Mindfulness

A number of Human Powered Racing athletes have taken, or are currently taking Marilyn Arsenault’s excellent Mindful Strides Clinic. This has been a great reminder for both them (and me as a coach) of just how important the technical aspects of running are in order to maximize ones potential. As athletes we sometimes get so absorbed in putting in the time and/or the miles that you don’t always stop and think about what exactly it is that your body must do in order to be efficient at that particular movement. If there is one thing that Marilyn’s course teaches you, it is that to find efficiency and proper technique in running you MUST be aware of just what it is you are trying to accomplish. You must be mindful. The more is better philosophy that many triathletes seem to inherently possess is not the best path to personal best performances. I remember hearing once that practice doesn’t make perfect. 100% perfect practice makes perfect. If that means cutting back on volume or mileage in order to spend more time doing things mindfully and with proper technique than that is what can and should be done. Banging out miles to make the training log look impressive is not as impressive as running with perfect form and looking impressive while in motion.