Cardio: A how to guide.

Workout: 4 rounds
Run 800m
Row 500m

The objective of today's workout was elevated heart rate for a sustained period of time.  Mission Accomplished!

During longer workouts (for me personally) I start to have a hard time with maintaining my pace toward the middle/end.  I always have a little bit of gas in the tank to sprint toward the end, but I have a hard time maintaining pace and THEN kicking it in at the end.  How do you fix this problem if it happens to you?

Here is my how to guide to be an ultimate pacer with a kick at the end:

1.  Be a Mental Monster and not a Mental Midget.  If you always back off your pace when it starts to get very difficult to maintain, you will never improve.  WARNING:  It is going to hurt when you trying to make performance gains.  When you start hurting a little voice in your head shoves its way to the very front of your thought process... "STOP" it says.  At this very moment you have a choice to make.  What I am asking you to do is tell that little voice, NO.  There are some days when you will win the battle of the voice.  There will be some days that you lose.  When you begin winning the battle over and over again you are on your way to becoming a Mental Monster.

2.  Practice workouts that take you into longer time domains.  If you have a hard time with, lets say double unders, what do you do?  Practice them!  If you have a hard time with longer workouts, practice!  Need an idea for a great travel workout?  Make the time limit 30min or longer... ugh right?
To clarify something:  we tend to do shorter workouts with higher intensity so we do not have to put in tons of time doing workouts.  However, if you are struggling with overall capacity, you need to dive into the water you are scared.


3.  Let the Drummer Kick.  At the very end of a workout or race you need to have a sense of urgency.  We always yell this sarcastic statement around the gym, "The faster you go, the faster its over."  Well duh...  but what we are really getting at is urgency.  I always want to finish a workout and feel good about the job I have done.  If I have urgency to finish and try really hard to shut out the little voice 99% of the time I feel good about my workout and my performance.  Who cares where everyone else finishes!!!  So kick the tires and light the fires big daddy!  Let the drummer kick son!  Dig down deep, forget about how bad it hurts and do not be scared to push to new levels!