Really the last post should've been a two-parter... the thought stream wasn't continued out to the end. Because I think the level of success that these ultra walkers have compared to their level of training can be extrapolated out for shorter distances.
I hear athletes all the time say they're not ready to hit certain times. They know what they're capable of doing and they don't believe they are capable of more. I remember one time I was doing a 5K fartlek. It was probably 5 years ago. I knew what kinds of times I had been doing and knew what to expect. I figured I'd probably be high 25 or low 26 minutes. I broke 25 minutes! I had never broken 25 minutes before, ever! I was sure there was something wrong with my watch, there had to be! I did it in the park off my Garmin, so maybe the watch was beeping weird. But I went the same distance I usually went. I was happy and excited, but figured there was still something "wrong" and I hadn't actually gone that fast. Then a week or so later I did it again! This time on the track so there was no doubt as to the distance. Again I broke 25! It was a huge break through for me. It caused me to have to readjust my mentality as to how fast I was. It was a wonderful problem to have, but one that took me a really long time to adjust to. I had been a certain speed for so long, now, suddenly thinking of myself as faster was a shock to my system.
Why was my first thought when I did that awesome workout that something was wrong? Why didn't I expect it? Obviously I was in shape for it, since I did it twice, why didn't I have that belief that I could pop one out and really do something great?
I love to read. I like to read all kinds of books (so recommendations are always welcome!) but I really love to read about the mental aspects of sports. I've read a lot of books on the subject. My local librarian (who happens to also be my friend) has helped me scour the library system for cool books to read. Some are pretty good, some are just so-so, but one stands out to me as the best I've read on the subject. I've had eight people read the book and everyone has said the book is awesome and some have called it life changing. It's called With Winning In Mind by Lanny Basham. Lanny Basham was a world and Olympic champion shooter (as in rifle shooting). He writes in an entertaining way that's easy to understand. Many books will tell you, "you have to set goals!" And that's it. Lanny tells you how to set goals. Many books will tell you, "you have to visualize!" And that's it. Lanny tells you how to visualize.
One thing he talks about is what your brain considers is "like you." You have an idea of what you yourself can do and are like. Once you decide what is "like you" it's very hard to break out of that. Possible, but you usually have to actively try to break out of it. For a long time it was "like me" to do a 5K fartlek in high 25 or low 26. I had probably been ready to break 25 for months, but had always held myself back. Obviously not on purpose, but how many times have you gone out in workout, gotten to the first 500 or 1K and said to yourself, oh, that's too fast, I won't be able to hold that pace? I was lucky that I was able to break out of that range and have my awesome workout. It started to teach me that I could expect more of myself (this was before I read the book and really understood the phenomenon better).
Back to 20K/50K/100mile training racing. People have decided, mentally, what types of training they need to be successful at various distances. And obviously you do need to train and train smart! But if you're just looking at the numbers, then a case could be made for people to almost never succeed at 100 miles. But people do succeed at 100 mile races all the time. Why? Because they know it's "like them" to do it! They know they can do it! Why can't we have that same belief in everything we do? I'm not talking going towards completely unrealistic goals, there has to be a semblance of realism in there. I'm not suddenly going to say I'm going to break 20 minutes for the 5K (I mean race walking, I can run faster than that). But why not reach for the stars? One of my favorite words of wisdom I've heard is to reach for the stars, you might just hit the moon, because if you reach for the moon you might only hit the clouds. Why not reach that extra bit? Why not believe you can achieve it? When I first started working on 50K my coach never thought I was going to do them as fast as I did. My first "real" one he thought I'd be lucky to be around 5:15, I was 4:57. He thought it'd be quite hard for me to hit the Olympic Trials qualifier of 4:45, I was 4:42 and change, and that was three weeks after competing in the Portland to Coast relay. But I always believed I could do it, and I did.
What would happen if those around us believed in us just as much, if not more? What if we were surrounded with people saying, if you work hard, if you want it, if you give it all you've got, I believe you can do it? I love coaching newbies. They don't yet know what they "shouldn't" be able to do yet. They have no idea of what seems too fast, they don't know what their self-imposed limits are. They just go out and race and push and work hard. And sometimes you get these phenomenal results. The expectations aren't holding them back. We should all be like that. Who knows if today is your day to have a breakthrough race or workout! Again, you don't want to go crazy, but who knows! Are you holding yourself back? Many ultra people don't hold themselves back, they go for it. They race smart and they go after their dreams.
Make a deal with yourself to stop holding yourself back. Think about what things you have made "like you" and if you can change them. And read the book! I'll even make it super easy for you and link you to the amazon page...
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_15?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=with+winning+in+mind&sprefix=with+winning+in%2Caps%2C198
hopefully this link works... Read the book, learn from it, and believe and know that with hard work, focus, and perfect practice you can keep improving. I shouldn't still be getting faster at this age, but I am! People in USATF want some of us who are getting older to retire and stop trying to make open teams. How ridiculous! If I'm still getting better then who cares what my age is? Who's going to tell Yohann Diniz to stop because he's too old (he just broke the world 50K record and 20K record. Unfortunately he only held the 20K record for 6 days, but still! Oh, and we're the same age).
Next time you're looking at your workouts and you're looking at your times and you're looking at the numbers, don't forget what the numbers can't tell you.... what's in your head, what you believe, what you know is "like you" to do. Because that can overcome the numbers.
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