When it comes to us runners, sometimes experience goes out the window, and we make stupid, rookie mistakes that derail our training, fitness, and/or goal races. Who can forget Daniel Do Nascimento, an Olympian and 2:04 marathoner, going so fast during the 2022 NYC Marathon and collapsing at Mile 21 on a hot and humid day? He also collapsed during the Tokyo Olympics. If he screws up monumentally in the biggest stages, whatâs left for us mere aficionados?
Daniel Do Nascimento collapsed in both Tokyo and NYC. Lesson not learned
Failure must be embraced as an opportunity to gain experience, sure, but it doesn’t make it any easier when we screw up and are forced to learn a lesson at an inconvenient time. So, here are eight areas of your running where you could avoid learning the hard way:
1.   Starting too fast: The equation is straightforward. The faster you go, the less endurance you have. Racing a half marathon at 5K pace will end in disaster. Starting faster than your race plan is not conducive to PRs but to bonking. Don’t fall for the “I-feel-awesome” fallacy at mile 8 of a marathon. You’d better feel formidable there if you trained for 26. Execute your race plan as designed. The chances of a satisfactory race will multiply exponentially.
 2.   Expecting linear and/or unlimited improvement: Because the curve of progress is so steep at the beginning of a training cycle, especially for beginners with little to no historical reference, it becomes imperative to understand that each body has a performance ceiling. If we didn’t, we would all eventually be setting world records. The apex of our curve can still move up as we get better, more experienced, and in better shape. But that process may take years, which requires patience. Too much, too fast, too soon is the cardinal sin of running and a sure path to injury.
3.   More mileage is not necessarily better: If you are planning to run long distances, you must run a lot of miles. It is inevitable. Now, what “a lot of miles” implies is very personal. It may mean 120 miles for Olympians but just 30 for a newbie looking to finish strong in their first half marathon. If you run beyond your bodyâs capability, recovery will be affected, and injury, overtraining, cumulative exhaustion and burnout will derail your goal. Figure out what works best for you and apply it.
 4.   Bad races are part of the deal: You may have done everything right. You were dedicated to your training, you slept enough, hydrated properly, strength trained, didnât miss a day, and rested. And yet, you had a bad race. Well, nobody can guarantee you a solid performance. That’s why we compete on race day and not just pick up our medals and trophies by showing our training logs. Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn’t. Accept it and don’t let it be the measurement of your worth as a person.
 5.   Not practicing race strategy during training: The place to figure out you can’t stomach that 5th gel shouldnât be mile 20 on marathon day. Discovering that you don’t have enough pockets to carry all your needs should not be realized on race morning. And so on. Be smart. Go for more than just one dry run during the training cycle.
Not taking care of your rest will inevitably lead to burnout or injury (Photo: Nataliya Vaitkevich, Pexels)
6.   Rest days are an integral part of any plan: Even elites take rest days. At the height of their training for a Marathon Major, it may mean 10 easy miles at a pace that would be a PR for you or me. But we are not training to win Boston or London. So, let’s put our goals in perspective and understand what we want to carry out. Letâs not compare ourselves to other runners, and make sure we rest properly, enough so our body doesnât have to choose a rest day for us, which I may bet would come at an inconvenient time.
 7.   Squeezing in one more long run: The body usually takes from 10-14 days to adapt to the stress of a particular training session. This is why we taper. Not much of what we do in the two weeks prior to the race will help us. Yet, it can harm us. So, refrain from squeezing in one more long run or an added speed session in during taper. Follow your plan.
 8.   Trying new things on race day: Is the cardinal sin of racing. This is not the day to find out how these shorts fit, if this brand of gel upsets your stomach, or the responsiveness of this brand-new pair of shoes. You’ve been training for this day. You have sacrificed sweat, time, money, and emotion into this project. Don’t screw it up at the time to see it through.
 We would love to hear your advice for fellow runners. Leave a comment below; we appreciate every contribution!
When it comes to setting running goals, my experience is that there is nothing like having a race on the schedule. One where you have already registered, paid and let everyone in your running circle know about it. It is what keeps me with something to look towards during any period of the year, especially the tough times. It doesnât matter if the race is in a month or a year down the road. That said, goal setting is way more than spending $35 in your next 5K race or ponying up a few hundred bucks on your next Marathon Major.
In the realm of sports psychology, extensive research has revealed the profound influence of goal setting on athletes. A prominent figure in this field is Dr. Edwin Locke, a psychology professor at the University of Maryland, whose studies have significantly contributed to our understanding of goal-setting theory. In Chapter 4 of \”The Runner\’s Brain\”, a book by Dr. Jeff Brown and Liz Neporent, the authors explore Dr. Lockeâs research, shedding light on how setting goals can transform running performance.
This book is the source of this blog post. A good book well worth the money and time.
They identify four principles for goal setting:
Principle 1: Directed Attention – Goals serve as a compass, directing our attention towards specific aspects of our training. Whether it\’s completing a running loop in under an hour or improving pace, breathing, and form, setting goals sharpens our focus. Additionally, breaking down long-term goals into smaller milestones helps measure progress and brings a sense of achievement to our training.
