Discovering your “Finish Fuel”

Written by Caleb Masland for the Just Finish Newsletter

Every run that starts from my house, which is almost every day, starts with a hill. I live at the back end of a circle road and at the bottom of a hill; no matter which way I go, I need to get up and over that hill just to get out of the subdivision. And either way I go to start the run, the hill is plenty big - bigger and over more distance than any hill I’ve run in a race this year (save for a half marathon in Asheville, NC where the hills ate everyone up and spit us all out ready to go home and nap).

Completing your training plan is enough to get you to race day and off after the gun fires, but finishing the race on your terms takes mental toughness. No matter who you are, either looking to set the world record in the marathon or completing your first 5k, getting it done is going to require a decision at one or several times throughout the race. You have to answer to yourself: “Will I keep pushing or will I give up?”

Here is where that hill becomes so important. For me, running that first half mile in each workout has become my own “finish fuel.” There have been plenty of times when I’ve repeated to myself during a race: “I ran a longer, harder hill than this over a hundred times, I can make it to the top right now.” And time after time, that perspective has given me the mental toughness in that race to keep moving as planned.

We all have something that we can feed off of during our events. Yours could also be a hill you tackle every day, or a distance covered beyond the race distance, or even a killer set of weights in the gym. Whatever it is, internalizing the significance of finishing that thing over and over again while training becomes a source of mental power when it’s time to race. When the moment comes where your mind is saying: “I’m not sure I can do this,” you can remind yourself: “Yes, I can, and I know that because of what I’ve already accomplished.”

When you’re out training, keep an eye out for your “finish fuel.” Then master it, own it, and let it propel you on race day. You’ll be holding strong when everyone else around you is fading and struggling.

Caleb Masland is a "serious amateur" runner who believes that ordinary people are capable of reaching their personal goals through smart training and hard work. Caleb has been running for 20 years and shares his training philosophy, which is aimed at maximizing genetic potential and overcoming the typical athletic bonk, at http://bonkproof.com.