In yoga the other day the instructor kept saying “find your edge” as a way of motivating us to press just a bit harder (without rupturing anything hopefully), not enough to feel pain, or so hard that we stopped breathing, but just to that, well, edge.
That got me to thinking about other edges in my life that I’ve been feeling lately:
Speedwork definitely brings me there. Even though I’ve used the FIRST marathon training plan (or a variation thereof) now for 4 marathons and counting, I still snap the book shut, roll my eyes skyward, shake my head and cackle when I lay eyes on the ladder workout I did last week. It just seems so….impossible. Maybe not completely impossible, but uber hard. Hey running is hard. Running fast is hard. Running long is hard. Running fast and long is ….well you know where I’m going. If it were easy we’d all be giving Usain Bolt a run for the money now wouldn’t we?
But after collecting myself and corralling the zoo full of negative self-talk monkeys that run wild in my head, I suck it up and try. Maybe I don’t hit the goal pace right away. Maybe I never hit it at all. But I do get to MY edge. Ouchie it’s uncomfortable. It’s a battle of will to keep going. But this is exactly where progress is made. By pushing out of our comfort zone, we challenge our bodies to rise to a new level of performance.
The Whole Foods Diet Initiative also brings me to my edge. Even though I’ve been plugging away at this for some time now, sadly a heaping bowl of mixed veggies is not my automatic go-to food when hunger strikes. It’s an ongoing battle to consistently make the best food choices. I feel that edge when I’m hovering between a healthy snack and succumbing to the entire bag of Ghirardhelli chocolate pieces screaming at me from the pantry. Each time we are able to resist a bad choice, we build momentum in a positive direction and our bodies respond accordingly by not craving sweets/junk like they once did.
wow this post sums up exactly how i've been feeling lately with speedwork. i totally find my edge there as every time i step out the door it's frightening but also so exhilarating.
wow, great post. Here of late, I have been finding my edge by leaving the treadmill far behind and facing the challenges outside, and experiencing running in a new light, a different angle and approach. Thanks for the post, it got me thinking.
Great post – I am with ya on the chocolate, but each day is a journey and you just have to keep fighting!
Every time I race I find an edge. I seem better able to push myself when I am out there will a crowd of like minded folks. Whether that edge be speed or distance or simply allowing myself to enjoy the race (that is sometimes harder than just running fast!).
In life there are many different edges we look over. And if I fall in, I hope for a soft landing!
Great post. I like the wording your instructor used…find your edge. It's a nice mantra for those hard workouts!
I laughed out loud at the vision of you rolling your eyes back and cackling…but you know, those ladder work outs and intervals are totally possible if you do push to that edge every time. It's really a mystery but then, not really, it's scientific! Hang in there, it's still hard!
Great post. I definitely find my edge during extra long runs and hard tempo runs. I constantly tell myself "it's supposed to be hard."
I get my edge during long runs! I'm not training right now, but those last few miles are always a constant mind/body competition. I also get my edge doing endless amounts of planks… they're a killer on the shoulders! I have to keep reminding myself that it'll feel great when they're over.
really great post on finding the edge and i think you are perceptive when acknowledging that it takes different things to get each of us there. speed work definitely does it for me. racing consistently does as well, esp when i feel like i'm in shape. lifting on a consistent schedule, also.
I just started a FIRST half-marathon training plan. I love the idea of only running 3 times a week, even though those 3 workouts will definitely have me meeting the "edge" every time.
Also, great workouts last week! You are my role model for training.
I took my first-ever yoga class Sunday – Yoga for Runners. I figured I'm so inflexible that the only people who would be like me in a yoga class would be other runners. She also asked us to find our edge. It was tough, but I got lots of good ideas to use as stretches. As far as speedwork – it's interesting that I dread it so much before I start and then feel so wonderful about it when I'm done. I do think you can see results from it, so it's worth the pain.
Awesome post. I definitely need to push the edge a little more on many aspects. Thanks for the reminder.