Dear Runners,

Many of you I know are getting ready for your fall races.  There is a book I found very helpful to training.  It is called Brain Training for Runners by Matt Fitzgerald.

“True, the brain triggers fatigue in response to physiological signals of impending danger sent from the muscles, blood, and so forth, but the whole system is so incredibly complex that you can’t possibly train to push back individual fatigue factors.  What the new science proposes is that we forget about the physiological mechanisms (really the neuro-physiological mechanisms) of fatigue and focus instead on preventing fatigue itself (the pain and suffering, the slow down) in races.  You can train optimally to achieve this objective…” -Matt Fitzgerald.

In layman’s terms, Matt is saying running is going to suck.  You on the other hand have chosen to do it.  What you can do is rather focus on the individual parts that suck, you can choose to train your brain at being stronger at overcoming the mental fatigue.  The physical fatigue will still be there, but you can train your body to be in it’s top shape to battle fatigue on race day!

Running isn’t just about moving forward for a particular amount of miles.  It is about being efficient and particular with your stride.  It is about establishing the musculature to support the action you are asking your body to do.  It is about establishing the neural pathways to needed to make the right muscles support your stride.

You read the manual on how to put together an Ikea coffee table.  This books holds the knowledge to help develop a runner’s body and mind.