I am finally done with my 84 day sprint. My goal was to seriously improve my running time over long distance and to push myself really hard to see what I could learn along the way. First off, I did improve slightly. I now fully comprehend just how difficult it is to improve running speed at distance. It takes a long time of consistent, dedicated effort. After 84 days of intensity, I have the capability of running faster but honestly if I shaved 10 minutes of my marathon time, I would be surprised. So yeah, improving running performance is hard. I think I already knew that. My goals are not going to take 84 days, they are going to take hundreds and hundreds of days.
I also learned that core strength is really important. Building your internal muscles, back, chest, abs is really important as well. I have focused on that for 84 days and I feel stronger and am more resilient. I noticed on a long run yesterday, that I did not get as fatigued as fast. I owe this to upper body core strength. You do not realize that just standing, just sitting, holding your body up right is work. So improving core strength will help you have more stamina throughout the day.
I also learned that Caffeine is an inhibitor for me. Such a simple discovery. The 84 days of pushing myself, and after many collapses, I kept looking for the source of my fatigue. I finally figured out that Caffeine was impacting my sleep, which I needed desperately. It was also causing me to cheat on sugary snacks. Now that I cut that out, I am sleeping better and eating less sugar, although I still fall victim. The less your body is dealing with recovering from stimulants, toxins, and digesting large meals, the faster it is. That was definitely proven over this last 84 days.
I am holding back. I learned this along the way. I am not pushing as hard as I could be. I hold a lot in reserve. I need to push myself by raising the minimums that I am achieving each day. This last few weeks, I have ran at least 10K per day, everyday, and raising that new minimum has seriously improved my running and overall performance.
Flexibility is really important. During this sprint I focused on hip mobility. I worked on a stretching routine almost everyday and overtime, the flexors in my hips released a bit and I feel so much more comfortable running. Now my running form feels almost natural. Before, I had to force myself to run a certain way, the way I felt that it should be. However, now, with greater flexibility I find that my body naturally runs correct now. I watched a small child running in the park yesterday. She was running exactly right. I was thinking, how does that happen? Then it dawned on me. Children are absolutely flexible, so consequently they run in the most natural position possible. Flexibility impacts us more then we realize.
So I am now preparing for another race. I feel a little stronger, a little more flexible. I will ultimately see the results of my 84 days sprint.
Guy Reams (603)