Principle 2: Motivation – Goals provide the driving force that keeps us pushing forward. When we have a clear objective to work towards, we are more likely to stay enthusiastic and engaged throughout the training process. The pursuit of our goals gives us a purpose and ignites the determination needed to overcome challenges.
Principle 3: Celebrating Success – Viewing our efforts as a series of failures can be demoralizing. Setting long-term goals allows us to establish checkpoints along the way, creating multiple opportunities for success. Celebrating these smaller achievements transforms the feeling of missing the mark into a string of mini triumphs, boosting our confidence and motivation.
Principle 4: Continuous Learning – Goal setting propels us into the learning zone. It encourages us to explore new resources, equipment, and strategies to achieve our desired outcomes. As we seek innovative approaches, we develop new skills and expand our knowledge. Embracing new experiences and novel approaches improves our abilities and stimulates our brains, preparing us for future goals.
Now, as in everything in life, we must set limits. While goal setting plays a pivotal role in not just feeling like but becoming a successful runner, it is crucial to establish balance. Research suggests we should avoid an overemphasis on goals or setting unattainable targets, as they can lead to anxiety and a decline in self-assurance. Resilience and the ability to manage disappointment are integral to the goal-setting process.
We should also include backup goals in our training and recognize our achievements at various levels so you may stay motivated and derive satisfaction from our efforts. Remember, goal setting should be complemented by an appreciation of the journey, listening to your body, and finding joy in the process. When it is no longer fun, you will either stop running or burn out.
In conclusion: goal setting is not New Age mumbo-jumbo; it is a science-backed practice that may enhance your running performance if approached correctly. By embracing it, runners can unlock their full potential and achieve their best while maximizing the benefits of their training.
Join the conversation by commenting in the text box below and share your thoughts on goal setting in running! Every step counts towards greatness.
Adolfo Salgueiro, head coach for Foultips.Run was recently highlighted in a feature story in VoyageMIA Magazine. The story is a profile on Coach Adolfoâs career as a runner and his projection as a running coach. The title of the article is âExploring Life & Business with Adolfo Salgueiroâ.
VoyageMIA is an online outlet focused on highlighting the best of the 305/786 (Miami area codes)- from freelance makeup artists that will dazzle you to the best meetup groups in town. Coach Salgueiro was featured in a section called Miamiâs Most Inspiring Stories.
The Voyage Group of Magazines was founded in 2015 by Mayank Bhandari and started with their flagship VoyageLA in Los Angeles. It now has online presence with online magazines in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Miami, San Diego and Phoenix.
A few months ago, I posted on Facebook that I had signed up for the Marine Corps Marathon, which will take place on October 29th. Up until a few days ago, I was training for it. Today I must announce that I am withdrawing from the race. It is a regrettable yet humbling experience that is currently forcing me to reassess where I am with my running, why I got here, and how to get out of it.
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It is not a failure as long as you learn from it so it doesnât happen again (Photo: Pexels)
It is more than safe for my readers to assume that training was not going as planned. It had become more of a suffer-fest than the enjoyable experience with its usual highs and lows. Things were not clicking. The efforts were mammoth-like. Recovery took too long. I began to dread the long runs. The speed work took so much out of me that I was unable to feel any progress. It was a death spiral.
Maybe I was overtrained or under-recovered. Maybe it was the heatwave currently affecting the entire Northern Hemisphere. Maybe the long runs at 86Âș temperatures (30ÂșC) with 100% humidity, where your sweat doesnât evaporate, were overtaxing my body. Maybe, as running comes in cycles, I am amid a low instead of a high. Maybe, a month away from 58, I must accept that I am not what I was just a few years ago. Maybe the few extra pounds I havenât been able to shed off were multiplying my effort. Maybe my body is not the same two years after my open-heart surgery. Maybe it is a combination of everything. Who knows?
It was a tough decision, as I was training with two committed runners I am also coaching. Seeing them thrive while the coach could not keep up was embarrassing. It was difficult when we set out for a long run, and I had to turn around earlier because I knew that I just didnât have it that day, or the next, and the next, too. As if this wasnât enough, my left knee, the weakest link in my running life (2 surgeries), started hurting again for the first time in years. Deep inside I believed that if I kept going, everything would eventually click. That my body would magically adapt. I know I hung on longer than I should have just because I felt obligated to my runners. But the time of reckoning was inevitable.
As I was suffering, plenty of friends told me that I shouldnât worry because October in DC has wonderful weather. As much as I appreciate the thought and encouragement, I still needed to train in the hot and muggy South Florida so I could enjoy the good weather in DC, in October.
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The updated version of this picture will have to wait.
And thatâs the other thing. There is no doubt in my mind that I could have finished the race. But with 11 marathons under my belt, just finishing is no longer a worthy goal. I am not willing to suffer to cross the line in 5:30. I wanted to run a marathon at 58 so I could beat my dadâs age of 57 when he ran his last. I also wanted to run it in 4:30, to beat the 4:43 of his last 26.2. So, God willing, I still have plenty of time to achieve those two goals, hopefully while my dad is still alive, so I can brag about them.
