talking about how to temper our early efforts and progress our race and run by feel. Here at the end of the season we’re pushing the gas pedal down and seeing what’s in the tank. With so many races under our belt by October - we’re confident where the tipping point of comfort and discomfort are. However, I find that when an athlete really wants to dig in on something and it becomes important to them - all of a sudden they are more willing to step outside their comfort zone.
The Comfort Zone
It’s a fickle thing - some races you’re fully engaged and riding that line and living just outside that zone. You’re locked in and competing and you’re taking runners down one after another, gaining ground, and floating over the course. However, when you’re not in that place - you can find yourself falling back into your comfort zone and struggling to make any ground on your competition let alone getting out of the comfort zone. It’s the worst when you start out pushing hard thinking you’ve achieved escape velocity and you’re going to murder the competition only to get handed a piano that launches you back into comfort. It happens! My best advice - assess the why (pacing, heat, etc.) and move on - you have more ahead of you!
Playing it Safe when it matters most
If you’ve been listening for any amount of time - you’ve heard me talk about racing for effort vs. time. I come back to the quote from Shannon Thompson that “time is only relevant after the race”. We assess ourselves and allow our community to assess our worth on our times far too often. So when we are at the end of the season and we are trying to make it to the next level of competition - we apply a similar pressure and we begin racing not to lose , instead of racing to compete. Not every state qualifying course is going to be fast and if you’ve got to sneak inside the Top 15 - time REALLY has no bearing. You need to put yourself in great position early and be willing to fight tooth and nail to defend it. It’s at the moment it gets hard where we have to choose momentary discomfort or future frustration. Am I willing to suffer enough right now so I can race at the next level? That’s a choice only you can make
Closing Statement
Thanks for supporting Season 3 of Jog Your Mind. I was hoping to have some confirmed details about an upcoming project to share with this episode. This project is the reason why we likely won’t see an episode 12. If you’re curious about that project keep your eyes pinned to @peakperformancerunning and @coachsimmonsruns for updates. These little labors of love are a great outlet for me and fun way to communicate with all of you about how to be the best version of you. How to race at your best and how to think through the problems that every athlete experiences.
What’s Next?
I will be putting this project into hibernation for a few months - emerging with new ideas and experiences from 3.5 months of daily coaching, training, and racing with some of the best kids in the USA. I look forward to bringing the insights I gain back to all of you in future episodes. I’ll see you all next in 2025!
-Coach Andrew
