Be Ready and Willing to Respond to the Unexpected: Mental Attributes of Elite Runners #6/15

#6 — Be ready and willing to respond to the unexpected.

Man makes plans, and God laughs.

How you deal with the unexpected will make or break you in competition.

There are many runners who can run great workouts where the parameters are stable, clear and known ahead of time, but can’t deliver on race day. Delivering when it counts is not a right, it’s a privilege. Yes, you must be physically fit enough to show up and compete. Your training doesn’t promise results, only sets you up for them. How you respond to adversity in critical moments matters a lot.

Frank Shorter expected to go through rough patches on race day. He did not fear them because he also expected to come out of his rough patches. He knew they would happen, but not last forever.

Many athletes don’t do well when they hit a rough patch. The forget about the very real concept of “second wind” which is afforded to well-trained endurance athletes. The rough patch, nor following second wind, feels great, like being fresh. But this when you draw on the quality of your training beforehand to allow you to endure, push forward when it gets tough, and benefit from the slight reprieve the second wind offers you.

Those who are ready to maximize the window of opportunity their second wind affords them never regret it.

And those who crater to the rough patch never live down their frustration from opportunity missed.

During those rough patches, it may serve you well to remember sage advice from Bruce Lee: “ To hell with circumstances, I create opportunities.” 

Any questions? Direct Message me on twitter.

Thx. | jm