Tips for your first half marathon

Tomorrow, 16th September 2018, I will be completing my 10th half marathon at the English Half Marathon event in Warrington. It also happens to be the 10th anniversary of the event!

I know a few people that are tackling the 13.1 mile distance for the first time tomorrow and I thought it would be useful to put a little guide together with some tricks and tips to consider when running your first half marathon.

1. Don’t try anything new 

This is very important! Whether it’s your kit, gels or breakfast. On the day of your half marathon, ensure you don’t try anything new. Find out what brand of gels the event are offering, if it’s something you’ve never tried before, don’t risk it! You could end up with stomach ache during the race- and that is never fun! I’m sure that you’ve found what works best for you during your training, stick to this! I’d definitely recommend wearing the kit that you wore on your longest run. Running in new clothes could lead to chaffing which will ultimately make you uncomfortable.

2. Hydrate and carb-load!

Staying hydrated is vital! I always make sure to drink lots of fluids on the days leading up to the race. On the day, again, do what you’ve being doing on your training runs. I actually drink quite a lot of water when I’m running, everybody is different, so do what makes you most comfortable. I would always suggest taking advantage of the water stations along the course route.

I am not an expert on nutrition but it is essential to understand the importance of correctly fueling your body. Carb-loading, the day before the event is essential (and enjoyable). I’m not saying to go crazy and eat 4 portions of pasta, garlic bread and a tub of ice-cream. But mindfully consuming more carbs the day before (and the few days before this) the event will really help, they are a great source of energy that will help you to avoid ‘hitting a wall’ during the race.

3. Have a mantra

I find that having a mantra really helps you to tackle the distance and distracts you when things get tough. Whenever I’m feeling sore or tired, I sing ‘Volare’ by Domenico Modugno. This is my mantra and something that I’ve used in all of my long runs, it really helps to keep me going! Others like to use phrases such as; “You can do it”, “You’ve got this”, “Just keep swimming”. Find something that works for you and be your own motivator, after all you really CAN do it!

4. Don’t get hung up on time

If this is your first half marathon, it is important that you don’t get too hung up on a time. Don’t even set yourself a time limit, just focus on finishing. 13.1 miles is an incredible distance to cover and often, when people focus on a time and don’t finish in this time, they beat themselves up about it and view the event negatively. Don’t let this be you! My first half marathon took me 3 hours to complete and I think I was the happiest person there!

5. Smile and enjoy yourself!

Smile!!! Smiling during an event really elevates my mood and makes me feel like I can do anything! If you’re struggling, try smiling. It really is powerful!

Most importantly, enjoy yourself! Events are so fun and the running community is full of supportive, fantastic people. You’ve trained hard for your first half marathon and the day of the event is just the final training run. Have every faith in yourself and be positive! There’s usually a beer and shiny new bling waiting for you at the finish line and just think about that amazing cake you can eat afterwards- after all, you’ve earned it!

Good luck!!

Jess xo

 

Better late than never; Liverpool Rock ‘n’ Roll half recap

If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again!

I’ve been so busy over the past month or so! I’m coming to the end of my masters degree and everything started to pile on top of me; exams, coursework deadlines and countless job interviews.

Thankfully, at the moment, I am feeling relaxed and pretty stress free as everything is coming to an end. Exams and coursework deadlines are finally all over! Now I only have a 15,000 word dissertation to write, due in September.

I wanted to write this blog post weeks ago but I just haven’t gotten around to it. Better late than never I guess!

Liverpool Rock ‘n’ Roll Half, Sunday 20th May 2018

Liverpool Rock ‘n’ Roll Half 2018, race number.

Overall, I really enjoyed the whole weekend. Last year I completed my first full marathon at this event (probably the best day of my life) so I was looking forward to the half this year. I was debating for a while whether to enter the half or the full but in the end I decided to commit to the half, as I wasn’t sure that I could give the full 100% with my schedule at the moment.

I actually finished the race with a 12 minute PB! I was really hoping to do it in 2 hours 30 but unfortunately the weather got the better of me. I finished in 2.44 with my previous best being 2.56. The race was going well until mile 10, I actually ended up pretty much walking the last 3 miles. This was so disappointing as I had my heart set on a 2.30 finish!

But if there is one thing that I’ve learned on my running journey, it’s that failure is not the be-all and end-all. And there is no success without failure! Sometimes you just have to pick yourself back up, train harder and try again.

Home stretch, finishing the half. Photo Credits: Neil Howard.

As I mentioned earlier, the heat was brutal. It really took it out of me! I am very excited for the weather to cool down. I am going to attempt my 2.30 again later this year. I have signed up for the English half marathon, in my hometown of Warrington, in September and I’ve also entered the Manchester half marathon in October. I’m ready to roll up my sleeves, to train hard and to chase my 2.30 goal! I can and I will!

My favourite part of the weekend

The thing that I enjoyed the most about the weekend was getting to see all of my Bangor friends again! My best friend Millie was completing her first full marathon and she stayed at my apartment for the weekend. It was amazing to see her cross the finish line and I am so proud of her! I also spent most of the weekend with a good friend, Alice. It was great to see her and she also completed the full (her second full- how amazing!!).

I had the opportunity to catch up with my favourite Bangor lecturer, Fran, and some amazing Born to Runners. I loved seeing everybody and felt such pride to see them all with their medals. A truly inspirational, incredible group of individuals!

Inspirational ladies!! The incredible Psychology Runners!

Millie with her well deserved pint. Photo credits: Alice McLeod.

I will most definitely be signing up to next years event! The day is really fun, I love the live bands and the atmosphere. I also love the bling! Hopefully I’ll get to see these amazing ladies again.

Rock ‘n’ Roll bling!

Where I’m at now

At the moment, I’m focusing on strength training, using a gym guide created by the beautiful Mari Llewellyn. This guide involves both upper and lower body weight lifting exercises. I workout approximately 4 days a week, completing around 30 minutes of cardio each session, followed by the strength training exercises. I’m really enjoying it and I am hoping that it will help me to improve my running performance!

Until next time.

Jess xo

Running update (it’s been a while)

I cannot believe that it has almost been one year since I last published a blog! I’m currently supposed to be writing an essay on fast fashion but procastinating is what I do best.

I’m still actively using my running instagram account and absolutely love being a part of the running community, so I deemed it necessary to add a new blog to my wordpress account.

