Tiny Habits Pay Off Big on the Run

FROM NEW YORK CITY

- JESS MOVOLD

MY POWER SONG “SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT” BY NIRVANA

CREDENTIALS RUNNER’S WORLD+ COACH, STRENGTH COACH, OVERALL BADASS

WHEN THINGS GET TOUGH, I NEED TO HEAR MY BREATH

MY SUMMER GEAR ESSENTIALS CIELE HATS AND SUNSCREEN!

AFTER A HARD WORKOUT, I CRAVE A MARGARITA AND TACOS

MY FAVORITE MILE THE HOME STRETCH, BABY. DIG DEEP AND FIND THE PAIN CAVE.

AFTER A HOT RUN, MY COOLDOWN ROUTINE IS FIND WATER FOUNTAINS AND AS MUCH SHADE AS POSSIBLE. EAT AN ENTIRE WATERMELON.

I want you to think back to the last run you crushed. It shouldn’t be a PR. In fact, don’t think about a race. I want you to remember a normal training run that, for one reason or another, just felt like an absolute victory.

Now, I want you to rewind at least 24 hours before that run. Think about what you did—the meals you ate, how much sleep you got, the music you listened to, the snacks you had. Try and write down as many of those little details as possible. The smaller the detail, the better.

I often tell my athletes to do this exercise whenever they reach a training rut or plateau. They come to me with a list of big life issues as the reason for the downturn: Work is stressful; the weather is horrible; there’s a global pandemic; their motivation is teetering.

I tell them to forget all the things going on around them that they can’t control, and remember the little things in their orbit that they can. That’s when I prompt them to reflect on their last amazing run.