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an often used adage, sometimes attributed to Lance Armstrong,“pain is temporary, a sense of accomplishment lasts forever”
What are you thinking about when you run? Understanding where you are at mentally when you are performing at your best is paramount to you having the best time out there – that often equates with better performance as well. Ask “How do I best experience this – what thoughts do I have when running is most enjoyable?”
One way to think about the mental process while going down to road is to break it into four “big net” categories – I’ll give you an example of each and what to look out for.
Organizing: You set up your day, plan your vacation or weekend. Just remember to check in once in awhile about the actual running – if you are stressing about the organizing you are doing set a time limit for how long you can do this as you need to relax during your run too – this is your time and you should enjoy it.
Problem solving: You may solve a number of issues on a given run and since running is considered by science to be a right brain activity you may come up with a solution you did not think of before. That said, do not let problem solving crash you running form and again check in once in awhile about how the body is doing before you go back “upstairs” to work it out.
Wandering: “I wonder who lives in that great house and if they have a horse in that pasture…” You get to slow down your thought process and many folks float through thoughts as they float down the road too. This mind-frame is often associated with relaxed running.
Pondering: working out emotions, sorting feelings and perceptions – sometimes folks can emotionally purge during a run. While this is a good thing, you will want to stay tuned into how stress or “running out anger” for example will affect your form or pace and you may need to compartmentalize some emotion or sorting during the run in order to stay in balance.
It would be normal to have several of these states in a given run – you do what works for you. Generally your thinking breaks more cleanly into two categories
Associate vs. disassociate: Elites are able to perform the way they do because they remain focused on the process of running the entire time or their running process is very close to the surface all the time – rarely in the background. We often need a mental break – especially when the going gets tough and we will automatically switch between the A and Da phases.
Example of associative processes: How is my breathing? Is my stride OK? Am I relaxed? Am I running a pace I can sustain? This feels good. My side cramp will go away if I keep breathing deeply…
Example of disassociative process: I wonder what I will eat after this run? That stream looks like it would be good for fishing. I wish I drove that Mustang he is driving. I think Walt Whitman is my favorite poet. I am leaving it all on the track today…
Mental games for performance. You have already come a long way in this program so many of you may very well use the power of positive association to talk your self up. By eliminating negative talk about yourself and your running performance during a run - you give yourself a tremendous advantage. While some will say that this kind of positive thinking is “hooey” the mental aspects of running and athletic performance really cannot be underestimated. You must develop and continue to foster a belief that you can do this and when negative dialogue comes up during a run you must find a way to “change the conversation” with yourself. Create and change your mood, control your effort, improve your form and focus your attention by using this internal dialogue.
Let me give you two quick examples regarding the power of positive thought and how your mental focus will impact your body.
Psychoneuroimmunology is a new field based on the science that the nervous system and the immune system are interconnected. This discipline has discovered a number of ways that the two systems actually have two way communications with each other and direct impacts. Closely controlled studies have also shown that “a person’s aggressive determination to conquer a disease can increase one’s lifespan” (p619 Alcamo’s Fundamentals of Microbiology, 2007) The same studies have shown that behavioral therapies can amplify the body’s response to disease and speed the immune systems response.
This field has also generated interesting research in 2003 that Tai Chi boosts shingles immunity in the elderly. In a 60 person study over 15 weeks the study group did have reduced levels of stress related to their Tai Chi program and were measured as having 50% higher immune memory functions against Shingles virus. The group did not see improvement in physical movement with this low impact form of exercise and the researchers concluded that the anti-stress elements of the activity gave seniors the significant boost in immunity.
The sciences are discovering mind can affect matter so to speak and performance athletes at the top levels use this type of knowledge to make the difference every day.
Running has been shown to be a right brain activity, which explains why so many good ideas come from a long run. This also means that your creative and visual brain power can be employed to boost your running performance. Positive thinking, pre-visualization, key words and imagery are all part of your metal process toolbox if you want to be your best on race day.
In May of 1954 a man (Roger Banister) broke the mile in under 4:00 minute mark – a world record that people had said for decades could not be done. Forty-six days later the record was broken again and a second man ran faster than 4 minutes/mile. Coincidence, or having the mental advantage of know knowing that it can be done?
When we talk about perceived efforts in pacing (as we did during last seminar) there is an acknowledgment to a “central governor” in the brain. This works a little bit like a governor in an engine but it is smarter. It is constantly calculating, automatically, how much you have left in the tank vs. how far you have to run along with other equations having to do with the burrito you had for lunch and how hot it is outside. These are important calculations because the central governor seeks to protect you and it will never let you run into the redline to the point that you “blow-up”. While that is a great protective feature, the central governor can go a bit overboard too and tell you that “it is just too hot today” or “you’re too tired” and hold you back from an otherwise great day. Here is an important secret from the physiologists who have closely inspected athletes over the years. In testing athletes at the finish line of a race, even the most demanding races, science has found that the runner is not an empty, burned out shell – unable to run another step. That is right, there is energy left, they are not completely depleted of oxygen or ATP or disabled by acidosis because the central governor has held something back to maintain homeostasis for the runner. Few of us are able to outwit or work around that central governor but it is possible with a few motivational tricks and you will still have that safety keeping you from blowing up – yet you may run better and further with practice.
Tom Holland utilizes a number of great mental tricks that work during a run:
This too shall pass – literally your experience as a runner slowly gives you a database of aches, cramps and complaints to reference and you can then learn which ones you can “ride out” and work with the understanding that everything can change just a few minutes or miles down the road. Many use “good pain” the type that passes, to indicate a strong perceived effort score and accept that feedback while then letting it fade in their attention.
