neither racist nor ignorant wrote:
Also keep the long view. Don't stress about one workout, one week, or even one month of training. Meaning, don't feel like you have to hit specific times or the workout is a failure. This is a major trap that can result in a negative spiral.
Yes - THIS! I used to be afraid of workouts, not because of the actual discomfort involved, but because I felt like every rep was a reflection of my fitness, was I a success or failure, etc. Now I'm much better at just going by effort, and the times are what they are. If you also think of doing every workout at 90-95% effort but by doing so can complete every workout throughout the cycle and have decent recovery runs, you'll be way better off than if you smash yourself at 99% effort for a few weeks and then get hurt or overtrained. Basically, just do the work and don't get too excited about the great workouts or too down on yourself if your times aren't quite what you had hoped. Save that for the races. :-)