Mind over matter....

this week was a great one all around. Over the week, I had great workouts, enjoyed spending time with my friends, had some good sucesses at work, have a great side project cooking along.....like most weeks, all I can say is Life is Good! The only thing I can complain about is the lack of snow! Mother Nature is being nasty to the skiers of the east. Last year at this time it was wonderful, this year, Ha! HA! Not gonna happen! Oh well, at least I am healthy and can go skiing when it finally does start to snow.
Tonight was a night of mental training! Mind over matter! As it is off season, doing nothing is always an option(within reason) After a day of running around I got home with the intent of going for a run. After wrapping up some loose ends for work I was ready to go. Then, my mind introduced the 'no, you can rest thought' I knew I was doing a long run in the morning, so could it be that bad to do nothing? Hmmmmm.....the battle went on for a short while. Then proper reasoning took over....off I went to get my gear on. I headed out with no real distance or plan in mind. In theory if I was on a plan, it would be tempo day. A good run faster than race pace. So I trotted off along my run. I found myself before long feeling not bad and sped along a little. Hmm, think maybe I should slow down, but, the mind took over. My yoga practice has taught me a bit about relaxing as I am running and allowing myself to relax more. So I continued along with a good focus. As I moved forward I found myself in a great groove with my mind taking over and allowing me to relax and push a harder pave than I have done in the past. I just kept pushing not letting my mind tell me different. It was a great result. My pave was just under 5 min/k. Faster than my last tempo and a little easier. I used my mind to push me harder without giving up rather than allowing it to defeat me and allowing me to sit at home!
It was a great lesson in mental training and one that I will carry forward with me! I am happy that I went out, the result was fantastic.
Remember the mind is a powerful thing, it will play all sorts of funky tricks on us. We chose to do an IRONMAN because we have the ability to direct and lead out thought process. As we work through the off season, dont let your mind rule your game, rest when you should, work when you should, have fun and take time to have a beer or tow once in a while. Hell,let me know where you are going and I will join you!
Have a great weekend! and remember, Live for your Dreams!

Good luck IM Cozumel folks!