I am feeling good – is a replacement for I am feeling _____________. (insert your own demoralizing term here)
Many runners come up with several “mantras” that motivate them and use these as stress reducing refrains during the toughest times in a run. One very important aspect of this technique is that your “mantra” has to be tested. You need to try it in training when the going gets rough and then seek to perform better when you hear this refrain. Repeating this process over and over establishes a pathway that will cause the nervous system to cue to body for a stronger effort – one that might overrule the desire of the “central governor” to hold you back.
Thinking about your training and your goals and ticking them off as you go – sometime these serve as mile posts to the self promise “I’ll take it one step at a time, I’ll get myself to that next mailbox”
Setting short term goals and focusing on the immediate targets for them is a high performance strategy used by elite athletes. The more difficult the effort - the smaller intervals you must subdivide it into.
It is about how you play the game… Your process is the most important and finishing, winning, your race time – will all take care of itself if processes hold up.
Smile – are you thankful to up upright, alive and given the gift to run? Then you’re still ahead, right?! Give yourself permission to run without a set time goal – improving your psychological endurance & boosting performance.
From Outside online – an article from Abe Streep
“Pain threshold—the point in the shower at which uncomfortably warm turns to painfully hot—is a finite physiological limit. But you can manipulate how much pain you can handle after that point.”
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According to Stanford's Dr. Brooks Rohlen, pain tolerance is a
cognitive interpretation of discomfort. This means you can train yourself to tune pain out. The key to rewiring your tolerance? Think positive. Sports psychologists rely on cognitive behavioral therapy, which involves elaborate visualization techniques. But the philosophy is simple. "Think, 'How much can I do despite pain?' " says Rohlen. "I firmly believe you can be in pain and not suffer." Here's one trick to keep you moving: Tap your foot five times and say "Click" with each foot strike. "When you say 'Click,' you're blocking negative thoughts," says Dr. Aynsley Smith, sports psychologist with the Mayo Clinic. Repeat the exercise until the "Click" becomes second nature.”
Raymond Petras PHD is a sport psychologist in Arizona and explains that “when I tell an athlete that they can adjust their pain level by using mental techniques they’re amazed. They often find that their performance increases dramatically”
Long before any competition you need to begin visualizing your performance for that event. Try to create an image for each of the senses – recall that this includes sight, sounds, touch, taste and smell. Imagine the temperature, the lighting, the smells, the sounds etc. Include your process goals and preferred outcomes in that imagery. If you review this on your runs, and at times such as during stretching, and while you drift off to sleep you may find yourself referring to these items when race day comes and thus mentally ingrain the performance you wish to achieve.
Jeff Galloway uses several good tricks as well
Imagine that you lasso the runner who passes you - just slightly faster than your pace – with a rubber band and as the tension builds between you both the band stretches and then begins to pull you closer to the runner in front of you. The time distance continuum and spatial relationships you focus on can rally your pace and push you farther. If the band breaks lasso the next runner with a similar pace.
Imagine and visualize the fatigue escaping from your body through the soles of your feet. Your footprints are damp and glowing from the fatigue left behind when you dump that bad energy and thus with every stride you are gaining energy and feeling a floating sensation.
Feel the fluid you take on at the walk break to be super coolant. When you take a drink the liquid seeps into every inch of you and replaces or absorbs heat from your body. As the steam escapes you feel lighter and begin to lope along more easily.
These simple examples of visual imagery are easy to create for yourself and sometimes the goofier the better as the uplift, or distraction may empower you with positive imagery to go further.
Remember that you should also rehearse the “what if and worst case scenario” things that could happen during your race. By carefully planning for all the scary concerns you may have you can cope well if something should go wrong. Do this on paper one afternoon and then come up with an “antidote” for each concern, then take steps to prepare for each contingency. The best part is that things rarely ever go as poorly as you can imagine so it will all be better than your fears on race day – and you’ll feel very prepared.
Many of us enjoy running with music or conversation to keep us motivated and the MP3 player has possibly been responsible for keeping many folks at the gym altogether. Just like your thought process mid-run, you will still need to redirect you attention to the process of running once in awhile during your workout.
Please remember that you must always face traffic when running and that just as talking on your cell phone is a distraction to successful driving – running with headphones can be very dangerous. Please turn them down if you wear headphones and be careful out there (maybe save music for trails & treadmills) It is against USTF rules to compete while wearing headphones and so you will need to understand that you cannot wear them to run 95% of your races.
Most of you will not be surprised to learn that music is a proven performance enhancer. Studies have shown a 20% performance increase in speed and endurance due to music in the appropriate pace range.
Cadence is a term that applies to the rate of breaths per minute, footfalls per minute and beats of music per minute.
Here is some coaching, training, general running and music related to running podcast sites on the web to keep your ears busy while you train. Just remember to listen to your body too.
Robert Ullrey Podcasts for running, couch to 5k plan
DJ Steve Boyett Podrunner exercise music for running
Running Times Radio, popular publications digest of interviews and tips
Endurance Planet Podcast, tips, experts interviewed, short story’s on Fridays
Phedippidations Steve Runner’s ramblings, much running related/much not
Runner round table Q&A for running topics – big conference call
The Onion Radio News – comedy and parody equal to Saturday Night Live
NPR – almost anything you already listen to is being podcast now for free
