Fab Fun Feb

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

A slight change to my schedule saw me sleep in this morning which meant my long run was cut short, which is a shame, but I still managed 1h40m, so I've completed two solid runs for the week, which is far better than nothing. I still feel underdone, and need a few weeks of solid base building, but fortunately time is on my side, at least for the moment. Although now that I look at it, that statement does sound a little ridiculous; contradictory, even.

I read a fascinating article today, about the findings of a study published in the Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology that investigated the effect of cognitive fatigue on physical performance among runners. What they found was that running really is a mental game; their studies revealed that runners when mentally tired actually do run worse even when all their other measurable physical attributes (heart rate, blood sugar levels and the like) remain exactly the same. Which is why, when your head is in the right space, you can run all day (seemingly); but when it isn't, you'll have a bad run, no matter how physically fit and well you might be.

Well, I suppose that's so much duh, but it's nice to have the boffins verify this stuff.

What does it mean? Well, I guess it means I need to work on my mental game as well as putting in the miles. Mental toughness seems to be a little more than just focussing on your goals. Or is it? I'm going to have to put some thought into this.

[serious thought mode engaged]

... I'll have get back to you about that.