What do you think?
Rate this book
How to Be a Better Runner
Don’t waste this opportunity.
I said these four words to myself every single time I warmed up for a race. I’d wasted opportunities before and those missed moments haunted me. Do NOT waste this opportunity, I’d say again to myself as I stripped off my warmups near the starting line.
Head down, focused on the track beneath me, I’d repeat these words over and over, a mantra that would simultaneously pump me up and calm my nerves.
This was my prerace ritual.
I’d take a few deep breaths and hear my coach’s words in my head, “Breath in energy, breath out relaxation.” My heart rate would begin to drop and I’d experience an increased feeling of strength and power. I’d think back to all my hard work, the thousands of miles I’d logged to get me to this starting line as prepared as possible. Thank you, I’d whisper to my slightly younger self for having put in all that work.
Calm, confident, and aching to prove myself, I’d toe the line and impatiently wait for the gun to set me free.
To be clear, I wasn’t always calm and confident going into a race. In fact, when I began running in middle school I would spend most of meet day
thinking of things that could get me out of racing. If I twist my ankle during © 2020 by Nick Symmonds LLC
4
warm up coach won’t make me race. If I throw up right now, I bet they will let me go home...
Being prepared mentally and physically for a race is an art form. It certainly requires hard work and dedication, but it also requires knowledge. The knowledge I am about to share with you in the following chapters was accumulated over two decades of competitive running. I’ve raced everything from 100 meters up to the marathon and I can tell you first hand that the preparation for all distances is very similar. Train hard, train smart, master the mental game, kick ass.
I don’t know what you call this training philosophy I’m about to reveal to you. To be honest, I have never really studied the various “running philosophies” that are out there. For some reason, all my coaches had a similar one. Whether it was Tom Shanahan in high school, my coaches in college, or the three incredible men that coached me as a pro, every coach I had during my career shared a very similar training philosophy. For lack of a better phrase, I’ll call it INTELLIGENT GRIT. Work hard, work smart.
I hope these lessons provide you with a new perspective. I hope they give you a unique insight into the process you must focus on to achieve your desired results. Above all else, I hope these lessons help you to never again waste an opportunity due to lack of conviction, mental mishaps, or improper training.
I said these four words to myself every single time I warmed up for a race. I’d wasted opportunities before and those missed moments haunted me. Do NOT waste this opportunity, I’d say again to myself as I stripped off my warmups near the starting line.
Head down, focused on the track beneath me, I’d repeat these words over and over, a mantra that would simultaneously pump me up and calm my nerves.
This was my prerace ritual.
I’d take a few deep breaths and hear my coach’s words in my head, “Breath in energy, breath out relaxation.” My heart rate would begin to drop and I’d experience an increased feeling of strength and power. I’d think back to all my hard work, the thousands of miles I’d logged to get me to this starting line as prepared as possible. Thank you, I’d whisper to my slightly younger self for having put in all that work.
Calm, confident, and aching to prove myself, I’d toe the line and impatiently wait for the gun to set me free.
To be clear, I wasn’t always calm and confident going into a race. In fact, when I began running in middle school I would spend most of meet day
thinking of things that could get me out of racing. If I twist my ankle during © 2020 by Nick Symmonds LLC
4
warm up coach won’t make me race. If I throw up right now, I bet they will let me go home...
Being prepared mentally and physically for a race is an art form. It certainly requires hard work and dedication, but it also requires knowledge. The knowledge I am about to share with you in the following chapters was accumulated over two decades of competitive running. I’ve raced everything from 100 meters up to the marathon and I can tell you first hand that the preparation for all distances is very similar. Train hard, train smart, master the mental game, kick ass.
I don’t know what you call this training philosophy I’m about to reveal to you. To be honest, I have never really studied the various “running philosophies” that are out there. For some reason, all my coaches had a similar one. Whether it was Tom Shanahan in high school, my coaches in college, or the three incredible men that coached me as a pro, every coach I had during my career shared a very similar training philosophy. For lack of a better phrase, I’ll call it INTELLIGENT GRIT. Work hard, work smart.
I hope these lessons provide you with a new perspective. I hope they give you a unique insight into the process you must focus on to achieve your desired results. Above all else, I hope these lessons help you to never again waste an opportunity due to lack of conviction, mental mishaps, or improper training.
- GenresNonfiction
55 pages, ebook
3 people are currently reading
97 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
Read
April 29, 2021i thought this book was very good. it got at a lot of aspects of running and I think I learned a lot. one topic that I really learned from was the nerves chapter. i have always been super nervous so hearing how to control and use them for good will really help me in future races.
June 10, 2020
Good insight from former Olympian, Nick Symmonds. He really tackles everything from pre race routines and periodization to running's effect on sexual health. Interesting to compare and contrast Nick's training tips with his olympic year training log that is free on his website.
June 11, 2023
This is a really short but useful book. I was persuaded to read it after watching Nick Symmonds' YouTube channel. This gave me a lot of info on aspects of running I was curious about.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews