Our pawsitivity coach, Pacer, has been giving us advice for years, so we thought it was only right to turn the newsletter spotlight on her for this week!
Hey, come play!
Train less.
Don’t worry, you can run the same mileage.
We just want you to enjoy it more, stress a little less.
Why? Because when we’re always training, or running to get better, we might start attaching running and performance to our identity. And when we attach how we run to our identity, we can actually release stress hormones through our body that can negatively affect our health and well-being.
When we instead run to play, we can still practice good form and we can train to get faster and stronger, but we attach to the outcome less, which frees our mind and our body to move how it wants to, enables us to enjoy life and running more, and improves our health and well-being. (And honestly- I hesitate to say this so we don’t reattach, but this can actually improve performance.)
As an added bonus, research has now made it evident that exercise encourages neuroplasticity, making post run or workout a great time to focus on the thoughts you want to think and the beliefs you want to embody. Adding PLAY (described by David Hanscom, MD as a “mindset of curiosity, deep gratitude, listening, anticipation, awareness…”) can increase your sense of safety (reduce anxiety) and release oxytocin (love/bonding hormone) and potentially reduce inflammation!!!
Practical Application:
Still want to train for the fall race? Of course! We’ve got you.
Make play your INTENTION for runs. Even workouts are a chance to be curious, grateful, and present to your experience.
The race is your GOAL, secondary to your intention. Your joy is not dependent on the goal, but the goal is a helpful magnet to increase your desire to put joy and play at the forefront of your life.
It might take time to shift your brain from outcome based performance to play, and that’s okay. You might want to save this post and re-read it each week for a reminder.
*Play and work are two sides of the same coin. Mindset is the main difference between what you choose to experience.
Difficult workouts can be scary, but they don’t have to be.
Workouts that push us out of our comfort zones can often feel intimidating, especially when they involve endurance and speed. These types of workouts—long efforts mixed with speed—are often the ones that stir up the most fear among runners. The distance, the pacing, the uncertainty of how your body will respond can be daunting!
Today, Coach Sandi Nypaver gives you a few things to think about if you get too worked up before key workout or interval session.
The Root Issue:
When I talk to a lot of the athletes I coach, the conversation often turns to why certain workouts feel so daunting. Often, it’s because they’re worrying about things that are out of their control or they’re fixated on how much it’s going to hurt. It’s easy to get stuck in that mindset—focusing on the negatives.
But in my opinion, what it really comes down to is shifting that focus. Instead of thinking about the discomfort or the fear, frame it in a way where you instead recognize that this type of workout is exactly what’s going to propel you toward your goals. These sessions aren’t just tough physically; they build mental resilience, too.
It’s about seeing each challenge as a step forward, not just something to endure.
Take long run workouts as an example—they demand a lot of mental focus and require you to have confidence in your ability to stay strong as the workout progresses. That’s what I remind my athletes when we approach these longer sessions!
Mindset Matters:
It’s important to remember that you can feel strong during the workout, and when you do, it feels incredible. But so many people fixate on how bad they might feel, rather than focusing on how great they can feel when everything clicks. When you start to feel yourself slip into these thought patterns, it becomes even more important to focus on something good.
And if the workout doesn’t go as planned, that’s perfectly okay. One of the things I always tell my athletes is that failure isn’t a big deal—it’s part of the process. In fact, it’s expected. Every setback is an opportunity to learn and come back stronger.
Failing a Workout:
I’ll take the thought of failing one step further! If you’re not failing, you’re probably not pushing yourself hard enough or setting goals that truly challenge you. In my book, failing a workout is no big deal. It’s just part of the process when you’re trying to perform at your best. When a workout doesn’t go well, instead of dwelling on it, reflect on why. Were you too tired? Did something feel off physically? Or maybe you mentally sold yourself short before even starting?
All of these factors play a role, and when a workout doesn’t go as planned, you take what you can from it. Learn from the experience, and then move on. It’s part of the journey, and better workouts are always ahead. Over the years as a runner, I’ve experienced ups and downs, with plenty of failed workouts along the way. But that’s just part of the game. Each failure is a steppingstone toward the next success.
My challenge for you for, then, when facing a tough workout and not quite feeling up to it, is to shift your mindset. Instead of focusing on the pressure or the potential struggle, tell yourself, “I’m just going to give it a shot and do my best today.” By approaching it this way, you take off some of the mental burden. And who knows? If it goes well, it could end up being a huge boost for both your progress and confidence. Just giving it a try could be all you need to turn things around.
Coach Sandi Nypaver is going to explore how setting an intention can make your runs more effective. Having the mindset of “getting in the miles” is only going to take your running so far. Setting an intention is actually quite simple, and if you’re looking for the “TLDR” of today’s newsletter, this is it:
Think about how you want to think, act and feel.
What could your intentions be for an easy run, a speed workout, or a long run be? What if you’re injured?
Taking a moment to set an intention can help program your mind in a positive way. If you repeatedly think thoughts that don’t serve you, this is one step you can take in claiming your power and making a shift.
If you’re intrigued to learn more, keep reading as Coach Sandi elaborates:
So what does it really look like to set an intention? Here are a few examples: For an easy run, your intention might be to focus on recovery and take it super easy. It could be a “stop and smell the flowers” type of run, where you enjoy the scenery in front of you and appreciate your body. Any of these would be a good intention for an easy run.
For a speed workout day, maybe your intention is to support yourself in a positive way no matter what happens, or to pace it well so you finish strong. Just take a moment to set an intention, whether it’s something like that or anything else that feels right for you.
If you’re injured, you could set the intention to appreciate your body for what it can do that day. You could also set the intention to appreciate that your body can heal and is giving you proof that it can heal, like every time you’ve gotten a cut and it has healed. This shows your body’s ability to recover.
My Challenge To You:
If you’re up for a challenge, let’s take this intention-setting practice a little bit further. And don’t tell me that you’re a runner who races and you’re not up for a challenge.
You’re doing this, okay?
The challenge is to start setting intentions for other aspects of your life. For instance, you can set an intention for how you want to act or think at work. Then, after work, take a moment before you get out of your car to think about what kind of person you want to be with your family. How do you want to respond to your family?
Consider the various aspects of your life where you can bring this practice. I want to make sure you remember this because often we hear things like this, think it’s nice, and then forget about it by the next day.
So, here’s what I want you to do right now: imagine yourself waking up in the morning, going to the bathroom, looking in the mirror, and writing down the word “intention” on the mirror.
The reason for writing “intention” on the mirror is that when we set intentions, our life often starts to look a little bit different, or our life starts to reflect back to us a little bit differently. We begin to look and act a little bit differently. That’s why the mirror is a good symbol here. Just setting that image of you writing “intention” on the mirror can help you remember this. Hopefully, tomorrow morning when you wake up and look in the mirror, you’ll remember this.
Think about how you want to think, act and feel.
What could your intentions be for an easy run, a speed workout, or a long run be? What if you’re injured?