Over the years, my local 440 yd (a quarter mile, or 402m) has become a friend. I know this old decaying track well. The divots to avoid on one of the turns, which lines have been refreshed with white spray paint, and where it's most slippery after a rain. This year I finally realized this is where I build my best mental strategies. It had become more than a friend, it had become a coach. While I completed my interval workouts this fall, I reloaded my mental toolbox. Each lap refreshed a familiar strategy, brushing the dust from each tool until it was polished and shiny. Each repeat reminded me of the strength within myself. It's important to get those reminders.
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| Rachel C. photo. |
Seeing as I have another marathon next week, one I'm struggling to feel prepared to run, I thought I'd list out some of my mental tricks and mantras to help refresh my memory, and maybe one of these will resonate with you.
Less Than: One of my favorite tricks is to think about the remaining distance or time in a way that makes it sound shorter. Less than half a mile to go until I finish this repeat. I've got less than 5K left to run. When the time gets to be less than twenty minutes, I shift into minutes rather than miles. I can do anything for less than twenty minutes, right?
All PRs Hurt: Running a personal best time is uncharted territory. It's a place my body has never been before, it's going to hurt. When I made the shift from completing marathons to competing in them, the discomfort came much earlier in the race. The first time I ran with a big time goal in mind, it started hurting somewhere around mile eight. I freaked out and my race suffered. Mile eight is still where the easy feeling falls off but I'm prepared for it so when it happens, I think to myself, Ahh, right on schedule. Good job legs.
Future Karen: Even if I have the worst race of my life, only I know how much I put in and if it was truly my best effort. Sometimes when I consider giving up or slowing down to recover, I think about next week's Karen. Will she be mad at me if I wimp out now? The answer is always yes.
Don't Waste It: Sometimes it helps to think about the previous miles in the race. Am I going to waste the first half of hard work right now by quitting? I remind myself that I've laid the foundation for a great race, now all I have to do is follow through with it.
Past Seasons: Not all training cycles go well. That's definitely the case with the one I'm in right now. But looking at the big picture, I know that I've got many years of training behind me. All that experience, all those miles, my legs really do know what to do. It gives me confidence to know that I had at least one recent PR (half marathon) and that my track workouts have been faster (ran an 880yd PR) and more consistent than before.
Mantras:
Make it hurt. Taking an active role and telling myself that I'm administering the pain myself helps me push through it.
You are stronger than you think you are. This was a piece of advice a friend once gave me. My life has had plenty of physical challenges and limitations and I've constantly surprised myself. This sentence ties all of that up perfectly without getting too specific.
I like hills. Running and competing against the same people in the running club, I've realized I place higher on hilly courses than flat ones. Since I train on rolling hills, pancake flats destroy me. Yes, more hills please!
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What mental tricks do you use to keep yourself motivated when you get tired? Add your favorites in the comments! :)
4 comments:
I don't run long anymore, but I do long distance backpacking. No PRs there, but after 20 miles, I don't care who you are, it does start to hurt. This summer I figured that anything after 26 is difficult. I generally don't try to distract myself from it. It works better to acknowledge and move on. Little micro breaks help, as does "I'll eat the Cheeze-its in ten minutes." That being said, I feel like I've had enough pain in my life so I don't force it unnecessarily. There's a line between determination (because you don't want to give up all the time) and sanity, and I try to walk that line.
Karen: Hope that you, Matthew and Rachel? have a great CIM this weekend. As you note in your post, the mental part of training is as important and at times more important as the physical. I have noticed in my training leading up to and event that I usually have a disaster workout about two weeks before the event where I can't hit interval times or a tempo run feels like full on race pace. When this happens it is demoralizing, but when I get home defeated I look back through my running journal and review all of the good, strong efforts (with smiley faces next to them) that were logged in the preceding months and the calmness returns. Thanks. Paul
Just saw your result--congrats:)
Mary, Breaking it up into smaller pieces is a great idea. Whether a Cheez-its break or aid station, it can be really helpeful.
Paul, That's a good point. Looking at the big picture is so important. Tempo runs are my weakness too. I really should do more of those.
Thanks Alicia! I didn't realize you still kept track of me. :)
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