The next steps are to reassess where I am at this point and how I got here. I will start by resting my body. I will keep running but wonât push too hard through the muggy days with longer or faster runs. I will work based on effort and run easily to regain the aerobic capacity I feel I have lost. I will focus on running the best half marathon I can next season. Hopefully, three or four of them until I can put together an effort I can be satisfied with. Maybe Iâll try to set new 55+ PRs in the 5K and 10K. Once I feel I am back, then I will figure out what is next and plan for my next marathon. I know I have at least one more in me.
The one thing I know is that I will keep running. Withdrawing from this marathon is a humbling experience that I must learn from. It is only a failure if you donât learn anything from it and thus, you screw it up again.
It wasn’t too long ago when completing a 20-mile-long run, overheated, dehydrated, destroyed, and borderline injured was considered a badge of honor. The “no pain, no gain” mentality taken to the extreme. This outdated machismo has cost many careers and even lives. Thank God that science and collective thought have evolved, leading to an updated concept that is not only more humanitarian but also safer.
I don’t know how it works in other sports, but runners, please adjust to the new way of thinking.
We’ve all heard the stories of football players collapsing with heat strokes under the misguided direction of coaches teaching toughness. We’ve heard of runners ending up in an emergency room rather than at the finish line of a race because they refused to “show weakness.” The story of an athlete ending up overtrained or injured because they refused to take a day off is all too common. Surprisingly, most of this could have been avoided by understanding what mental toughness is not.
Toughness is laudable, unless you will get injured because of it. Always live to run another day (Photo Sukh Winder, Pexels)
In a recent podcast interview, I heard Dr. Justin Ross state that mental toughness could mean different things to different people, making it difficult to define. Dr. Ross is a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in health, wellness, and human performance psychology. He has spent the bulk of his career in mental health and wellness initiatives for those performing in stressful, high-demanding environments, including athletics.
Ross defined what mental toughness is not: “Mental toughness is not running when you are injured. It is not running when you are sick. It is not ignoring your body because your mind wants to reach a certain volume for the week, thinking that missing a workout would hinder your success. That’s not what we understand mental toughness to be.”
I look back at the training of great runners like Emil Zatopek, who is known to have done 50×400 workouts several times per week. Sure, he won five golds and a silver in the 1948 and 1952 Olympics and set a bunch of world records, but the peak of his career was compressed into those five years. These days, runners like Eliud Kipchoge have a peak lasting 15 years. For us mere recreational runners, if we want to run until we meet our maker, we should regulate our intensity and make sure we see the big picture while we train.
Listening to your body is a mental exercise where you must overcome the optimism that hip pain will magically go away if you keep running. Or that completing this last mile repeat, despite running on empty, is the difference between a personal record and a mediocre race. If you fail to recognize the warning signs, most likely you will end up overtrained or, even worse, injured.
“Optimism holds a place in the mental toughness conversation,” says Dr. Ross. “What doesn’t hold a place is irrational optimism.”
Coach Steve Magness has a great quote that I often cite to my trained athletes when they refuse to take a day off: “It is better to take three days off now than three weeks off three days from now.”
You can apply mental toughness by being overcautious and playing it smart rather than pushing through when we know it is not advisable. Doing the right thing takes massive amounts of willpower, especially when you really don’t want to. A running friend once walked to the starting line of an important 10K when he realized the tightness in his calf was going to be an issue. So, he turned around, sat it out, watched all his friends finish, and lived to run another day. A few weeks later, he beat me in a half-marathon. Now, this is mental toughness.
Sleeplessness is no badge of honor. It is assuring you wonât be able to recover from your physical activity (Photo: Cottonbro Studio, Pexels)
Don’t confuse this updated concept with complacency or laziness. Uncomfortable and/or painful moments are inevitable in running. And normal. We must learn to recognize and overcome them. At the same time, we need to be aware of what is expected and what is our brain turning on the engine check light and signaling that there is a problem to be addressed.
Ross defines mental toughness as: “a psychological set of resources and skills that you can apply when you are challenged.” The more challenges and uncomfortable situations you face and overcome, the more mental toughness you’ll build. Just as in mastering a second language or solving the Rubik’s Cube. It takes time and dedication to build up, just like a long run.
“While mental toughness is often equated with perseverance,” says Coach Jason Fitzgerald, “it also requires you to be in tune with your body. Pushing through illness or injury is not mental toughness. But challenging yourself in a workout, or not giving up on a tough long run, walk the fine line of being able to dig deep while finding the internal resources to do difficult things. You may not want to lace up because it’s early, dark, cold, you are tired, or you didn’t sleep well. Yet, you overcome that obstacle and go anyway. That is developing mental toughness.â
I hope you find these insights helpful as you navigate the concept of mental toughness in running. Remember, it’s essential to listen to your body, recognize the signs of overtraining or injury, and find the balance between pushing yourself and knowing when to rest and recover. Mental toughness is about applying psychological resources and skills to face challenges, and it grows stronger through perseverance and self-awareness.
Keep running strong, and may your journey be filled with both physical and mental resilience.
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