Excuses vs. Reasons

Today, I got up and went for a normal run. I wasn’t expecting too much. I knew that my leg would be hurting because it has been for the last week or so, but I didn’t expect it to stop me. I suddenly had to stop after about 200m of running and turn back because I was experiencing excruciating pain. This wasn’t an excuse to not run, I simply could not run. If I would have finished that run I would have probably ended up with an injury that would stop me from running for a couple of day, or I could just take today off and make sure that I can run tomorrow. You see, this isn’t an excuse, this is a legit reason. Of course, my coach would probably call it an excuse but it is truly a reason. Sometimes you have to just forget about what other people say and just listen to your body. If you think that you are going to get hurt, then don’t run, it’s just that simple. Don’t worry about what other people may say because you just might have saved yourself about a week of running by just skipping one day. This, I believe, is a good reason to not run, but there are also many excuses to not run. Here are a few:

“I’m too busy”

“Too much homework”

“Too tired”

“I’ll do it later”

“I just took a test and I’m really tired from it” (Yes, I have heard this one before)

Honestly, if someone just says that they don’t want to run is better than making an excuse. Since everyone knows that it is an excuse, then why not tell the truth? Now, I have to be honest, I have make many excuses in the past in order to skip running. But it all comes down to how much you truly love running. Some people run because they love it, and some people run just because their parents make them. The ones who actually like running are the ones who make the least excuses. Almost all of us have make an excuse and that is okay, as long as we understand the consequences. 

The next time you want to give an excuse, just watch this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obdd31Q9PqA

 

Just a Little Push

It was Tuesday, intervals day. Every one did the warm up and started to get ready for the intervals. Even though I still had a hurting calve, I thought that I was going to do pretty well. My teammates and I got behind the starting line and waited for the first 800m to start. We were on our way when our coach yelled “GO!” I felt really good at the beginning but by the second lap my aching calve was slowing me down. Even though my calve was hurting I managed to finish the first 800m with the rest of the group. I did this for the second and third set of 800′s. By the third set, I was really tired and worn out so I came in about 3 seconds behind the group. And now the set that I will never forget, the fourth 800m. I was to lead the first 800m and since I was excited I took it about 4 seconds faster. I felt really good and kept going, but I did not feel like running anymore. It wasn’t my aching calve, I was just tired of running that day, I gave it all I had. So on the second lap I started to gradually slow down and since I was at the front of the pack, every one started to pass me. No one seemed to care that I was slowing down, except for one boy. He stayed behind me with another one of my teammates and he gave me a little push. He might not know it, but that little push got my engines fired up, I had motivation so I was going to finish, and finish strong. He kept on giving me motivation “Come on Kash, you got 200m left keep it up man, I believe in you”. I didn’t expect anyone to help out the rookie who just entered high school track, but that one teammate stepped up to the plate and gave me motivation. Soon enough another one of my teammates started giving me motivation. I was so fired up that I ended up sprinting the last 100m. My 4th set of 800m’s was at 2:35. I know that If I wouldn’t have gotten that initial push, I would have probably finished at around 2:50. But my teammate gave me motivation. I now had a reason to run faster. Someone believed that I could do it, so I did! And the next time that you come across someone who needs that little push, give it to them. You just might make their day.

Announcement

Hey everyone, I just wanted to make a quick announcement. All of my post have been to another site and all of my new posts will be put up onto that site. If you are a current follower, I would appreciate it if you check it out. If you are just interested in running, I would also appreciate it if you check it out. All of my post will be posted there from now on but I will be posting on this blog once in a while. Also, it is still powered by WordPress. It is currently the same as site as this but soon it will have more posts. The site is http://www.kashrun.com/

Thank you!

8th Man

Since I am only a freshman in high school, it would be quite hard for me to become the fasted runner in track. I am currently the 8th fastest person and as you may know, only top 7 make varsity. The fact that I am only off by one person disappointing me but I feel like it also gives me a motivation to keep running. I am a very competitive person and to be put into this situation is quite hard for me. I try to use this fact to my advantage. Making varsity is now a priority of mine. As you can probably tell, I do not enjoy standing off the course and watching my teammates run. It’s like sitting on the bench for the whole basketball game.

Now that I have a goal, it is much easier for me to do what I need to in order for me to get on varsity. Even though making varsity can sound like a bog previlage, I think that it is only going to bring more pain. I have done many work outs with the varsity guys at our school and let’s just say I was about to pass out. This is something that I will never understand about humans; We always want something the is hard to get and once we get there we only get what he had, but harder. For example, if you become a mathematician, the higher your rank gets, the harder the math gets. And yet everyone wants to be at that higher level. Being the 8th man does not bother me, it only gives me motivation to train harder in order to beat other people.

