Friday, August 28, 2009

How to Run Long Distances - motivational advice from a teenage runner

I felt motivated to continue training for my upcoming Marine Corps Reserve Half Marathon when I watched a video from Runner’s World – the story ofMacKenzie Riford, 13, and her mom running the JFK 50-miler. MacKenzie ’s advice throughout the video is profound, but her last words are the best – “just get over yourself.”

I have found that much of my boundaries in running are self inflicted – I am too tired, too weak, it’s not possible to run that far, etc, etc.

Luckily for me, training has erased many of those thoughts. I can’t run two miles becomes I can’t run five miles and then my mind opens to maybe I CAN run ten miles, 13.1 miles, and more…

My body is capable of much more than I expect.

What is your best piece of long distance running motivational advice?


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2 comments:

  1. Break your long events/runs into manage-able sections and keep your mental focus on the current section or 'step'. The aid stations provide a great way to segment the event.

    "A journey of one thousand miles begins with a single step." - Lau Tzu

    Thank you for the video; it brought me right back to my 2008 JFK50. Looking forward to the event again this year.

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  2. Gee that made me cry. What an inspiration!

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