Sembra un articolo di una rivista di Yoga e invece viene da Runners’World americano. Perfetto per YOGA4RUNNERS! La PAZIENZA che si impara dallo yoga diventa utilissima, cruciale nella CORSA! Assolutamente da leggere: in lingua originale, due piccioni e una fava.

Practice Patience. To race your best, wait before you make your move.

By Ed Eyestone

Race long enough, and you learn that good things come to those who wait. After taking a heartbreaking second place in the 2007 NCAA Cross–Country Championships (and 13th in the 10,000 meters in the Olympics), Galen Rupp was facing the prospect of graduating without an individual national title. But at the NCAA Championships in November, the University of Oregon wunderkind waited for the right moment before breaking away, winning, and leading his team to victory.

The virtue of patience in racing was drilled into me early on. And time and again, I’ve seen patience pay off at different distances and levels of competition.

Start Smart: In this year’s NCAA Cross–Country Championships, Liberty University’s Samuel Chelanga bolted through the first mile in 4:21, some 10 seconds ahead of Rupp. Chelanga had won a pre–national race with the same front–running strategy that left the rest of the field contending for second place. However, at the championships, rather than crumbling under the pressure of such an early deficit, Rupp focused on maintaining a quick rhythm. As Chelanga inevitably relaxed from his early breakneck speed, Rupp cut into his lead, and by the second mile he was running comfortably off of Chelanga’s left shoulder.

Don’t Blow It: In the 2008 ING New York City Marathon, Moroccan Abderrahim Goumri made a bold, seemingly knockout surge four miles from the finish. Brazilian Marilson Gomes dos Santos was obviously shaken, and unable to withstand the quickened pace, he fell back 100 yards or more. But when those last undulating hills in Central Park began to exact a toll from Goumri, Gomes dos Santos saw a weakness and gradually fought back. Unfortunately, in his haste to beat Gomes dos Santos, Goumri had worn himself out. Because Gomes dos Santos had held a manageable pace throughout the race, he was able to glide past the fatiguing frontrunner in the last half mile and snatch victory from an apparent defeat.

Make Your Move: In the latter portion of the race, you need to be prepared to go on the offensive. If you are a big kicker, it might mean you wait until you’re coming off that last turn. If you’re more of a strength runner, you might make an extended push over the last two miles. For Rupp, the time to make a move came in the final 400 meters. With the finish line in sight, he unleashed his finishing kick, sprinting past Chelanga, and claiming that coveted NCAA title.

Crank Up a Finishing Kick

Galen Rupp has improved his kick by doing 6 x 200 at 90 percent effort once or twice a week at the end of some of his long intervals and tempo runs. These workouts teach his body how to recruit fast–twitch muscle fibers late in a race and run fast with good form when fatigued. It also means that he never lets more than a few days pass without running fast.