Definitely me right now!

Update on my running

I am FINALLY getting faster!! I’m definitely not the fastest runner in the world and I imagine most people would consider me slow but I’m making huge improvements in comparison to 2017 Jess. At the end of 2017, I set myself some goals for the upcoming year in regards to my fitness and running (see below). After completing the marathon in May 2017, I started to run less and less until I found myself barely running at all. I got lazy and did not take care of myself which lead to a massive amount of weight gain and me feeling very unhappy. After countless breakdowns and crying fits I decided to do something about it. I felt so disappointed that I’d lost the fitness that I had worked so hard for. I knew deep down that I was a strong ass MARATHONER and decided to take my life back. It’s been super hard but my performance is definitely improving. I have lost 15.5lbs and I am finally gaining back my confidence. I stil have a way to go in regards to my weight, I’m looking to lose at least another 12lbs but I’m getting there and I am remaining positive in my journey.

I’m feeling so much happier and more confident in my running. My running pace has improved dramatically. I still like to take a run/walk approach but my runner is faster and I now run further than I used to without walking. I’m SO close to one of my goals of running a 5km in 30 minutes. My PB is currently standing at 31.39! When I first ran a 5km race, it took me a whopping 45 minutes!

Goals for 2018

Just 1 minute, 39 to shave off- getting close!

I’m definitely improving

I currently exercise 4-6 days a week, incorporating lots of strength training in between runs and rides and I am absolutely LOVING it. I’ve joined an online fitness community with women from all over the world and it’s super motivating. I really missed having a group of supportive people going through a similar journey like my born to runners, so this has been really helpful.

I have also really cleaned up my diet making a lot of healthy changes and I feel so much better for it. I’m still a chunky girl and could obviously do with losing more weight but I am over getting hung up on the idea that fitness has to look a certain way. One of my inspirations is a woman called Kelly K Roberts, she is an amazing 3.41 marathoner and she preaches the notion that being strong doesn’t always mean being super skinny. I would definitely read her blogs/listen to her podcasts/follow her on social media if you don’t already. She is an incredible woman!

Health and fitness doesn’t always look a certain way

Liverpool Rock and Roll 1/2 Marathon

This year I decided not to run the full marathon because I was worried about having the time/ability to train properly for it. Instead I am running the half marathon and I am so excited! I cannot wait to see my amazing born to runners and to watch one of my closet friends, Millie, run with the 2018 BTR cohort.

This year, I am really hoping to complete it in 2 hours, 30 minutes. I don’t want to get too obsessed with a time but this is what I have in mind. This would be 25 minutes faster than any half marathon I’ve ever completed. I am a little scared but I’m going to try my best. I have a 10 mile run to complete this Sunday so I will get to see if a 2.30 finish will be a possibility for me this time around.

Having moved to Liverpool in September 2017, I’m excited to run a half marathon in the city that I now call home. I love this city!

One last thing

I have one last bit of exciting news (well it’s exciting to me). After meeting with my dissertation supervisor to discuss my MSc Marketing dissertation topic, we’ve decided to investigate running motivation and performance! At the moment we have lots of ideas and don’t have an official research question. But, we want to look at virtual reality, running, performance, maybe branding? I’ll update when I finally have a topic but I’m excited to be writing a dissertation on something that I am passionate about.

A final thought

I’m really enjoying my fitness journey and really hope I can stay motivated to have a healthy lifestyle for the rest of my life. I’m too young to be unfit and out of shape. I’m also going to keep this blog alive with updates everything few months or so.

Thanks so much for reading! Until next time!

Jess xo

I am a marathoner!

What an amazing weekend this has been! On Sunday 28th May 2017, I completed the Liverpool Rock and Roll marathon!!

(Crossing the finish line with Emily. Photo credits: Mr Trimble)

I have achieved my goals and feel so unbelievably proud of myself for doing so. Although my born to run module has come to an end, I want to continue to document my running journey on this blog. Two days on and I am still absolutely buzzing from my experience on the weekend. I cannot thank everybody enough for their support and for believing in me. Particularly my lecturers, Fran and John, who have been inspirational from the get go; their support and guidance has truly been incredible and they have taught me that I can do anything with the right attitude! I also want to thank my boyfriend, Stephen. He has been my rock throughout this process and even with two broken wrists, he joined me on the majority of my long runs and kept me going when I found it hard. My dad is also my inspiration. It is because of him that I set out on this journey; I had always wanted to run a marathon and he encouraged me to sign up to my born to run module. The social support that I have received from my fellow psychrunners and the Instagram followers of my ‘marathon journey account‘ has been absolutely overwhelming. Runners and the running community really are the best!

(Before the race. Photo credits: Stephen Perry)

This whole experience has changed my life and I hope to continue to run in the future. I have already signed up for the English Half Marathon in Warrington this September and I hope to complete more marathons too!

The marathon was the most difficult thing that I’ve ever done but also the most rewarding. I wanted to give a little account of the day:

As I arrived at the echo arena on Sunday morning, I was filled with nerves, but as soon as I saw my classmates, the nerves disappeared and I became excited. I started the race with my friends Emily and Alice which was really nice. I ran the first mile or so with Emily until I had to drop back because I was going much faster than I usually go and I didn’t want to burn out. Although the course was tough up to Stanley Park, I was filled with excitement and pride and managed to achieve flow. I felt as though I was running well and I was feeling very happy. As the course progressed I began to feel emotional. Every time I started to cry, my breathing became difficult and then I would worry about my breathing. I’m not sure why I was crying, it was a mixture of fear of not completing the marathon and a happiness from the support of the crowd. I rang Stephen and he met me at mile 13 with a banana. This really cheered me up and helped me to remain positive for the rest of the race. My body was really feeling it 16 miles in which disappointed me a bit because I had ran this distance before and felt okay. However, I had never run on this type of terrain and all of my training runs were off road and flat. I turned to the playlist that I had created full of cheesy 80’s tunes and this helped me get through the next few miles. At mile 18 I was really struggling and could no longer stick to my 400 meter walk/600 meter run that I had been keeping up. I badly wanted to quit. My whole body hurt and I was running 40 meters and kept having to stop which was really frustrating. I just visualised myself finishing the race and thought of all of the effort that I had put in to my training. I got myself into a rhythm of a power walk, running where I could. Before I knew it, I was running along the waterfront where Ste came to see me again. He told me how proud he was and really helped me to keep going. At mile 23, Stephen head off to the finish line on his bike and left me alone again to complete the last 3.2 miles. Luckily, in the distance, I could see my classmate Eszter and my professor, John. John had already finished his marathon in under 3 hours and came back to help me with my last few miles. I was extremely grateful for this and before I knew it, I was near the end. At mile 25, I saw one of my very good friends, Emily, just ahead of me. I sped up and caught her up. It felt so amazing to be with my friend and we completed the rest of the run together. On the final stretch, I could see my family to my right and the born to runners on the left; their cheers and smiles filled me with pride. Emily and I crossed the finish line together, hand in hand, and it was absolutely amazing to share this experience with her!

