toughness and focus

Learning to run while being uncomfortable is the number one thing that a runner needs to learn. Because when it comes down to it, whoever is willing to hurt the most during a race is the one with the best chance to win. Each workout and or run is going to take a different level of focus and elicit a different type of pain, all of which as just as important as the next. Your long runs and tempo runs are going to be long grind where concentration becomes more important the longer you go. This is very important for being able to focus in the middle of the race, being consistent and grinding away at the task at hand. On the flip side V02 type work or short intervals is more of a sharp pain. The type of pain you deal with in the later stages of a race, when it comes time to take it up that extra notch and really make it hurt. I believe that when putting together a training program your different phases are going to have different goals and focus on different types of workouts, but you cant ever stray too far away from any one type of workout. Physiologically this is bad but also from a mental stand point you need to remember what it feels like to go though the different types of workouts. This is the main focus. Because as a runner you get better by running. Now if you want to get to the next level... you need to not only do the little things, but do them well. So yes you have to be able to hurt during tempos, long runs, intervals, and speed work but you also need to focus during what may seem like a menial task such warmup, drills, lifting, core etc... Now I feel that doing warm up etc are very very important and as i have stated in previous posts help make runners better athletes, but if you are going to spend the time doing it you better pay attention and focus, if you cant focus during seemingly simple tasks how will you be able to focus in the critical half way to 3/4 of a way though a race when it is so easy to fall asleep. This is a time where it is so easy to go through the motions and not focus on what you are doing, but the truly great ones do and can get that extra little bit from doing it.