When I first decided to run an ultramarathon, I checked out quite a lot of Brian McKenzies work called CrossFit Endurance. I wanted to continue with my CrossFit and only run once or twice a week. I believed it was achievable and reading his work convinced me.
Strength training is becoming more and more popular with running programmes; previously many coaches didn’t incorporate it into their plans. Because I love lifting weights so much, there was no chance I was going to put it to the side. In fact, I increased my weighted squats, lunges and mobility for my ankles and knees.
This morning after one of my bigger strength sessions, I was stretching on the floor and some writing on the sole of my shoe caught my eye - it said “get stronger everyday"
I had just spent the past hour thinking about how hard the last week had been. It had been physically and mentally draining. I was looking forward to the next 36 hours of rest.
Reading the words imprinted on the sole had me instantly think about how much this applied to life.
We go through life and usually we are either climbing the mountain, on top of the mountain, or coming down the other side. Sometimes we slip while we are going up, or full speed while we are going down. Often the times that we are climbing feel like they will never end, and occasionally the times at the top don’t feel long enough. But - as we journey, we grow, and get stronger.
I’m sure you’ve heard it said before that if we aren’t moving, we aren’t growing. even when we feel like we aren’t gaining at all, if we make it through another day, sometimes it’s all the progress that we can accomplish in that day - it’s still progress!!
The time under tension in the gym breaks the muscle down to bring it back stronger, just the same as the hard times we go through are sometimes going to feel like they’re breaking us down and pulling us apart, but we learn from it and rise up stronger. Sometimes all it takes from us is a small shift in our perspective.
Can I encourage you to remember in your training as well as your day to day that even the smallest movements forward are still progress? A minor shift when you feel like you’re physically or mentally in a slump, can drastically change the course if you allow it.