The Spokes of the Wheel
Thursday, February 15th, 2007 at 8:02 pm
The Spokes of the Wheel
So here’s the deal with the wheel. Listed below are the six spokes to getting the most out of yourself in sports, each with a little list of topics that fall within that subject.
Every week or so, I’ll pick one of these topics and brood mysteriously over it in my apartment for a few days, refusing to change clothes or shower until I find my inspiration to write. And then I’ll type feverishly into the night and post my thoughts on this webpage, whereby you, as a reader, will enthusiastically write oceans of comments about my blog, giving me so many opinions and questions that I am inspired to start the whole cycle over again and go back to brooding mysteriously.
1. Training
Components: Mileage, hills, threshold, intervals, etc.
Recovery/Adaptation (the importance of rest and sleep)
Setting goals
Seeing the big picture
Trusting your plan
More than one way to skin a cat
Common Pitfalls
2. Competing
Your racing style (maximize your strengths)
Developing Versatility
“You race the way you train” (how training translates to racing)
Nerves, Superstitions (the good, the bad, and the ugly)
Common Pitfalls
3. Social Balance
School, Friends, how to have it all
Sacrifice (how much is too much?)
Why having something else is important
Social Support Network
Common Pitfalls
4. Nutrition
Athletes v. Sedentary People (Say hello to your new eating habits)
Meal Timing (Pre, During, Post Workout)
Emphasis on Recovery
Eating to Run v. Running to Eat
5. Communication
The coach/athlete relationship
Learning to speak the language of your own body
The concept of integrity: “do the things you say you are going to do”
Handling difficult team situations
Common Pitfalls
6. The Mind
Understanding Confidence (building it and maintaining it)
Fears and Freak Outs
Visualization
Goal Setting (creating a “window of acceptability”)
Common Pitfalls
Disclaimer:
Remember, I may be a professional athlete and all, but in my opinion, there are no true “experts” in sports. Hard-core athletes and sports-geeks like us enjoy getting deep with our sport once in a while, and a blog is a great way to record and collect thoughts to use as a resource. So don’t be afraid to tell me I’m nuts, or to post a comment with a totally different opinion…and don’t be surprised if I passionately disagree with you ☺.
Got it? Good!
Until next time, I’ll be brooding…
-L.
I really like your inspirational blogs. It is true that running is a whole building process. I enjoy running, but lately I have been feeling sick after workouts. I don’t know if it’s a dehydration issue or if I’m not eating the right foods. All I know is that I feel really weak by the end of the workout instead of feeling stronger. I sometimes puke, and it’s not just me, a lot of my teammates puke after workouts and races, and my Coach get’s really annoyed. I just don’t know how to prevent this from happening. It’s a really bad feeling, and knowing that this happens sometimes prevents me from running my best. Sometimes I feel like I hold back in races because I really don’t want to see myself get sick. I really like to push beyond my limits, but I don’t know how far.
hey… thanks for your encouragment!! i am glad to have a strong female stand up for herself, others and what she loves. i know how the whole eating disorder thing goes. i was a swimmer 6 years, and have been running since 8th grade. (i’m i 11th now!!)i starved myself for many reasons but the main one was that i hated myself. now when i run i don’t care how many miles or how many days a week. i run because i am alive, it helps bring life back into my life, and God has given this ability to me!! i love the feeling of giving all my heart to things i love. like family, friends, school, church/God, and sports. i have finally found the balance i needed all along. i want to help others with body image issues, goals for life, and stinking with something and never relenting all because you love it!! thankyou again!! i have never been so pumped in my entire life!!!
I must admit, I’m super-de-duper excited to read this blog (I already have it bookmarked… yay!). Partially because I’m a “sports geek” and devout Dyestat fanatic, but moreover because this blog is both witty and articulate.
All your words give me confidence to become the best runner I can be. Everything you say is right on, and I hold on to every word of yours. Good Luck this year and keep righting I enjoy reading all of it.- The Surgeon
Brooding. That’s what I’ve been missing. You hit it again because there is more than one way to skin a cat. there are some secrets to running that seem really simple and you seem to be pretty close to all of them. And God, I love integrity. You seem to supply all the missing pieces. Maybe, I can recover from all that kryptonite.
Excellent points. I work hard on the girls I coach to manage those six points until they themselves come to grips with all of them. Social balance must also include academic balance in my setting … or maybe it’s a seventh spoke.
For your first commenter, if every girl on your team is consistently throwing up, something is wrong. You start by being hydrated well before a race or workout. Then you need to plan when and what you eat. You should eat easily digestible food several hours before your running. If I knew more about you I could probably make some other suggestions. But know that it isn’t normal if that is happening regularly. Once in a while, sure. Frequently and to multiples of you? Not so much.
thanks for the words of wisdom! I do have a questin though, last year my team had a lot of good and dedicated seniors on it and this year they all graduated, many of the people on the team aside from myself are not very focused and just don’t have the same passion i do for the sport, how can i keep my focus when so many of the girls just don’t care?