“Second place is not a defeat. It is a stimulation to get better. It makes you even more determined” ~Carlos Lopes

Easy Does it Sailor

After having to take a 5 day break because of a hurting leg muscle, I decided to go on a run. At first I started going fast and all out as I always do, but then I realized what had happened to me the week before; I had ran too hard before an interval day and hurt my calves pretty bad. So I decided to take it easy. I went on and on and realized that running slower is much more fun than going all out and killing my self. Every run I did, I made sure that I had no more energy left by the end of the run. But this time, I was actually enjoying my run. On that run I found the true meaning of running. Running means having fun! Running for some people is something that they think they can never do and they stay away from it, but running to some other people means having fun. When I ran as hard as I could, my brain told my body that Running is bad because it hurts my. But today that I took it a bit slower, my brain told my body that running is good and enjoyable. So I was just running and doing my own thing until a runner turned in from a street into the street that I was running on. He was about 20 steps ahead of me. Now, one thing about me that I kind of like and dislike some times is by competitiveness. Even though this man was around his 40′s, I took this as a challenge to pass him. I started speeding up and I realized that he was getting farther away from me, he was running faster. This fact really fired the competitiveness in me. So I started going at my 5k race pace. Thankfully, the guy was no match for that speed. I passed him very quickly and I sped up even more after that. Only after about a minute of passing him, he was completely out of sight. I then came to realize how much people compete with one another instead of helping them. I realized that the guys legs were going outwards and his knees were brushing occasionally. This can become a serious problem if it is not taken care of. I feel very guilty now for competing with him instead of helping him. But the next time I can help someone out, I will, and I will not use their lack of experience to my advantage to beat them.

Running Legends

There are many runners who I admire, but only a few that stand out to me. Here are my top 4  favorite runners:

4. Steve Prefontaine- He was a true running legend. He was a phenomenon high school runner and was quickly snatched away by Oregon University because of his running abilities. Even though he did not hold many world records, he was know as a true legend. He only stood at 5′ 9″ and one of his legs was longer than the other one. There was nothing outstanding about his body, but he was a true legend when it came to his mind. He could take more pain than anyone in this world. He was a very impatient with his coach and did not follow his commands. But he was still able to beat many people due to his passion to win.

3. Ryan Hall- Ryan Hall is an inspiration to me because not only does he have the will to win races and set world records, he also has the will to give. He has started the Hall Steps Foundation which is a foundation that helps children in need. And all you have to do it run! Hall started out as a mile runner but by the time he started college, the knew that he had to change to the marathon. He currently holds the American record at 2:04:58.

2. Haile Gebrselassie- I, for one, love Haile because he is not only an inspiration to more professional runners, but also to the runners who are starting out. He was born and raised in Ethiopia. Because of the lack of transportation, he had to run to his school for 10 kilometers, and 10 kilometers back. He did this for 10 years. And this just goes to show everyone that no matter what your background is, you can still achieve great things. Haile has had 26 worlds records in his running career.

1. Hicham El Guerrouj- My profession is in the mile. I can run a 5k or an 800, but nothing can replace the mile for me. Hicham is an inspiration to me because he was also a mile runner, but he was much faster than me though. He ran the mile in 3:43.13! Imagine beating the time that everyone thought was impossible (4:00) by 17 seconds! Even though he fell in the Olympics in Athens, he proudly got up and finished his race. Anyone who is able to get up and still keep going after a fall, is a true inspiration to me.

Breaking PR’s

If you have been a runner, at first you probably told yourself that you aren’t going to care about your times and you only care about staying in shape. As your running progressed and you get better, you start to feel a sense of accomplishment when you beat your previous time, it’s human nature, we all love to improve. And finally you reach a stage that the only thing you want to do is beat the person in front of you or PR by 10 seconds. Last year, at the middle school track championships, I ran a mile with a time that blew me away. I thought that I could never beat it. And most of us usually feel this way about most of your runs. Even though I thought beating my previous time would be impossible, I easily beat it three months later during cross country practice. Breaking PR’s is quite a hard thing to do, especially when you ran as hard as you could that day, but it is possible. Here are some thing that can help you break your PR’s:

1. Make sure that you wear light clothing. Heavy clothing can dramatically slow you down and you probably won’t get a personal record.

2. Check the weather. Weather is one of the biggest components that plays into getting PR’s. One time, I ran a race that I thought would be well beyond my PR, but I found out that I had missed my PR by 20 seconds. It wasn’t that I was getting slower; it was because of the 20 degrees Fahrenheit weather. The “perfect” marathon weather is around 50-60 degrees. In my opinion a good weather for the mile is around 60-65 degrees.

3. Is it the right course? Many of my friends have ran races that they though that was horrible, me included. Of course, it wasn’t because they were bad, it was because of the course. Obviously, they ran much fasted on a downhill cousre, than they did on a course with many hills. If you are running a course that has many hills, don’t expect to PR.

4. CONFIDENCE. This is the biggest thing that is going to help you PR. Have confidence in yourself, tell yourself that you are the greatest runner ever. By thinking positively, you allow your body to forget about the nervousness and the doubts, and start to think about the positive things. If you think positively, you are going to run much faster.