I will never forget this day or this journey/experience. It has truly changed me as an individual and I know that I really can do anything!!

(The amazing born to runners. Photo credits: Jo Lomas)

(The bling!!)

(Race results)

All good things come to an end

Since my last blog I have said goodbye to my born to run class and the module. It has been very emotional but as my degree is coming to an end, I can begin to fully focus on the marathon that is only 3 weeks away! Training has been getting tougher as I completed my final long run before the big day this week, a whopping 32km! Although it was difficult, I am beyond proud of myself. I truly believe that anybody can achieve any goal that they put their mind to; as long as they adapt the principles of positive psychology and take small steps towards fully achieving their goals.

As this is my final blog, I wanted to pinpoint the most powerful techniques that have helped me on my journey to success. Although I have not completed the marathon yet, I am so proud of my achievements and how far I have come. 13 weeks ago, I could barely run to the end of my road and now I can complete 20 LONG MILE RUNS!! If I can do this, I believe than anybody else can! Think of this as a quick guide on how to achieve things that you never thought were possible! Here are my top 5 tips to greatness…

Focus on goal setting

Goal setting is an extremely important factor that contributes to the outcome of success. An individual must devise goals in order to give them focus and direction. Goals allow you to take control of the direction of your aims and also provides a benchmark for determining how you’re getting on as you strive towards success.  Goals need to be considered carefully in order for them to become a success. It is important to ensure that your goals motivate you and that they are important to you, otherwise, you will not be motivated enough to achieve them. Goal achievement requires commitment and therefore it is important that the goal is significant to you to ensure that you can fully commit to it.  An effective way of setting goals is the use of the SMART goals technique (Conzemius & O’Neill, 2011).  In order for goals to be powerful, they must be SMART; an acronym that stands for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound (Prather, 2005). It is necessary that goals are clear and well defined in order to give them a direction. Defining your end goal precisely, allows you to achieve more easily, therefore; it is important to set specific goals. To ensure that your goals are measurable, include precise dates that can be used to measure how successful you are. Set goals that are attainable so that you don’t lose your confidence and to ensure success. Goals must be relevant in order to maintain focus and to guide you that you into a relevant direction. In order to celebrate your end success, ensure that your goals are time-bound!

Use positive self-talk

Another important psychological technique necessary for success is the use of positive self talk. I have found this to be an extremely effective way of getting through tough runs. Self-talk can be defined as ‘our inner voice’ (Theodorakis, Weinberg, Natsis, Douma & Kazakas, 2000), the way that we communicate with ourselves when faced with a difficult task. An example of this technique is telling yourself ‘you can do this’, ‘you’re doing brilliantly, keep going’. Positive self talk increases self-confidence and can reduce anxiety (Hatzigeorgiadis, Zourbanos, Mpoumpaki & Theodorakis, 2009). Positive self talk has also been found to improve sporting performance (Van Raalte, Brewer, Cornelius & Petitpas, 2006). If you continue to tell yourself how great you are for pursuing your goals, you will be able to get through difficult training and be successful!

Have a mantra

Mantra’s can be really helpful in contributing towards your success. A mantra can be defined as a word or a sound that is repeated in order to aid concentration. Repeating a choice word guides attention towards success and away from any distractions (Eason, 2013) . If you are struggling to keep focus during your journey to greatness, have a mantra! My personal favourite’s are to sing S Club 7’s ‘Bring it all back’ or to repeat ‘Nel blu dipinto di blu by Domenico Modugno.

Use imagery

During the pursuit for success, it is useful to incorporate imagery techniques. Use your imagination to visualise yourself achieving your goals and succeeding. I visualise myself crossing the finish line of the marathon when I struggle during my training runs. I find this to be a particularly effective method. The imagination is powerful (Hall, Rodgers & Barr, 1990) and therefore you should utilise it to divert your attention towards success.

Adapt a positive mind set; you can do anything!

The most important thing to bear in mind when attempting to achieve your goals is to stay positive. When deciding to set a goal for yourself you are already winning! You’re taking a step in the correct direction towards achieving your dreams. If you continue to tell yourself how amazing you are, you will show amazing progress. Remain positive, be resilient and never forget to smile! I truly believe that you can do anything that you set your mind to.

I am so proud of my personal journey and I cannot wait for the rock and roll marathon! I am also proud of all of my class mates that have also utilised principles of positive psychology in order to follow their goals.

To keep up with my recent training, I have attached my training plan from the past couple of weeks (see below).

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
REST	7.1km	Spin Class and 2km	4.6km	Track session and Spin Class	26km	8.1km walk

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
6.7km	Spin Class	Walk	Spin Class	REST	REST	32km

Today I completed my longest run before the marathon (see below) and from here on, I am going to begin to taper. Tapering is reducing the volume and intensity of training leading up to the race (Morton, Fitz-Clarke & Banister, 1990) in order to rest the body; ready for the big day.  Last week, I trained at too high of an intensity and was not able to complete the long run that I had planned on the Sunday. I do not want to make the same error during the marathon and therefore; I will taper.

(Longest run before the marathon- super proud!)

Hopefully all of my training and effort will help me to succeed and complete the goal that I carefully set for myself 13 weeks ago. My personal goal was to ‘complete the Liverpool rock and roll marathon on the 28th of May 2017’; fingers crossed I will achieve this!

This journey has been incredible. I know I’m not the fastest runner but I feel strong and confident. I have covered some incredible distances and I have set a new goal for the future; I aim to join a running club within the next year! I love running and the positivity that surrounds it. I have caught a bug and I never want it to end!

