I have a talkative running mate (which is great!)  During a tough long club run some time back we found ourselves both heads down running in silence.  After sometime we commented to each other about our lack of conversation.  It turns out we were both really buggered, both trying to focus on just hanging in there.  That’s digging deep!  Both of us were saving the energy we usually use for talking, and putting it to better use because we needed to.  Sometimes there is a sacrifice to be made! 

Digging deep is finding that extra something that you have to give.  It is something you discover when it seems you have reached your physical limit. 

Look at it this way.  When stretching, your original stretch only allows so much flexibility.  After a few stretches you find that you are able to extend the muscle that little bit further.  A few more stretches and the muscle extends even further. 

Digging deep is about trying to give that little bit extra.  Like the flexible muscle, there is a bit more that can be given.  You need to find that extra bit inside yourself.  The truth is that it is not easy and it often takes every ounce of energy that you may have left.  If you can accept this and stay positive, you will be amazed at what you can pull out of the bag.

In the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson  

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.

This is something to remember during training and on race day!

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Key words: digging deep
Internal links: focus, stretching, long club run