How Do You Approach Your Workouts?

Today's post could have also been entitled,how you approach your workouts says alot about the type of athlete you are.As I have written previously,there are serious runners and there are fun runners.One's level of commitment does not make that person superior to the other.I have known many fun runners who had a real love for the sport while others who were faster and trained more intensely didn't. I remember how surprised I was years ago when I spoke with a runner who was dominating the local racing scene and he told me that he viewed his training as "a job." My first thought in response to that comment was,why bother training,why not spend the time doing something you enjoy?
The following relates to those who believe they are serious athletes.There are those out there who believe they are but in reality are not.There is more to being a serious athlete than training hard.Serious athletes have a distinct way of approaching their workouts. Much of it involves attitude and mindset as well as the physical.
So,how do you approach your workouts? For the serious athlete their workout is one of the focal points of their day.They know when they are going to do it, it is a priority and not something they fit in between this or that.They understand that there is never a good reason for rushing a workout in order to move onto something else.
Serious athletes give consideration beforehand as to what they are trying to accomplish in the workout they are about to do.They realize that this training session is another step towards achieving their athletic goal(s).
I'd be remiss not to include a few other thoughts on the subject. I often laugh when I read some of the early writings by Cerutty where he says that those who desire to be a champion need to stay away from "the dancehalls" and relationships with the opposite sex. As dated as it sounds in this 21th century there's some truth to be gleaned from what he says.I recall when some friends and I would get together for those Sunday long runs, there was always this one guy who would show up a few minutes late and hungover. The point here is that serious runners don't let their lifestyle impact negatively on their workouts.
Finally,the serious athlete approaches his workouts knowing this,and I quote the great champion Ron Clarke, "By far the greatest determinant of success is the ability of the athlete  to focus on the job at hand and to train consistently."
Ron knows what he his talking about,he's got the resume that validates what he says.