(Track session. Photo credits: Emily Swain)

(Running on the track. Photo credits: Emily Swain)

(One of my last runs in beautiful Bangor. Photo credits: Emily Swain)

(Last born to run session- I will miss Bangor and the views!)

(Last run with my fabulous class! Photo credits: Alana Davies)

References

Conzemius, A., & O’Neill, J. (2011). The power of SMART goals: Using goals to improve student learning. Solution Tree Press.

Eason, A. (2013) The Advancing of the Runner’s Mantra–Using Self-Hypnosis.

Hall, C. R., Rodgers, W. M., & Barr, K. A. (1990). The use of imagery by athletes in selected sports. The Sport Psychologist, 4(1), 1-10.

Hatzigeorgiadis, A., Zourbanos, N., Mpoumpaki, S., & Theodorakis, Y. (2009). Mechanisms underlying the self-talk–performance relationship: The effects of motivational self-talk on self-confidence and anxiety. Psychology of Sport and exercise, 10(1), 186-           192.

Morton, R. H., Fitz-Clarke, J. R., & Banister, E. W. (1990). Modeling human performance in running. Journal of applied physiology, 69(3), 1171-1177.

Prather, C. W. (2005). The dumb thing about SMART goals for innovation. Research Technology Management, 48(5), 14.

Theodorakis, Y., Weinberg, R., Natsis, P., Douma, I., & Kazakas, P. (2000). The effects of motivational versus instructional self-talk on improving motor performance. The sport psychologist, 14(3), 253-271.

Van Raalte, J. L., Brewer, B. W., Cornelius, A. E., & Petitpas, A. J. (2006). Self-presentational effects of self-talk on perceptions of tennis players. Hellenic Journal of Psychology, 3(2), 134-149.

A reflection of my marathon journey.

As the marathon is fast approaching, I wanted to take a look back at my training over the last couple of weeks. I am happy with my progress; I have hit some important mile stones and I have gained a few personal bests (see below).  I am still not very fast but I am getting faster and I’m feeling stronger.

(Personal bests achieved over the past few weeks).

I have been trying hard to stick to my training schedule, although over the Easter holidays, I found it hard to go to work, keep up with my studies and to fit in my weekly runs. Below are my weekly training plans from the last 4 weeks.

Week 1

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
5.2km	4km Mountain run	Spin Class  and 10.2km	REST	Spin Class	REST	16km

Week 2

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
REST	REST	Spin Class	5km	REST	REST	22.5km

Week 3

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
REST	Spin	5.6km	7.9km	REST	REST	15km

Week 4

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
REST	Spin Class	8km	Spin Class	REST	26km	REST

(My training schedule over the past 4 weeks).

I have enjoyed my recent runs as my boyfriend has been accompanying me on most of them after returning from an injury. I love the social aspect of running and I find it motivating to run with other people. I recently went mountain running with my born to run team and this was really fun. It’s great how I can now casually  run with my classmates and have a catch up and a gossip. I completed a 10km run with Em (see below) and I couldn’t believe how quickly the time passed!

(Casual 10km run with Emily).

I tried to remain gritty during the struggle to balance my training with the rest of my life. Although I was exhausted from work and struggling with a couple of niggles and injuries, I persevered and ensured that I completed all of my long runs, my cross training and the majority of my weekly runs.

A few weeks ago I said that I would retake the grit test to see if I had got any ‘grittier’ over the course of my marathon journey. I previously scored 3.70 on the grit scale. After retaking the test my score increased by 0.89 (see below).

(Current grit score, taken on 20/04/17).

My Grit score has dramatically increased. Running has changed my attitude to life and I think that being more positive and persevering in the face of difficulty has contributed in increasing my overall grit. I will continue to demonstrate aspects of grit in all of my daily life, as well as, during my weekly runs. It’s not always easy to get up and go on a 22.5km run, especially in the boiling heat; you need to be gritty and to push through the uncomfortable weather and little bits of pain. I break down my runs into manageable segments and I find that this helps me to stay mentally strong and to overcome the distance. I show grit by sticking to my training plan and putting in plenty of miles and a lot of effort over the weeks.

I’ve recently adopted a new walk/jog plan in which I have sped up my walk and made it a power walk. I was previously walking at around 10 min/km pace and now I walk at an 8.45 min/km pace. This has decreased my overall running pace which I am very happy about! I used to complete my long runs over 8 min/km but now I have managed to get them under this time. I feel much more positive, confident and gritty! I hope to continue to show grit throughout the last stretch of my marathon journey and in all aspects of my life.

Over the Easter holiday, I returned back to work to earn some money and found it difficult to keep to my training schedule after 10 hour long shifts. I missed a couple of midweek runs and found this to be defeating. However, I kept lacing up my trainers, headed out and persevered. An explanation for my increase in grit is that recently I have shown ambition and have a strong desire to achieve my goals and complete the Liverpool Rock and Roll Marathon next month. As the event draws closer, I’m trying to do all that I can to achieve my goals and I have a willingness to strive for it. A quote from Da Vinci has been keeping me motivated to achieve my goals, “successful people don’t sit back waiting for things to happen, they go out and happen to things”. I want to be successful in achieving my goals and therefore I am showing determination and hard work by sticking to my training plan even when I’m in pain, when the weather is bad and when I feel busy and overwhelmed. I have become a resilient individual and as I have discussed in previous blogs, I have set goals with realistic expectations. I have high self-esteem, a willingness to overcome adversities and I am being optimistic; I trust the process!

(My fastest 5km run).

(Long run, 22.5km).

(Longest run to date, 26km).

After learning about anxiety and performance in a previous lecture, I found it interesting to make the attempt to turn my anxiety into excitement and to re frame my anxiety. Running makes me severely anxious, I get nervous before the group runs on a Tuesday and I was extremely anxious before the half marathon. As I am only a slow runner, I worry about being at the back of the pack and about not making cut off times. As my running has progressed, I have become a little more confident but I still get butterflies in my stomach before a run. On my 15km run in which I got a couple of personal bests, I tried to channel my anxiety into arousal to see if it would affect my performance as arousal increases performance (Landers, 1980). I interpreted my physiological arousal as a challenge response to see if it would benefit my performance as previous research has found that appraisal has a powerful influence on physiology and performance (Jamieson, Mendes, Blackstock & Schmader, 2010). Arousal increases co-occur with a range of affecting, emotional, cognitive, and motivational states and do not automatically express a negative state such as anxiety and threat (Blascovich, 1992). An increase in arousal can also demonstrate that the body is preparing resources to accommodate the task requirements and could signal an approach orientation or a challenge response (Mathias & Stanford, 2003). In this instance, before a run, my body is getting prepared for the challenging event that is about to occur. Arousal is connected with increases in sympathetic nervous system (SNS) responses, which can be measured by investigating catecholamine levels. An increase in SNS activity has been correlated with two specific motivational states; challenge and threat (Blascovich & Mendes, 2000). The challenging states usually result in larger amounts of SNS activation and is characterised by performance improvement (Dienstbier, 1989). As I see running as a challenge, I get anxious and this form of arousal could explain my recent improvement in my running ability as previous research has shown that increased arousal leads to performance enhancement.

