Athletics: How To Run and Enjoy the Marathon - Need Motivation? Take A Break

(A Practical Guide To The 26.2-Mile Journey) By James Raia
Web site: www.byjamesraia.com  
E-mail: James@ByJamesRaia.com

Runner's Web Editor's Note:
We will be running one chapter of this book on the Runner's Web each week for the next 15 weeks.

Introduction
How to Run & Enjoy The Marathon, a series of 15 self-help and service-oriented articles about running marathons - the proper shoes to running etiquette - is written by James Raia, a journalist and veteran marathon and ultramarathon runner in Sacramento, Calif. A contributor to many newspapers, news services, magazines and internet sites, Raia began to run long distances in 1983, the same year in which he completed his first marathon, the California International Marathon, in 4 hours, 12 minutes and 30 seconds.
How To Run & Enjoy The Marathon is based on the author's more than 20 years of writing about the sport -- its nuances, its elite athletes and the running masses.
Since he began training for his first marathon, running has become an integral component of the author's lifestyle. Raia has completed nearly than 70 marathons and ultramarathons, including several 50 milers and double marathons. His fastest marathon, 3:07:42, was run in 1990. A two-time finisher of the Boston Marathon, Raia for the past several years has completed many of his marathons in the 3:45 range.
Raia, 48, has traveled to more than a dozen countries on assignment for myriad publications, Runner's World to Modern Maturity, The New York Times to USA Today. He also writes syndicated cycling and running columns, publishes two electronic newsletters, Endurance Sports News and Tour de France Times, and is the author of The Tour Within The Tour de France, a travel/sports e-book about the prestigious cycling event. He lives in Sacramento, Calif., with Gretchen Gaither, a teacher and sculptor.

For additional information on his two free newsletters or his other e-book, visit the author's web site, www.byjamesraia.com or contact him via e-mail at RaiaRuns@aol.com.

Table Of Contents
1.Marathon No. 1: It's not all about pain
2. What Marathon? Plentiful choices abound
3. The Basics: Common sense for the masses
4. Marathoning For Dollars: Running is fitness on the cheap
5. Want To Finish: Join the club
6. Fleet Feet: If the shoe fits, wear it
7. Need Motivation? Take a break
8. Now Hear This: Just Say No To Headphones
9. Night Moves: Exercisers Need A Visible Presence
10. Women Marathoners: Running Safe Means Running Smart
11. Running vs. Walking: Marathoners Can Do Both
12. Runner's Creed: Share Thy Space
13. Marathon Time Limits: The race directors' dilemma
14. Marathon No. 1 (Revisited): Don't Forget The Little Things
15. Reference Guide: Where to Find Out More About The Marathon

This Issue - 7. Need Motivation? Take A Break

It's not uncommon for an athlete to achieve a goal and then have difficulty staying motivated. The predicament is one variety of athlete burnout, and it doesn't discriminate whether you thrive on walking, swimming, cycling or running marathons.

Athlete burnout can also occur as a result of stale training habits, overracing and overtraining as well as a mental letdown. And it doesn't matter if you're an elite athlete or a weekend warrior.

"Don't race too frequently," Bakoulis writes in her abovementioned book. "Just like running too much mileage or doing too many speed workouts, overracing can lead to excessive fatigue, burnout, and it may contribute to injury.

"A good test of whether you race too frequently is your mindset as you approach a race. You should have a feeling of eager anticipation and excitement. If you approach a race with a sense of listlessness or boredom - or worse, dread - you have probably been overracing."

Another sure sign of overracing or athlete burnout, Bakoulis suggests, is a sudden, otherwise unexplained dip in race performances.

But a "burned out," runner can also use the problem as a blessing in disguise. In fact, if an athlete recognizes the symptoms, they can refocus their training and even improve their running.

Shawn McDonald knows the burnout phenomenon as well as anyone. A cancer researcher in La Jolla, Calif., McDonald has completed dozens of marathons and ultramarathons, including several 100-mile races.

But even an athlete of McDonald's caliber knows the value of a relaxed mileage week. As a result, he reduces his running mileage and incorporates other forms of exercise after important competitions.

"If one has a cutback week every fourth or fifth week, then in the long run they will be a stronger and faster runner, have fewer injuries and be much more likely to avoid burnout," says McDonald. "It takes some planning and motivation to put these changes into your running program, but it is the smartest thing to do."

McDonald's suggestions were offered to an unmotivated ultramarathon runner who sought advice on an Internet running forum. But his thoughts are relevant to athletes in all sports and of varying abilities.

Therefore, consider McDonald's guidelines for combating a lack of motivation or burnout:

* Take a cutback week. Reduce your mileage by at least 50 percent for a week or two. Take at least two days off during the reduced scheduled week, and maybe try some cross training, cycling, swimming or hiking, as examples. Other sports can revive your mental outlook.

* Change your exercise routine. Train on different routes than you usually do. If you don't train on trails, head to a local park or drive out of the city to run. Run with new friends or with a group you haven't run with for a while. Try a group that trains faster or slower than you usually do. Enter a local event and do it as a pace workout, instead of an all-out race.

* If you're a long-distance athlete, take at least the week following your last event to train a lot less than normal. Don't worry about your mileage. You won't lose your fitness level and you'll be less susceptible to injury.

* Be careful of long-lasting conditions such as dehydration and lack of sleep. Overtraining and burnout is a downward spiral that requires some changes in your training routine and mental outlook. Chronic dehydration is more likely in the hot summer months. Also, slow down the pace of your workouts in hot weather, and make certain to drink more fluids before, during and after training runs.

McDonald's advice and Bakoulis' offerings are, of course, the opinions of elite and highly accomplished athletes.

But their suggestions are based on years of experience. And their common sense practices could mean the difference between an athlete giving up a sport or returning to a healthy and enjoyable fitness-oriented lifestyle.

© Copyright 2003, James Raia

Posted with the permission of James Raia.

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