BE
POSITIVE
A number of
years ago I was traveling by bus into Rome. I was chatting to
Nick De Castella (Rob’s brother) and told him about a story I
viewed on a recent 60 minutes program. The story was about the
gypsy kids in Rome who swarm a tourist in masses causing
confusion & then proceed to pick pocket the tourist. I was
sharing this story with Nick just so we would be aware & be on
the lookout when we arrive.
The power of positive thinking
Nick was, and
no doubt still is, into positive thinking and using one’s mind
to the fullest advantage. Nick advised me that if I continue to
think negative thoughts about having my wallet stolen by these
kids then chances are it will happen. “Yeah, sure Nick”.
About an hour
later we arrived in Rome. As soon as I stepped off the bus I was
swarmed by a number of kids. I was confused and then all of a
sudden alarm bells rang ‘60 minutes, gypsy kids’. I immediately
went for my wallet inside my jacket only to find it was in the
process of being stolen. I “politely” asked the kids to leave
and spent the next few minutes hounded with “I told you so’s” by
Nick.
"GREAT"
Throughout my
running career, dissimilar to the above mentioned occasion, I
always tried to maintain a positive frame of mind. Even if I was
feeling fatigued from training and racing, if I was asked how I
was traveling I would reply with “Great”.
Preparation for
an event will involve a number of low points. Chances are:
-
You will get sick and require a few days
rest.
-
You will get injured and require a few days
rest.
-
You will get run down/fatigued and require
a few days rest.
-
You will have a disappointing training
session or race along the way.
-
You will encounter priorities which will
involve missing a session or two.
All of the
above come with being mortal and you need to accept they WILL
occur. Falling into a negative state and totally ignoring the
three months of solid work you had put in prior to the
interruption will not only result in yourself being a pain in
the you know what around home or the work place but it will also
take longer psychologically to get back on deck.
Allow yourself
a bank of REST days
If you’re
running at the Gold Coast in July your campaign ideally will be
starting NOW. With 15 weeks to go allow yourself, on top of your
scheduled rest days, an additional bank of 10-15 REST days. If
you get to race day not having to call upon your REST day
reserves, it will be a bonus. If you used them up your
conscience will be clear.
Often the odd
enforced rest day does you the World of good. You will encounter
challenges during your preparation. It’s up to you how you
handle them. Possibly you could take the following quote into
consideration when need be.
“If life hands
you lemons, ask for tequila and salt”
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