The Long Run- Ugh!

Anyone who has trained for a race knows that Saturday or Sunday is your long run day. I titled this post ending with an UGH to point out that your mindset going into a long run is crucial. If I think of my long run with an UGH or similar negative I find that it is hard to even motivate to get started. And if I manage to actually start, I am less likely to do the mileage I set out to do and those miles I do finish are painful.

In psychology cognitive behavioral therapy is well known and often used to change one's thinking from the negative to the positive. We all at times have what we call thinking errors. And usually each individual is more prone to think a certain way. For example, overgeneralization is a common thinking error. If something bad has happened once we may say it will happen again. So in running if you had a day that you were tired and could only run 3 instead of your planned 5, you may say to yourself, "I couldn't even run 5 on Tuesday, I'm not going to be able to run more on the weekend." If you go into the weekend with this mindset of course you won't run more.
Another common thinking error is all-or-nothing thinking (black and white thinking). You think of things in absolute terms, such as never, always, every. So you might say to yourself, "I'll never be able to do this.", when you think of running a certain distance whether that be 1 mile or 26.2 miles.
If you tend to think like this or have these thoughts before or during a run one strategy is to challenge these thoughts. Ask yourself is it really true that you cannot do this, do you have proof? Most likely the answer is no you don't have proof. Replacing your negative thoughts with a more positive thought will change how you think and ultimately how you feel. So saying something like, "I am up to this challenge." or, "I'm going to do my best." will help you finish or move you towards your goal.
So really I should title this post The Long Run-Yes!

Minor Setback- What To Do When You Are Sick?

So I'm 7 weeks before my 1st half-marathon and I've come down with a nasty cold that turned into sinusitis and bronchitis. Do I continue with my schedule or would it be better to take a few days off?
As a physician, I know that I should listen to my body. The chest congestion and bodily fatigue made me take a whole week off. I think in the long run I'll benefit from letting my body rest. I didn't have a long run planned this past Sunday anyways, so I think I'm still good with my training schedule. Here is a link from the Mayo Clinic on advice on exercising when you are sick:

www.mayoclinic.com/health/exercise/AN01097

Why start another blog? I’ve seen so many blogs recently on topics ranging from politics to what someone’s doing while they are unemployed to a blog actually on anti-blogging. The one thing I note often when reading these blogs is that the author has no expertise on what they are writing, or at least often they don’t tell the reader what their expertise is.
I find for me the best blogs are written on the topic of exercise, specifically running for me. They are written by all levels of runners but they all give good advice and are very motivating. These people to me are experts because they are doing it. They are out of the road or on the treadmill training for their next race or just trying to get or stay in shape.
I have often read from runner’s that running is mostly psychological. I agree with this wholeheartedly. I am training for my 1st half-marathon currently and the psychological aspect is what gets in the way for me more than the physical. And here is where the expertise comes in, I’m a psychiatrist. Many people think of psychiatrists as those who prescribe medication, but psychiatrists are trained to do therapy with their patients as well. Some choose not to use this aspect of their training but I find it to be the most enjoyable and the most challenging part of treatment. I often use techniques that I use on patients on myself while running to change my frame of mind, challenge my negative thinking, and motivate myself to keep going.
I hope to give you a glimpse of some of the techniques I use, and if one person finds this helpful or motivating to them to reach their goals then I have accomplished the purpose of this blog.