As you may already know, I hit a bit of a rut with my training a few weeks ago. Before the bout got better, it got worse…by a lot. Eventually I did nothing — no swimming, no biking, no running. I was pretty low on motivation. I couldn’t get friends to join me. I was also under a lot of stress. I remember reading somewhere in Runner’s World magazine about Kara Goucher‘s book that was published awhile back (Kara Goucher’s Running for Women: From First Steps to Marathons). It was geared towards women runners and was said to be a great resource, so I dusted off my nook, bought the book, and began reading.
I spent one weekend devouring the book. I couldn’t put it down! The three sections that I found most helpful included:
- Balancing running with family and work: she gave tips and first hand advice on how to manage different commitments, deal with setbacks and guilt, and the positive reinforcement system
- Finding the right training program for you: understanding that everyone has strengths at different distances and that you don’t have to race to be a runner
- Building a successful support team: how to speak to your loved ones, friends, and family and help them help you during training, even if they can’t run every step alongside you
As I flipped through the pages, what was most helpful was that her authentic voice came through. It was incredibly genuine. It didn’t feel like I was getting advice from a world class Olympian. It felt like I was getting advice from an older sister.
My favorite piece of training advice: run three days a week. The three runs should include one easy day, one hard day, and one long day. Anything else outside of that is just gravy. With that mentality I’ve been able to schedule my runs in a lot easier, and it takes less mental preparation if I’m not so busy worrying about times, pacing, distance, route, etc. Easy/Hard/Long. Super simple!
Pick it up! My rating: 10/10
Amara in Training 