I love the point made by you + Emile Cairess. There are times I am running at a pace that feels good and easy, but then I’ll look at my watch and see my pace is “too fast” and I’ll immediately reel it in (unnecessarily so). Data is helpful but it can be self-limiting. There is value in turning your mind off and trusting how you feel in your body. Often we surprise ourselves :)
Yes, 100% I have had a number of athletes that have PR’d after forgetting their watch or having it die on them mid-race—forced them to trust themselves and explore what was possible on the day. To quote John Ngugi, multiple world cross-country champion, who, ironically, never raced with a watch: “Don’t waste good time.”
Katherine, and I'll add the opposite, where you feel like you are working hard, and the pace indicated subpar "too slow" performance. You are spot on, data is self limiting, and I'll add at times discouraging. You are right, turn off the "thoughts" and turn on the "feel".
Oh for sure - same here. The other day I was 30 seconds slower than my normal easy pace, so I told myself I gotta speed up. But my legs for some reason were like lead poles, and that was as fast as they wanted to go. So I rolled with it, probably not a bad idea in the end.
Enjoyed this issue! Popovich and Sheppard show great coaches prioritize results over popularity. Krupicka's insight that "life is in the doing, not in the being done" resonates deeply. Your podcast sounds packed with valuable running wisdom, and that Tired Tempo Run workout is genius for marathon training. Those Goo Goo Dolls lyrics clearly stuck with you for good reason. Keep logging those miles!
I love the point made by you + Emile Cairess. There are times I am running at a pace that feels good and easy, but then I’ll look at my watch and see my pace is “too fast” and I’ll immediately reel it in (unnecessarily so). Data is helpful but it can be self-limiting. There is value in turning your mind off and trusting how you feel in your body. Often we surprise ourselves :)
Yes, 100% I have had a number of athletes that have PR’d after forgetting their watch or having it die on them mid-race—forced them to trust themselves and explore what was possible on the day. To quote John Ngugi, multiple world cross-country champion, who, ironically, never raced with a watch: “Don’t waste good time.”
Katherine, and I'll add the opposite, where you feel like you are working hard, and the pace indicated subpar "too slow" performance. You are spot on, data is self limiting, and I'll add at times discouraging. You are right, turn off the "thoughts" and turn on the "feel".
To quote Bruce Lee: “Don’t think, feeeeeel.”
Oh for sure - same here. The other day I was 30 seconds slower than my normal easy pace, so I told myself I gotta speed up. But my legs for some reason were like lead poles, and that was as fast as they wanted to go. So I rolled with it, probably not a bad idea in the end.
I tell my athletes all the time: Easy is a feeling, not a number.
Thanks for the shout-out Mario! I love the variety of things that you are willing to include in this newsletter.
Appreciate you sharing that link!
Enjoyed this issue! Popovich and Sheppard show great coaches prioritize results over popularity. Krupicka's insight that "life is in the doing, not in the being done" resonates deeply. Your podcast sounds packed with valuable running wisdom, and that Tired Tempo Run workout is genius for marathon training. Those Goo Goo Dolls lyrics clearly stuck with you for good reason. Keep logging those miles!
No plans to stop! Thank you for the kind feedback.