Eating on a Day Off

If you read at my previous post, you will know that I had to take today off from running. A day off for a runner is like a day without sleep, you just can concentrate. My calf is still feeling hurt from pushing myself too hard on the intervals. Right now, I have a soda can right by my hand as I type. No one should ever eat/drink junk food on a day off (or even in general) but there is just something about junk food that appeals to the human body. In sodas, it’s all that sugar and salt in them. Even though I am a young athlete and I burn off most of the fat I consume the next day I run, I still need to cut back on the junk food. Fun fact: the colors yellow and red make you hungry. What are the main colors of McDonald’s? That’t right, red and yellow. The next time you’re on the road, watch out for restaurants that have the colors red and yellow, I am sure that you will find many. Fast food restaurants have all of these dirty tricks to get us into buying their food. And even though we know that they are there, we still fall for them. As of now, I don’t think I could live without my junk food, but slowly but surely, they will eventually leave my life. It is very hard to suddenly stop a habit. You must pressure yourself once in a while and not give in. This is all coming from a guy with soda right beside him, but that will soon change. Cutting back on junk food is like running. At first you can’t do it and you feel that you will never succeed, but when you push yourself to the limits, you get better. Thinking well I’ll just run tomorrow and burn it off is not a very good excuse to keep eating junk food. I know that I have been eating too much junk food and I need to cut back. Hopefully I will follow my own advice and finally get junk food out of my life once and for all.

Running After a Long Break

As you may know, there was a big snow storm in most of Northern America. I tried to go out on a run but the side walks were just too slippery and it was quite dangerous. Even though that I knew taking a break would be bad, I had to do it and now I pay the price. After sitting back, drinking soda, and eating junk food for a week, school eventually started. Honestly, I did not feel like going on a run but I knew that track conditioning was the next day so I had to be ready. I went on one of the stupidest runs I have ever ran. I ran stairs and hills for a total of about 5 miles. You may be wondering; why would anyone go on a super hilly run after a week off? And in that case you would be completely right. I was dumb enough to run a hilly run after eating junk food and not running for a week. Tuesday came around and track intervals were about to start very soon. I went up to my coach and said “Coach, I didn’t run this whole week. I that bad?” He said “Well, we will find out today on the track.” And boy did I find out what I had been doing to my body. My first 800m was at a good pace around 2:40 but by the time the 5th 800m came around I was lagging behind the group of runners at 2:56. I was so beat up that I had to stop on the 6th and final 800m. The next day at school I felt horrible. I could not even walk. My calves were cramped up and I could not even keep my eyes open. I considered not going to the intervals because my legs were hurting a bit. But I was dumb enough to go out on a very hard interval after a week of slacking off. There is definitely a lesson to be learned here; never go out too hard when you have taken some time off of your running. Keep your runs easy until you feel like you can run fast again. Always listen to your body because you may end up with injuries if you don’t. I am really lucky that I didn’t end up with a torn tissue because I was really pushing my body to its limits. I did not listen to my body and I pay the price because I cannot go on a run tomorrow. Finally, I am the person to be blamed here. I can’t blame anyone else because track conditioning is optional and I took it too seriously. I should have listened to my body because it was giving a strong message to me; Don’t run today!

The Land

Landing properly is one of the most talked about subjects in running. Scientist have spent months and months trying to find an efficient way to land on your feet. Your feet is not very massive, yet it has to take a lot of impact every time you land on it. Every time you land on your feet, you put three times the weight of your body on your foot. For example, it you weigh 100 pounds, you put 300 pounds of force on your foot every time you land on it when you run. One of the runners who has deeply studied this matter is Ryan Hall. He is the fastest American marathon runner with an amazing time at 2:04:58. He says that the most efficient way to land on your feet is completely flat. If you land flat, you are taking all of the force that you have put into that step and converting it into a large mass of energy just waiting to be released by the next stride.  If you are the average runner, you probably land on your heels when you run. There is nothing wrong with that, to a certain extend. If you land on your heel, you are actually triggering a break. When you land on your heels it actually acts like a break on a car. Imagine hitting the break on your car about three times per second. You would simply destroy the break. Your joints act the same way. When you land on your heels, you are taking all of that [300] pounds and you are applying it on your knee and ankle joints. This could definitely give you injuries in the future. If you land on flat on your foot, your shoe and your foot, which is soft, take the impact and that does not nearly as much damage as if you were to land heel first. Ryan Hall is a great role model if you are trying to land flat on your feet. It is not easy, although it may seem like it. You must be willing to dedicate your runs to landing flat if you want to perfect you landing. If you learn this matter well enough it should look something like this:

Another very important matter with landing is keeping your feet straight when your run. You must always point your feet forward if you want to be a better runner. First, if you do not point your feet straight, you may be losing a couple of centimeters. This may not seem like much and it really isn’t. But if you think about, this one or even half of a centimeter can greatly affect you run. The average runner takes 42,000 in a marathon. Each stride is about 100 centimeters long. If you loose 1 centimeter per stride, you have to run 420 more steps to get to the finish line. Now 1 centimeter doesn’t sound so little, does it? Another reason to point your toes is that if you land outwards, you are not setting your energy forward. This can also cause you to rock from side to side which could dramatically waste your energy. In conclusion, point your toes forward and land as flat as possible on your feet. These factors might not make you the fastest runner ever, but they will sure make you a faster and more efficient runner.