The drive theory proposed by Hull (1943) predicts that an increased arousal experience leads to a greater performance. High levels of arousal increase the dominant response and increase the quality of the performance; this idea further supports other research that anxiety can be channelled into success. However, it has been argued that high levels of arousal can lead to a distraction and this loss of concentration leads to a poorer performance (Yerkes & Dodson, 1908).  Although. research into cognition patterns used when running has found that a dissociative thinking style, distracting yourself from the negative aspects of running, can be beneficial in increase performance in amateur runners (Masters & Ogles, 1998; Morgan, 1978). I wanted to use my anxiety to my advantage and therefore, I followed the idea presented by Masters & Ogles (1998) and I adopted a dissociative thinking style on my long run of 22.5km. I used my high levels of arousal to distract myself from the distance I had ahead of me and I found this to be quite effect. Although I was quite slow, I completed the distance and didn’t feel too bad afterwards!

With 5 weeks to go until the big 26.2, I hope to continue to stay mentally strong and to stick to my training so that I am fully prepared for the day. I found it interesting to channel my fear of running into excitement over my last few long runs and I will continue to use this as it has helped to improve my running performance. I except that being anxious before a run doesn’t need to have an negative impact on my running experience. I am going to own it and although I feel anxious about the marathon, I am very excited too. I never want born to run to end!

(My fabulous born to run team; photo credits to the man passing by in Llanberis).

(Me and Em; mountain running in Llanberis. Photo credits to Tim Pockney).

(Mountain running, beautiful views).

(A quick jog to the shop and back; I was very happy with my pace!)

(A run down the Trans Pennine trail).

References

Blascovich, J. (1992). A biopsychosocial approach to arousal regulation. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 11(3), 213-237.

Blascovich, J., & Mendes, W. B. (2000). Challenge and threat appraisals: The role of   affective cues. InJ. Forgas (Ed.), Feeling and thinking: The role of affect in social       cognition (pp. 59–82).

Dienstbier, R. A. (1989). Arousal and physiological toughness: implications for mental and physical health. Psychological review, 96(1), 84.

Jamieson, J. P., Mendes, W. B., Blackstock, E., & Schmader, T. (2010). Turning the knots in your stomach into bows: Reappraising arousal improves performance on the   GRE. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 46(1), 208-212.

Hull, C. (1943). Principles of behavior.

Landers, D. M. (1980). The arousal-performance relationship revisited. Research quarterly for exercise and sport, 51(1), 77-90.

Masters, K. S., & Ogles, B. M. (1998). Associative and dissociative cognitive strategies in exercise and running: 20 years later, what do we know?. The Sport Psychologist, 12(3), 253-270.

Mathias, C. W., & Stanford, M. S. (2003). Impulsiveness and arousal: Heart rate under conditions of rest and challenge in healthy males. Personality and Individual Differences, 35(2), 355-371.

Morgan, W. P. (1978). The mind of the marathoner. Psychology Today, 11, 38-49.

Yerkes, R. M., & Dodson, J. D. (1908). The relation of strength of stimulus to rapidity of habit‐formation. Journal of comparative neurology and psychology, 18(5), 459-482.

 

I completed a half marathon!

Over the last couple of weeks, I experienced one of the best and biggest events of my life in terms of my running development. On Sunday 5^th March, I participated in the Anglesey half marathon and I completed it! It was an absolutely incredible feeling. I considered myself to be a non-runner and after completing those 13.1 miles, I can now consider myself to be a runner! To ensure that my personal performance was maximised, I had to be tactical when writing my weekly training plan (see below).  I used the method of tapering, reducing my volume of exercise before the race. Tapering is believed to be essential to ensure best performance (Izquierdo-Gabarren & Izquierdo, 2010). Therefore, in the week leading up to my race, I had more rest days than I would usually take during training and I had 3 days off before the event.

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
REST	6.7km	Spin Class  and 3.4km	REST	REST	REST	21km

(Weekly training plan).

Leading up to the race, at the beginning of the week, I was concerned as I had a chest infection. The weekend prior to this training week, I was sent home from work. I attempted a run and I only made it 1km, my chest was really tight and exercise brought on a coughing fit. I was very concerned about the half marathon coming up on Sunday. I wanted to continue to demonstrate grit and try to overcome my illness and therefore I went on a very slow run (see below). Although this was not a particularly impressive run I wanted to save myself for the half and I didn’t want to push my illness too far which would subsequently lead to me becoming worse. To ensure that I utilised the method of tapering and to prevent my illness from developing and getting worse, I only completed two short runs and a spinning class during the week.

(Slow, chesty run).

(Quick tapered run).

As Sunday was fast approaching, I focused on my nutrition and what I was putting into my body. I wanted to perform as well as possible at the half marathon and therefore I had to get serious about fuelling my body. In the days leading up to the race, I ensured that my meals consisted of around 85-95% carbs as this method of carb loading  increases performance. I did not increase calorie consumption, I just changed the percentage of carbohydrates that I ate. The night before the race I had sweet potato mac and cheese and I had plenty of water to stay hydrated. Carb-loading is part of the fuelling plan and what you eat on the day of the event is also very important as it helps to spare your limited muscle glycogen stores (Clark, 2007). Before the race I ensured that I was hydrated to improve physical performance (Murray, 2007) and I had weetabix and coffee for breakfast. Research shows that caffeine maximises performance (Goldstein et al., 2010) and I usually have an espresso before my long run. I was very nervous before the race and struggled to eat but I knew that I had to fuel up!

(Sweet potato mac and cheese, night before the race).

(Pre-race coffee).

