Run Through it Like it’s a Brick Wall
Hi Friends! I’ve started a new coaching job this Spring and I am LOVING it! It’s an honor to be coaching Track and Field at my son’s middle school. Let me just tell you…these kids are so fun! They laugh ALL THE TIME. They have SO MUCH FUN running! Yes. They have fun running, even if they aren’t very good runners! Now I could go on about how great it is that they are finding joy in fitness, and how I think that joy in fitness is the KEY to a life long habit….but that’s a whole other blog post. What I want to discuss today is the finish line.
When track athletes are running a race, the only thing in their sight is that finish line. They want to get to the finish line as fast as they possibly can. Now for each distance to be raced, there is a different strategy. The 100 m dash is a full out sprint, you give your ALL for that 100 meters. There is not a time in the 100 m dash that anyone “floats” to get a bit of recovery. However, in the 800 m race, strategy is a bit different. These athletes cannot physiologically full out sprint the entire 1/2 mile. They need time within their race to recover energy, so they “float”, or run at a lighter intensity, mid race. That being said, both athletes should see the finish line and push as hard as they can at the very end. That finish line is not to be lightly passed through. We run through that finish line like we are trying to break down a brick wall.
“Awesome Jill, what does this have to do with my weight loss?”
All of my weight loss clients start off at a different weight, with different goals. Some have 100 pounds to lose, and some have 10. When it comes to nutrition and fitness, the structure remains the same for both clients. Eat whole foods, little added sugar, lots of water and increase your activity and workouts. The strategy or intensity is sometimes very different.
Think of the 100 m dash athlete. They go all out for a short time. This is my 10 pounder. If they do a solid month with no “cheating”, lots of high cardio HIIT workouts, and drink a ton of water, they can sprint hard to that 10 pound loss. No stopping, no “floating”.
Now lets think of my 100 pound loss client. How simple is it for them to “sprint” to that finish line? 100 pounds is going to take some time! You’re going to have a few birthday parties during that time. You’ll probably go through some summer month barbecues. You may catch a cold or two and have to press pause on your fitness program. So the client who needs to lose 100 pounds must use the “float” strategy of the 800 meter runner. Does “float” mean the athlete stops running? NO WAY! They lighten their intensity during that time so that they have the energy to continue. When the weight loss client lightens intensity, they choose to have 1/2 of a piece of birthday cake. They choose 1 slice of pizza with salad on a Saturday movie night. They skip a workout or two because they are sick. Are they being “bad”? Are they horrible people who show no drive or ambition? No of course not. They are using strategy, just like the athlete who must float mid race.
The Finish Line
If you remember, I had said that both athletes see the finish line and should be going as hard and fast as they can to get to it. Here is where you see both sets of athletes often commit the same blunder due to fatigue. They start slowing down BEFORE the finish line. In the weight loss world this happens ALL THE TIME! In both cases of the sprinter/10 lb loss client and the distance runner/100 lb loss client, they will lighten their intensity at the very end of the goal and find a “good enough”. Perhaps they’ve lost 7 lbs and feel pretty good, so they start to lighten their efforts of that 10 pound goal….just short of the finish line. With the 100 lb client, maybe they’ve lost 60 pounds, they feel amazing (runners high) and can’t even imagine it being any better, as if the finish line isn’t even important anymore. In middle school track this is one of the things we talk about every day. I tell them to run hard THROUGH the line, never slowing down just before it.
Whether you started your weight loss 7 pounds ago or 60 pounds ago, you are now seeing the finish line and it’s time to sprint hard. If you can see the finish line, it’s time to stop floating. Kick it into gear, and run through that goal like it’s a BRICK WALL.
*Note: Please don’t run at actual brick walls. The wall will win. If you need help with weight loss or achieving your goal, go to www.oaklandfit.com and sign up for a program that includes nutrition, fitness, accountability and support đŸ™‚
