by Nicole Carson, Lace’N Up Coaching
When training, it is important to be patient. I have learned over the years that meaningful goals are not met in a week, a month or even a year. Time and patience are key. We each face challenges that make it more difficult to reach our goals: injury, illness, work, or just “life.”
When setting your dream goals, take it one step at a time. Set goals along the way to your main objective. This will help prevent injury, provide small wins and encouragement, and keep you sane. When setting out to train for your next event, lay out your timetable and plan accordingly. Set your goal with reasonable limits, including a reasonable timetable. Don’t launch your program with the hardest workouts, and don’t “load up” your program with miles to make up for an upcoming or past vacation. Plan your workouts with small increases, and plan time off/active recovery to stay fresh and prevent injury.
When you’re sick, it’s easy to get discouraged — especially since it is never planned. Sometimes being sick is our body’s way of telling us to slow down. Yes, sometimes you have to slow down in order to go forward! When sick, just relax and let the body heal. This does take some patience, we know! When you come back, take some small steps to build back up to where you were. You never fully lose what you have earned through your training. It’s in there. You just need to be patient, and come back slowly.
I believe life circumstances demand flexibility along with patience. Work, family, or even your own needs can change the day or week. When we create the flexibility to change our workout time or even our workout schedule to accommodate what life has thrown at us, we can accomplish our goals. The key is to remain focused on the big picture. That’s where a coach’s experience, expertise, and external point of view are so critical.
As a competitive runner, I have learned that nothing good comes easy, quickly, or by accident. As a coach, I’ve learned to help others focus and tap into their true potential. With time and progressive training you’ll become stronger, faster and even a little smarter about how to reach your goals –not only in running, but in life.
As always, I look forward to helping you reach YOUR goals.
Find out more about Lace’N Up Coaching at http://www.lacenupcoaching.com/