The night before the race I set up my kit and snacks so that I had nothing to worry about when I woke up in the morning. I wanted to be organised and prepared for the race, both physically and mentally. Before I left for the race I watched my favourite motivational video. This video really motivates me and gets me ready to run. It has been found that motivational videos increase self confidence and motivate individuals before an event (Jenkins, Morgan & O’Donoghue, 2007). My favourite line in the video is ‘if it were easy everybody would do it’. When things get hard, I replay this in my head and it really motivates me.

(Organised before the run).

When race day arrived, I was so nervous- I barely slept! But the race was absolutely incredible. The support that you receive from crowds and other runners makes you feel on top of the world. As I was running into Beaumaris, the elite runners were making their way back to Menai. Along the way they were shouting ‘well done Jess’, ‘keep going’, ‘you’re doing really well’. This filled me with confidence and made me feel so positive. Compared to these elite runners, I viewed myself as being pathetic and they were congratulating me. The social aspect of running is amazing. These compliments fuelled my run and helped me to keep going and persevere when it was hard.  The other runners fuelled my esteem needs and my need for self-respect (Maslow, 1943). This motivated me and encouraged me to continue through the struggle. According to the self-determination theory, individuals have innate psychological needs that are the basis for self-motivation and personality integration (Ryan & Deci, 2000). There are 3 components to this theory; competence, relatedness and autonomy. Individuals are motivated to perform better when they have autonomy over the event, when they socially interact with others (relatedness) and when they are competent. There was a very strong aspect of relatedness at this race and this highly motivated me. It was also great at the end of the race when I saw my tutor, family and boyfriend waiting for me at the finish line. Their encouragement made me run faster than I had done throughout the whole race!

(Self-determination theory model).

During the run I applied theories of psychology in order to tackle the miles ahead of me. I used a lot of positive self talk all the way through the race. When I was tired, I told myself ‘you can do this, you’ve done the training-just keep swimming’. Self talk increases self-confidence and reduces cognitive anxiety (Hatzigeorgiadis, Zourbanos, Mpoumpaki & Theodorakis, 2009). This method was really successful at keeping me going and made me feel really positive. To achieve running goals, you need to keep a strong head. I have a well chosen mantra that I used throughout the half marathon. Repeating choice words whenever you need to to focus helps to direct the mind away from negative thoughts and move towards a positive experience. My personal mantra is to sing the song ‘Nel blu dipinto di blu’; an Italian song by Domenico Modugno. I sang this song in my head and out loud all the way around the course of the Anglesey half marathon. I also sung it out loud to my course friend Eszter to inspire her as we were trotting along. This distracted me and also helped me to keep plodding along. The most important thing that I did during the half marathon was to smile! I kept a smile on my face throughout the whole race and this was a really powerful technique that stopped me from hitting a wall. Smiling can have a profoundly positive impact on an individual and research shows that subjects that smile during anxiety inducing activities, decrease their heart rates faster after the activity (Kraft & Pressman, 2012).

(After the race- staying smiley and positive). Photo credits: Stephen Perry

(Half marathon strava map).

(With the girls before the race; they are the best support system). Photo Credits: Stephen Perry

The half marathon was my first ever event and I loved every moment of it. Even though the weather was awful, I was so pleased with how positive I remained throughout the run. I finished in 2 hours 56 minutes which is slow and in the future I hope to improve and get faster. But for now, I am extremely happy and proud that I participated and completed the race. Bring on the full marathon in May!

(My half marathon bling).

References

Clark, N. (2007). Carbo-loading: tips for endurance athletes. Palaestra, 23(1), 44-46.

Goldstein, E. R., Ziegenfuss, T., Kalman, D., Kreider, R., Campbell, B., Wilborn, C., … & Wildman, R. (2010). International society of sports nutrition position stand: caffeine and performance. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 7(1), 5.

Hatzigeorgiadis, A., Zourbanos, N., Mpoumpaki, S., & Theodorakis, Y. (2009). Mechanisms underlying the self-talk–performance relationship: The effects of motivational self-talk on self-confidence and anxiety. Psychology of Sport and exercise, 10(1), 186-192.

Izquierdo-Gabarren, M., & Izquierdo, M. I. K. E. L. (2010). Physiological effects of tapering and detraining in world-class kayakers. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc, 42, 1209-1214.

Jenkins, R. E., Morgan, L., & O’Donoghue, P. (2007). A case study into the effectiveness of computerised match analysis and motivational videos within the coaching of a league netball team. International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport, 7(2), 59-80.

Kraft, T. L., & Pressman, S. D. (2012). Grin and bear it: The influence of manipulated facial expression on the stress response. Psychological science, 23(11), 1372-1378.

Maslow, A. H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological review, 50(4), 370.

Murray, B. (2007). Hydration and physical performance. Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 26(sup5), 542S-548S

Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American psychologist, 55(1), 68.

“Man is a goal-seeking animal. His life only has meaning if he is reaching and striving for his goals.”- Aristotle.

This week during my training for the Liverpool marathon, I have used goal setting to try to enhance my performance. Goal setting is an effect way to reinforce success and this is something that I regularly incorporate into my training. I always refer to my weekly training plan that I created at the beginning of my journey, as this is a brilliant way to ensure that I am organised and stay on track. Goals affect performance through many mechanisms. Firstly, goals serve a directive function; they direct attention and effort toward goal-relevant activities and away from goal irrelevant activities (Locke & Latham, 2002). Therefore, it is important for me to use goals to correctly divert my attention into running and achieving my goal of completing the marathon. Individuals with specific learning goals improve their performance (Rothkopf & Billington, 1979) and setting reasonable goals lead to greater effort (Bandura & Cervone, 1983). Goal setting also affects persistence; hard goals prolong effort (LaPorte & Nath, 1976). Research shows that goal setting is an effective method of achieving success and thus, I will continue to create goals on a weekly basis.

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
REST	7km	Spin Class	Track Reps	Spin Class	5.1km	13km

The table above shows my weekly commitments, this week I continued to show grit by being persistent and completing lots of training. I also tried some different varieties of training, such as track reps. I met with my tutor and spent half an hour at the athletics track to try out some sprint training. I really enjoyed the track reps with John. It was a great way to mix up my running by running on a track instead of the road. I also got a great sense of achievement after completing the track session. We only did 3 sprints but John pushed me and gave me a great confidence boost. He helped me to work on my form. A goal that I had set previously in the week was to work on my form and therefore it was great to get to work on this with somebody who has lots of experience and is great at running. I’m also really enjoying my spin classes; they are my favourite cross training activity! In regards to running, I completed my longest run to date on Sunday of 13km (see below).

