LOLZLetter Edition 22| Rolling with the Race Day Punches
Welcome Back or Welcome to the 22nd Edition of the Newsletter.
Thank you everyone who has subscribed, read, or shared. Right now, there are 880 subscribers and my goal is to have 1000 subscribers by the end of the summer. The internet link is here and sharing is what keeps it free.
I’m writing to you from the greater Virginia Beach area where I grew up. I spent the weekend celebrating my 29th birthday with my family, and it was great. I haven’t lived in Virginia for nearly six years now and wow time flies!
It was a big race weekend for me and I competed in the Allen Stone Run-Swim-Run (my first swimming event since 2013) and Run for the Toilets. Both didn’t disappoint. While neither were PRs, I had a great time doing both.
After asking Instagram and Twitter followers what they would like to read about this week, a few people were interested in knowing about what to do when “race day doesn’t go as planned.”
The more I thought about it the more I realized that this is the reality for many races. When someone asks me my favorite distance, I have never once said the marathon. That’s because it isn’t! My favorite distance is 5k or maybe a half. If you have a lousy 5k, then you can still have a good one the next week. You can even race a bad half and a good half in the same month. Marathons are not like that though. You put hundreds of miles of training over a period of months just for one day – one day that could be your day or one day that might not be.
What Can You Do If Race Day Isn’t Going the Way you Hoped?
Roll with the Punches and Control what You Can Control:
Hint: You can’t control everything.
First and Most Importantly: Run the Race that Happens:
No matter the distance, race day rarely goes 100% as planned. Whether a 5k is 30 minutes delayed or it pours rain through a marathon.
If the weather isn’t great, adjust your goals and run your race for that day. In Boston 2018, most people weren’t running to PR; they were running because it’s Boston! You’re there!
If your body doesn’t feel good that day, it’s alright. Run for how you feel. I’ve had a dozen races where I thought, “this is the day I PR!” And guess what? It wasn’t. I wasn’t injured or hurt, but my body didn’t feel great. Those are the days you have to look at other factors as well: have you been sleeping well, getting the right nutrition, stressed? They all factor into your race.
You can only control so much on race day and you can’t worry about what you can’t control.
Stay Calm:
Staying calm in any situation is almost always easier said than done. But remember, at the end of the day we can only do our best.
Our best for our fitness…
Our best for the day…
Our best.
(And not what social media thinks you can do)
You are your biggest critic, and no one is more invested in your running than you.
So instead of getting frustrated with what is happening in the race, stay calm and relaxed. Take five minutes away from the race to reevaluate your goals and motivations. Regroup and move on with your new plan of action.
Not Every Race Will be a PR:
As someone who races a lot, I can say first hand that not every race will be a PR. Not even half of the races will be. So it’s essential to focus on the training cycle as well. In fact, the training cycle is more important.
Ask yourself: Did you grow as an athlete through your training? Did you get stronger? Did you feel stronger? Did you enjoy the training cycle? Will there be another race (of course there will be!)? Are you happy with how you ran the race for that day?
Many runners expect every race to be “your day.” Sadly, that isn’t the way it works. The more races you run the more times the race won’t go as planned whether from bad weather or your body not feeling great.
We simply have to realize that every sport has its highs and lows and that we can truly enjoy our dedication to our performance rather than just the outcome.
Decide you Want to Take the Race Easy and Find Another Race:
If you feel like something is off in the days leading up to a race, begin to think about your race strategy sooner rather than later.
Maybe your body hasn't felt well…
Maybe the weather forecast is suggesting extremely hot or wet weather…
Whatever the circumstances, don’t hesitate to reevaluate your strategy. Are you able to run this race easy and then find a new goal race in a few weeks or months?
That happened to me in Carlsbad in January. Originally, I signed up for the race hoping for a PR. But my body never got in the shape I wanted; instead, I focused on enjoying myself. I had a great vacation and a great trip.
What’s Keeping Me Entertained:
By now, you’ve heard of the US Women’s dominance in the World Cup. I can’t get enough of the articles, and they’ve kept me entertained all week.
Megan Rapinoe embodies all the swagger, fearlessness of the US World Cup team
U.S. Women’s Soccer Games Outearned Men’s Games
Yes, the US women's soccer team is dominant. That's because most of the world is playing catch-up
The U.S. Women's National Soccer Team Wins the ESPY Award for Best Team After World Cup Victory
On a separate note, I found this piece written by Amelia Boone on her lifelong eating disorder and how she is recovering. Amelia is one of the best athletes in the world, and the honest account of her struggles with food and mental illness is powerful.
Giveaway Winner:
The winner of last week’s giveaway for the Nathan Peak Waist Pack with Insulated Speedraw Flask is Sara L. who shared on Facebook. Congratulations, Sara!
This Week I’m Fundraising:
There isn’t a giveaway this week because I want to highlight an organization that is important to me. On Saturday, July 20th, 2019, I'll be running the Teterboro 5k to support Homes for Our Heroes, a group whose mission it is to build safe, affordable housing for military families!
My goal is to raise $500 before Saturday and I’m within $100 of reaching that. Homes for Our Heroes supports military families in a way that really matters, and as a military spouse, I want to do everything I can to support them!
Here is my fundraising page if you are interested in donating or sharing. There is no donation to small and it truly means a lot. There are currently 880 subscribers and everyone donated $1, it would be $880.
All proceeds go to Homes for Our Heroes.
Finally, I appreciate every single email you send me and try to respond to each message. Any feedback, good or bad, is always helpful! Is there a specific topic you want to see more about? Don’t be a stranger, and let me know!
You can email me at FueledbyLOLZ@gmail.com.
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