Tough tips.

This week at Runners' Lounge, the theme for Take it and Run Thursday is Overcoming the Tough Stuff.

With running, if you really want to get better (whether that means running longer, faster, injury-free, whatever) then you have to tackle the tough stuff. You have to push yourself on long runs, suck it up and add some speed drills, or make time for non-running, injury-prevention exercises. For me, the tough stuff is speed. I like to run my runs and don't like to think of them as workouts, which makes speed drills just not my thing. But, in order to become faster, I have to do them.

So, along the way, I've learned some lessons and picked up some tips to make the speed work palatable. Maybe some of these tips will work for you, as you take on your own tough stuff:

Be sure you have a strong foundation. Running makes me happy (thus, the name of my blog!). To me, this is the foundation of my running. When I'm trying to conquer something that's hard -- like speed workouts or cold-weather runs -- I remember that I love to run. It makes me happy. That foundation makes the tough stuff a little easier.

Focus on form. So important. You don't want to struggle through long runs with a nagging injury because you didn't pay attention to your running form. It can be easy to forget about form when you're concentrating on your hard workout -- whether it is a long marathon-prep run or killer hill repeats. I say, do yourself a favor and watch your form. Your body will thank you!

Contrast what you are doing with something harder. I had ass-whupping contractions for 18 hours when I was in labor with my son. I think I can handle holding a fast pace for 24 minutes.

Don't belittle what you are doing. Understand that there will always be runners who run faster than you, or log more miles. Don't worry about them -- and don't compare yourself to them. If long runs are tough for you, don't make them harder by saying, "I'm only running 8 miles, I'm a wimp, it's not like I'm running 5 minute miles for 20 miles like Deena Kastor." What is tough for you is tough, for you. And that is fair. Don't beat yourself up by thinking that your tough stuff isn't worthy. It is.

And that's it, folks. The things that work for me. Now, if you see me in my next 5k, running hard but looking spent, feel free to shout out, "Remember: You can run fast for 24 minutes -- it's nothing compared to 18 hours of labor!" And you'll be right.