(Bangor Athletics Track.)

(Sunday 13km run).

Before I set off for my long run, I had some goals in mind for myself. I wanted to focus on self talk to increase my confidence. Self talk can be defined as what we covertly say to ourselves, whether that be out loud or as a small voice inside our heads (Theodorakis, Weinberg, Natsis, Douma & Kazakas, 2000). It is a commonly employed cognitive intervention in sports psychology (Hardy, Hall & Hardy, 2005). I often put myself down when I do not perform well (even though I know that positivity is key). I decided that I was going to tell myself ‘I can do it’ when things became difficult. I found this to be very motivational and I tried to push through pain when I wanted to stop running.

I had also planned a process goal to work on during my time outdoors. Goals can be broken down into outcome goals, performance goals and process goals. Outcome goals focus on the outcomes of an event and are based on social comparison processes. Performance goals also relate to end products of performance and process goals specify behaviours that the performer will engage in during the performance (Kingston & Hardy, 1997). Below is a table of my personal goals that I identified before my run.

Weekly Goal Setting: W/C 13/02/2017
Outcome goal	Performance goal	Process goal
I will complete my 13km run on Sunday.	I will run 13km in approximately 2 hours, at an average pace of under 9min/km.	I will focus on my stride and posture. Lengthening my stride and ensuring that I keep an upright posture as though I am a puppet being held by a puppeteer.

The creation of these goals linked in with some recent reading that I have been completing on cognition and running by Masters and Ogles (1998). I have been trying to incorporate an associative thinking style into my plan. The associative thinking strategy involves paying attention to and maintaining awareness of our own body and physical factors critical to performance (Morgan & Pollock, 1977). The opposite of this cognitive style is dissociative thinking, this involves attempting to cut yourself off from sensory feedback. It has been described as a self-hypnosis (Morgan, 1978). I noticed that I often use a dissociative thinking style during my runs, when I begin to feel pain or get tired, I often try and take myself to another place or I try to think of something else to override the pain. This is not that effective for me and it usually doesn’t last very long before I end up stopping. As a result of this, I have started to adapt an associative thinking style. Instead of trying to distort my thinking, I embrace my running and think about things such as my stride and my posture. This style of thinking has helped me to work towards my process goals that I have set. For example, during my long run on Sunday, I began to tire, I had stitch and my legs were very heavy and sore. I had formerly decided to use a process goal that I would ‘focus on my stride and try to lengthen it and drive with the thighs’. I thought about this process goal and not only did it override my negative thinking of pain, my pace began to increase and I ran a bit further than I usually do before stopping! I will continue to work on my cognitive style, increasing positive self talk and using the associative thinking technique to help contribute towards process goal completion.

(Menai Straits, Saturday run).

As my training continues, I will keep a healthy positive mindset and consistently create and evaluate my goals. I have also set up a marathon Instagram account that includes pictures of my journey. I have set this up at the bottom of my blog and I hope that visually seeing my progress will help me to continue to improve and aim higher in all aspects of my training. Imagery is important to progress and studies have shown that almost all elite athletes intentionally employ imagery in their training. Although, I am not an elite athlete, imagery is an effective way to stay motivated , the imagination is powerful (Hall, Rodgers & Barr, 1990). Also, the idea of having a social platform that will enhance social support should also help me in my training. Individuals training for marathons often adopt a group social identity as a ‘marathon runner’ (Masters & Ogles, 1995). Individuals gain confidence from support from others. Instagram is a great way for me to network with other runners and to gain social support that can also help me to improve and progress.

(Spin class, cross training day).

References

Bandura, A., & Cervone, D. (1983). Self-evaluative and self-efficacy mechanisms governing the motivational effects of goal systems. Journal of personality and social             psychology, 45(5),      1017.

Hall, C. R., Rodgers, W. M., & Barr, K. A. (1990). The use of imagery by athletes in selected   sports. The Sport Psychologist, 4(1), 1-10.

Hardy, J., Hall, C. R., & Hardy, L. (2005). Quantifying athlete self-talk. Journal of Sports           Sciences, 23(9), 905-917.

Kingston, K. M., & Hardy, L. (1997). Effects of different types of goals on processes that       support performance. The Sport Psychologist, 11(3), 277-293.

LaPorte, R. E., & Nath, R. (1976). Role of performance goals in prose learning. Journal of         Educational Psychology, 68(3), 260.

Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (2002). Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation: A 35-year odyssey. American psychologist, 57(9), 705.

Masters, K. S., & Ogles, B. M. (1995). An investigation of the different motivations of     marathon runners with varying degrees of experience. Journal of Sport                         Behavior, 18(1), 69.

Masters, K. S., & Ogles, B. M. (1998). The relations of cognitive strategies with injury,             motivation, and performance among marathon runners: Results from two                              studies. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 10(2), 281-296.

Morgan, W. P., & Pollock, M. L. (1977). Psychologic characterization of the elite distance       runner. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 301(1), 382-403.

Morgan, W. P. (1978). The mind of the marathoner. Psychology Today, 11, 38-49.

Rothkopf, E. Z., & Billington, M. J. (1979). Goal-guided learning from text: inferring a           descriptive processing model from inspection times and eye movements. Journal of      educational psychology, 71(3), 310.

Theodorakis, Y., Weinberg, R., Natsis, P., Douma, I., & Kazakas, P. (2000). The effects of       motivational versus instructional self-talk on improving motor performance. The sport    psychologist, 14(3), 253-271.

“Grit is living life like it’s a marathon, not a sprint.”- Angela Duckworth

As I reflect on my past week of training, I reflect on how hard I have tried to be a gritty person. Grit is passion and perseverance, it’s continuing on in the face of adversity and living and breathing your long term goals. Grit entails working strenuously towards challenges, maintaining effort and interest despite failure, adversity and plateaus in progress (Duckworth, Peterson, Matthews & Kelly, 2007). During my marathon journey, I have remained motivated and I have stayed on course, despite challenges that I have faced.

