"I'd rather be seen on my bicycle than on a park run" - Quote from the dark side

Friday 8 October 2010

Patience

I was born an extremely patient person and this week I’ve been very grateful for that yet again. I’ve been really good with taking it easy after my illness and I’ve kept the distances down. I’m feeling good and rested, which makes it that more difficult to hold back and take it easy on the short runs.

That’s where patience comes in and I think this goes much further in running than this. Being patient is one of the most important aspects of distance running. The more and longer you want to run, the more patient you must be.

I’m reading quite a lot of running blogs nowadays and I’m actually surprised at the high percentage of running bloggers that are injured or coming back from injury or battle with injuries nearly all the time. If you read a bit deeper into their running and training history you find one thing in common, not enough patience. Nearly all these runners are chasing times, want to run PR’s all the time, want to run marathons too soon and in general want to get to everything as quickly as possible.


My message for the day:
  • The PR’s will come, don’t chase them, wait for them, to come to you, be patient.
  • When training…don’t’ do too much too soon, be patient.
  • When racing…don’t start to fast, be patient.
Patience is a virtue of life; it is also a virtue of running.

34 comments:

DRog said...

That message = exactly what I needed to hear today, thanks for that...
-Derek

Julie said...

:) Yes, this is so true! I love this post Johann! Happy weekend!

Anne said...

You're so right Johann...thanks for the reminder.

Quinton J said...

SO right Johann.
And so sweet to dedicate an entire post just for EMZ;)

KovasP said...

Nice post. I've found that switching to time rather than mileage has made me a more patient runner.

Marlene said...

Great lesson/reminder for all of us. I hope your patience continues to pay off.

Heather said...

Very true and good advice. Patience is something I need to work on...

Amy said...

So true and a good reminder! I am definitely not a patient person and have to work on this all the time!

Andrew Opala said...

Thanks for the message!

But I want to consistently be faster!!! :)

Molly said...

well, you just gave me the advice I needed to hear!! Have a great weekend : )

The Green Girl said...

You could not have picked a better image for this post. I stared at it for like half a minute - I love the little candles.

racing dawn said...

It's so hard to be patient... :) I struggle with this one all the time and you're right, that's why I ended up at physical therapy... Thanks for the reminder!

Jill said...

Patience? What's that?? ;)
In my defense, I took a gajillion days off and my heel was no better, which makes me (and others more qualified than I) to think it's a heel spur, which is a permanent feature on the foot. We'll see. Glad you're feeling better, yay!!! :) Happy Weekend!

Bethany + Ryan said...

so true!! i know sooo many injured people right now. patience is important when coming back form an injury but patience is also equally important when you start running! It's addicting, we know, but pace yourself people! so many people run for a month then start training for a marathon. take your time and risk of injury is so much lower!!! get at least a year of base miles first. Patience is key and good things are worth the wait!!!

Emz said...

I could kill/hurt Q. ;)

This is AWESOME.

Perfect.

Love it.

Unknown said...

yes, yes, and yes. great advice.

chris mcpeake said...

I see a trend here but what are you trying to say. Oh and step on it we dont got all day. lol

ihaverun said...

Pretty sure this post was for me, not Emz. I'm going to print out the picture at the top and hang it above my computer. So thanks!

Have a great weekend!

Paige (The Last Doughnut) said...

This post hit the nail on the head! I have a very difficult time being patient when it comes to running. I love the idea of not chasing a PR; just letting it come to you naturally after really good training. Love that!

Unknown said...

Patience, patience, patience. I love this message. Thanks, Johann!!

Rad Runner said...

100 percent on the freaking ball! I need to learn this, I definitely was NOT born with it, but I really feel like running has opened up the door of opportunity for me and this thing called "patience?" :) to meet..

ajh said...

I feel I am being very patient but I wasn't always that may be the problem. Right now I am discouraged so I will try to heed this advice.

Adrienne said...

I like to think I have patience as well with running. That's why I try to run just a race or two each year. I'm pacing myself! lol So far injury free.

ultra collie said...

im extremely patient when i run..or maybe i just mean 'slow'...either way im pretty much injury free touch wood
keep up the good patient work johann

LMC said...

In my head, I know that you are right! In my heart, I just want to run fast all the time. Patience is something I have to work hard at all the time, and not just when it comes to running. I do appreciate the reminder though! Thanks!

Chris K said...

I just thought of this myself.... Patience is a virtue.

Black Knight said...

You are right and you are wise to take it easy. Patience often is an unknown virtue for the runners and in the past I made this mistakes many times. Now, because all my troubles, I seldom run two days in a row.

Natalia said...

I totally agree with you - patience and common sense! I think I lack a bit of patience when I cannot see immediate results, but that is outweighed by my pragmatism, so I manage to continue hanging in there, without getting too frustrated!

Ewa said...

If I only knew where I could buy/steal/borrow some patience.
I have patience for people around me and there is not enough left for me. Results are like you said in your blog, injuries on top of injuries.

AZ said...

Yes, patience IS a virtue.

HappyTrails said...

Well said - one tip, though: Don't openly hope to grow more patient, it has to be practiced!

Anonymous said...

You are so right, patience is a key, closely linked to "listening to your body" - it is so much easier to practice patience when you are aware of your body wants/needs/capable of.

Colin Hayes said...

I think you nailed it, Johann. I've never been a very patient person, never mind runner. I usually start a running program holding back, but eventually I start feeling good an strong and start pushing my body more than I should. Thus, I'm one of the injured runners you mentioned!
Good for you for keeping yourself in check.

Christina said...

Yea, I'm pretty impatient. Nice post. Thanks.