Cause and Effect

Seems like a basic, easy to understand concept: an action leads to a result. Unfortunately, too often in training something is lost in translation particularly when it comes to newbie or youth runners. Training at its most basic level is the repeated cycle of cause and effect. If I train my body to run fast, eventually I'll race fast. The magic within cause and effect, which is often underutilized or underappreciated, is that the more committed and smarter you currently train, the greater rewards you reap down the road. Training is all about delayed gratification. Patience. Trust. Commitment. Consistency. Lacking in any one of these is what normally derails newbie runners from crossing that threshold from  "non-runner" to "runner." Very often, it's that unwillingness to accept the process of training that would ultimately take them to where they want to be but rather has them spinning their wheels. Successful marathoners understand this process. The best middle-distance runners in the world utilize this process in the structured form of periodization to extract the most out of their talent during a macro-training cycle. And so if they do, why shouldn't all of us commit or recommit to maximizing the power of cause and effect and let it empower us to new heights. As for me, I know what I'm doing right now during this fall training cycle is going to have a direct effect on how I race come winter during Indoors. I'm training for strength and speed endurance now, all to set up the speed that will come with fast Armory track workouts. I'll be looking to run personal bests in every distance from the 400 meters to 3000m, but if I don't put in the work now, I certainly can't expect to succeed come January.