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
REST	6.7km	Spin Class	Yoga	5.2km	5.1km	12km

Above is my completed training schedule for the week. In order to achieve my specific goal of completing the Liverpool marathon in May 2017, I’ve created a weekly training plan to break my goals down into small measurable goals. The success of goal attainment depends on goal setting (Bovend’Eerdt, Botell & Wade, 2009)  and setting SMART goals can be a huge and powerful contribution to goal success (Conzemius & O’Neill, 2011). SMART is an acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-Bound. Using weekly goals and having a time frame for completion is helpful for measuring success on the path to reaching a goal (Kaganski, Karjust & Majak, 2016)

Focusing on the concept of grit, my weekly training plan shows that I have put in many hours of training and lots of effort. Having only one rest day, I have remained focused and I have persevered throughout the week. Early February in North Wales isn’t the best time to be out and about running in terms of the weather. On Saturday night, I was running against the cold wind and rain and when I ran over Menai Bridge, I was being swept off of my feet.I showed grit and determination by continuing through the harsh weather and receiving a couple of PR’s for my 1/2 mile, 1k, 1 mile and 2 mile efforts (see below).

I’m not the fastest runner so running in the bad weather can be really demotivating for me. I showed grit and dedication on this particular run by persevering in the face of adversity and pushing through the bad weather.

I also completed my longest run this week. I have never gone further than 7km and with 16 weeks until the marathon, I needed to up my game. I completed a 12km run (see below)! It was very slow but I got my distance in and felt very happy and successful.

After my most successful week of running, I felt as though I had put in a lot of hard work and effort. I consider myself to have shown grit and determination. To test this, I completed Angela Duckworth’s grit scale (see results below). The scale was a self report questionnaire that used a likert scale to assess gritty behaviour. For example ‘Setbacks don’t discourage me. I don’t give up easily’ 1. Very much like me 2. Mostly like me 3. Somewhat like me 4. Not much like me 5. Not like me at all. This method of assessing grit could have limitations as the use of the self report method can be seen as unreliable. Hard work and perseverance is something that many people strive for. Individuals like to be viewed as hardworking (Buss, 1994) and therefore socially desirable answers may be given. However, I think that my recent efforts (that can be tracked on strava) support my grit score. I scored 3.7/5, scoring higher than around 50% of American adults in a recent study.

In order to keep up my training and continue to improve my grit score, I have a few things that I will be keeping in mind on my runs. The first will be mentally dividing my runs into segments. To beat mental toughness, I will break down runs into manageable pieces,  focusing on the next kilometre and forgetting about the kilometre that I have just completed. I will also create a relaxed focus by focusing on my stride form and positivity, blocking out the adversities that make me feel exhausted. I will complete the grit test again 4 weeks from now to see if my grit score has improved. Overall, I will continue to show grit in all aspects of my training for the next 16 weeks!

References 

Bovend’Eerdt, T. J., Botell, R. E., & Wade, D. T. (2009). Writing SMART rehabilitation   goals and achieving goal attainment scaling: a practical guide. Clinical                                    rehabilitation, 23(4), 352-361.

Buss, D. M. (1994). The evolution of desire.

Conzemius, A., & O’Neill, J. (2011). The power of SMART goals: Using goals to improve  student learning. Solution Tree Press.

Duckworth, A. L., Peterson, C., Matthews, M. D., & Kelly, D. R. (2007). Grit: perseverance        and passion for long-term goals. Journal of personality and social psychology, 92(6),           1087.

Kaganski, S., Karjust, K., & Majak, J. (2016). PRIORITIZATION OF KEY                      PERFORMANCE INDICATORS FOR SMALL AND MEDIUM                                           ENTERPRICES. INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING, 20, 22.

DOMS: Setbacks and failure

This week, I took part in my first ever spin class at my local gym and incorporated it into my training plan as a ‘cross-training day’. The class was challenging but I absolutely loved it and afterwards I felt wobbly but great! A day later and I could not get out of my bed; I was in a lot of pain. After calling a friend for help, we finally got me out of bed, however it was agonising to sit down/stand up and my thighs were causing a great deal of pain. I spent a long time on google and decided that I was just suffering from Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS). It was suggested that I should try and run a mile at an easy pace to see if the pain increased/decreased I tried this method, however the pain wasn’t going away and it was getting worse. I walked back home for a mile and the pain was awful. The next day was even worse. I could barely move!

This had a huge impact on my running as I was missing out on scheduled runs but I knew that I physically could not run. This setback got me thinking about resilience, how I could overcome this adversity and continue to pursue my goals even though I was suffering from an injury. You CANNOT be resilient without failure (Sitkin, 1992) and hopefully this experience of DOMS will make me a better and stronger individual. Positive Psychology defines resilience as a positive adaptation in the context of significant adversity (Masten, Cutuli, Herbers & Reed, 2009) and my experience of DOMS will positively adapt my muscles and help me to be a stronger individual. I’ve been bed bound for 4 days due to this incredible pain in my thighs but I know that setbacks are growth opportunities and a way forward towards greater success (Richardson, 2002). To be successful, resilience is key (Cooper, Flint-Taylor & Pearn, 2013).

As I reflect on my week, I am disappointed that my training has been impacted but I understand that setbacks need to happen to help me to be successful in achieving my goals. Recovery is just as important as the training itself and I hope to see major improvements in my future training. I will still be attending my spin class on Wednesday, however this week I will be taking it a lot easier and hopefully my body will recover much faster than it did last week. I will continue to be positive as positivity leads to greater success (Livi, Alessandri, Caprara & Pierro, 2015) and I will continue to work towards achieving my goal of completing the Liverpool marathon in May 2017!

 

References

Cooper, C., Flint-Taylor, J., & Pearn, M. (2013). Building resilience for success: a resource           for managers and organizations. Springer.

Livi, S., Alessandri, G., Caprara, G. V., & Pierro, A. (2015). Positivity within teamwork:  Cross-level effects of positivity on performance. Personality and Individual                       Differences, 85, 230-235.

Masten, A. S., Cutuli, J. J., Herbers, J. E., & Reed, M. G. (2009). 12 Resilience in  Development. The Oxford handbook of positive psychology, 117.

Richardson, G. E. (2002). The metatheory of resilience and resiliency. Journal of clinical   psychology, 58(3), 307-321.

Sitkin, S. B. (1992). Learning through failure: the strategy ofsmall losses. Research in        organizational behavior, 14, 231-266.