quote of the day

I just read a quote that made sense to me the more I've thought about recent racing/training events where i'm really pushing (from Tim Nokes "Lore of Running" page 418 on Frank Shorter)

• "Shorter also noted that he could run a hard 10,000-m race a week before a marathon - as he did at the 1972 Olympics, in which he finished fifth in the 10K final just five days before his marathon victory - but that he could not run a hard marathon even 10 weeks before another one. He also found that he could tell "in the first quarter-mile of a race whether or not he would have a good day." This feeling he described as "either being there or not." He said, "I've learned I can't talk myself into this feeling". I interpret this feeling, which I have also experienced, as evidence that the brain monitors sensory input from the body at a subconscious level from the moment exercise begins. Once the subconscious brain has decided how well the body can perform on that day, it resets the central governor and then informs your conscious mind of what you can expect - either an easy or a hard race. Since most of believe that running performance is determined by the conscious brain, not the subconscious, we attempt to override that vital information, often with predictable results.