Running Tip Tuesday #3

Hi friends!  Before I can give you the running tip for today, I want to share a fun little part of my Korean life.  (Context maybe or may not be one of my new top 5 strengths).

Before we moved to Korea, I rarely watched the Discovery Channel.  Okay, so I actually can't remember ever watching the Discovery Channel before moving to Korea.

Then we moved to Korea and our TV has about 3 channels that are in English: the FoxLife channel (America's Funniest Home Video 24/7 Channel), Fashion Channel (America's Next Top Model, Project Runway, etc...but it is only in English 50% of the time), and the Discovery Channel.  Oh there are also about 5 channels of CSI, NYCSI, Law and Order, CSI Miami, and any other show similar to those.  (This is why Koreans think that 99% of Americans own guns.)

So I watch the Discovery Channel once or twice a week now: Dirty Jobs, Man vs. Wild, Brew Masters, Dual Survival, Mythbusters, How's it Made, and Man, Woman, Wild.  For whatever reason, I usually end up turning on the TV right as Man vs. Wild is coming on.  Bear Grylls is amazing.  And he has taught me quite a few survival techniques (in case, you know, I get lost while running and must construct an overnight structure out of my water bottle and the piece of gum that I am chewing.)

Running Tip #3: Sometimes, it's all mental
So much of running is trying to stay positive mentally.  Right now, I don't have a running partner.  I run by myself everyday.  It is not always fun and it is not always easy (even when I do have a running partner, running is not always fun or easy.)  But I have learned (for the most part, I am still human) that the more positive I am about running, the better it goes.  If my alarm goes off at 5:30 and I lay in bed thinking about the cold, dark, lonely run I am about to go on...I don't want to go.  But if I remind myself that is less than an hour of being outside and I will feel better for getting up and getting the blood pumping, then I am more likely to get out of bed and go run.  Personally, staying mentally positive is most important during long runs and hard workouts.  I do not love the thought of running 18 miles (3 hours or so) all by myself.  

So back to the Bear Grylls/Discovery Channel thing.  I have heard Bear on several episodes talk about how postive mentality is so important to survival.  It is important if you can make fire from two sticks, but it is more important about how you react to your fire making attempts.

I think the same is true for running.  It is not always about covering the mileage or hitting your exact splits, some days it is about staying positive despite the cold, rain, wind blowing in your face, legs aching, just wanting to stop because you feel so tired (not that I have had any runs like that recently).

Happy Running!