This week's TiART allows us to the questions, and with any kind of luck, generous readers will share their knowhow to make us better runners. For me, I have one recurring issue; how to play the mental running game and win.
I'm the kind of person who lives in her head. I think through everything from every possible angle, to the point that I sometimes make myself crazy. And instead of going with the positive thoughts, I have the tendency to think of every possible reason I might fail at anything I try. Lately I've given myself over to believing that a BQ is a pipedream for any number of reasons. And while I know, again intellectually, that I have as good a chance as anyone to achieve said goal, I'm having a hard time keeping it positive. I'm floundering.
What does a runner do to keep the mental game positive? I need ideas about how to keep my attitude on the upswing during training as well as the hard miles in the long run. How do I silence the critic that reminds me just how hard this running fast thing can be? What do other runners think about when they are trying to go fast? Am I the only person who counts "1,2,3,4" over and over in an attempt to pick up the pace? (And is there a more interesting variation to this tactic, because it truly sucks!!)
So there you have it - my burning question. I hope someone takes pity on me; I need the help. And something to think about : )
I know how you feel! Positive thinking can be difficult enough, but when your legs feel like lead pipes? Ugh.
ReplyDeleteWhat worked for me and got me started running, was having very low expectations. Sounds strange, but it's true. All I had to do was scale back my goal the tiniest bit, and the fear-of-failure wall disappeared. For example, my original goal was to run a 5k. I could never seem to get to that, until I made my goal simply to run 3 miles without stopping, no race necessary.
Less than eight months later, I crossed the finish line of my first half-marathon.
I guess what I'm saying is that for me, taking baby steps and inching my goals forward daily, meant that I was always celebrating some sort of success. It really helped. Negativity always creeps in, of course, but having so many little victories has turned me into somewhat of a Suzy Sunshine positive self-talker, so the blues never last too long.
As for the critic who reminds you how hard running fast is? Yeah, it's hard, but you're doing it. I bet that critic is at least slightly impressed.
One thing I always think to myself along these lines when I'm really having a tough time is that Tom Hanks line from the movie "A League of Their Own".
"Of course it's hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. It's the hard that makes it great."
Good luck!
I have found the mental side is the hardest part for me as well. There are a lot of "I should be..." going through my head - especially when I am just building speed, distance, etc. I am a very impatient person and "waiting" to get faster or run longer is very hard.
ReplyDeleteI struggled with this many years until I realized that I was working against my training and like Tess suggested, reset my expectations throughout my training. I have taught myself to only think about the moment of each run instead of having my mind dance through trial/errors of past runs or groan of what is left ahead. If I stay in the moment, it works better for me.
My other saving grace was finding an informal friend/coach who could be my voice of reason both during running and not running.
Thanks for checking out my blog! I did a lot of 'mental training' while I was injured, you're right, it's a challenge.
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