Army Run: How Do I Know I’m Ready?

G’Day Everyone!

I’m extremely excited for the Army Run, it’s almost arrived!

As much as I enjoy running, I’ve loved my last week tapering and stepping off training for a little while to allow my legs to rest up.  The Army Run (based in downtown Ottawa) is a run that I’ve been wanting to do for about about 2 years now. It’s become really popular- this year it sold out early and I was fortunate enough to find an entry from someone on KiJiJi.  I’ve been inspired by the countless stories and comebacks. Not to mention the route is really visual, but how do I know I’m ready?

There’s nothing worse than running without confidence. It’s debilitating mentally to get out there and have too many questions before a race and feel really uncertain of how things will go. This usually ends up creating a lot of apprehensions come race time. More often than not, it’s a scenario that will likely end up to be painful. Obviously it’s ideal to show up on race day feeling nervous and excited, but it’s really great to know you’ve had a few runs with “the groove”; it’s that synergy of legs, mind and solid training, the point on a tempo run when you feel invincible. Whether it’s the song you’re listening to, food you ate, sleep you got, or the weather outside, this is a great feeling that every runner should get to enjoy while training. It’s especially a nice feeling before a race to provide you with a burst of confidence and positivity.

Usually during the grind of training, I can always hit “the groove.” This past couple of months though, I’ve had to go searching for it. As much as I wanted to enjoy that quick pace and thrive in it, I ended up struggling. I decided a few days rest would be beneficial for my mind and legs. For me that’s exactly what I needed and I’ve run in “the groove” a few times now. Where everything clicks and race pace is locked in, only up until now have I felt race ready. It’s my little victory as a security before race day.

You’ve got to love a sport where anything can go wrong on the big day, anything from: Nutrition, equipment, fatigue, injury, weather,health, etc. etc. Call it what you will: “the groove”, “synergy”,”clicking.” Once you get there, you’ll know what I mean, it’s awesome, and it’s just another reason to keep lacing up those kicks!

For those of you also taking part in a race this weekend – have fun!! You’ve done the training, now is time to let loose.

Here’s to you and Happy Groovin’

D