One
thing I love about writing this blog so far, is that I don’t have to look far
for ideas. Every day I have based my post
off a conversation I had with one my friends or athletes, or from a podcast I
listened to, or from a book I’m reading.
Inspiration for things to write about are all around these days as cross
country season is in full swing, and the fall road race circuit is well
underway. One thing I keep hearing from
people around me that are racing this fall is that they want to race
faster. They want a new PR as a reward
for running so many hot, hilly, painful miles this summer. You may have done everything by the book this
summer – increased your mileage by no more than 10% each week, did runs that
emulate the race course, ate right, did your long runs as scheduled, and
even did some tempo runs to help your overall pace. But there is one big, important, often
detrimental x-factor that often goes without attention during training. The
mental game. Have you ever gotten to a
race a little early and surveyed your competition, and then got incredibly
intimidated? Or started to push your
pace in a 5k and the voice in your head said ‘you can’t hold this pace, you’d
better slow down and conserve energy for later so you have a kick’? Or even questioned if you can complete the
mileage in front of you? You can thank
your untrained brain for all that self-doubt.
The mind is a wonderful tool, and if you give it just a few things to
focus on, you will be amazed at the difference.
It can change the whole experience of a run or race for you. And it will
prevent your imagination from running away from you… and ending up in a very
negative, questioning place.
My
first tip may seem like something impossible to you. In fact, you might think
that your head will explode if you try it.
But that’s where the growth comes from, because we all know that the
best things happen when we get outside our comfort zone. So what is it? It’s simple.
Leave your watch at home. Try it
on a training run first. Sport the watch
tan line so many of you have and give yourself a break from looking at your
splits, doing mental math and projections, and focus on what you are doing.
Running. Have you ever been a couple
miles into a run or race and then look at your watch – and then think ‘I went
out way too fast! I should slow down!’?
That is letting your watch dictate how you feel. Do you want to know why you ran those first
couple miles so fast? Because you felt
good, and that felt natural for you.
There is one caveat with this – if you’re running a marathon or beyond,
and aren’t one of those people that really knows your body and your pacing, you
may still want it. I only race with
watches for marathons and beyond so I know I’m eating often enough. The rest of you who are racing 5Ks, 10ks, and
half marathons – think about going watchless!
It can be very liberating to give your brain a break from thinking about
times and math, and instead enjoy the act of racing unencumbered – look at people
in the crowd, listen to your breathing, and let your body run the pace it wants
to without the nagging voice from the digital display on your wrist telling you
to do anything other than what is coming naturally that day. Maybe this style of ‘zen running’ isn’t for
everyone, but every single PR I have hit in the last 2 years has been in a race
where I didn’t where a watch.
Here’s the second thing. It’s a harsh truth, but here it is. Racing isn’t supposed to feel good the whole
time. If you are truly racing and
pushing yourself, no matter what the distance, you are guaranteed to hit a
point where you want to slow down, and your mind wants to tell you to back off. As I mentioned earlier, the best things
happen outside your comfort zone. You
will never surprise yourself, or feel like you’re hitting your potential in
ANYTHING if you don’t get uncomfortable once in a while. So do it.
Get comfortable being uncomfortable.
If you feel like you’re grinding and you are working hard in a race, you’re
doing it right. Have that conversation
with your brain before the gun goes off so when you hit that uncomfortable
place at mile 4 of your 10k, think ‘okay, I’m right where I’m supposed to
be. I’m doing this RIGHT and I’m going
to embrace this discomfort and kill the rest of this race.’ That subtly turns the negative of being uncomfortable
into a positive – it’s a pat on your back.
Good job! You are working hard
and doing your best! THIS is what
accomplishment feels like! Every step
you take outside of that comfort zone is an investment in who and where you
want to be. Rise to the occasion and get
after it. It is much easier to embrace
that place of hurt when you know you’re
going to be there for a while.
This is
a Tracey patented mental trick I am going to tell you now. I adore this one, I thrive on this one, I
savor the opportunity to use this one and light up inside whenever a chance to
use it comes up in a race. This one may
also sound harsh, but it’s effective.
Prey on other people’s weaknesses.
It may make me sound like a bloodthirsty crazy person, but the only
person who knows you’re thinking this way on a race course is you. This is the mindset that helped me get
through my 50K back in 2011, and finished 6th overall, first in
my division. I picked off many women in
that race by thinking that way. Here’s
how it works – at some point everyone hurts in a race, we already covered
that. Look at your competition when you
are out there, past your half way point usually. Many runners wear their pain on their sleeve,
and you will hear them breathing loudly, or see them slow down, or even
walk. Breakdowns in posture and form are
also good cues to look for. This is when
you turn on blood thirst mode. I almost
view it like a video game – you imagine yourself sucking the energy right out
of them and filling up your own tank.
They are obviously tired and losing steam, so in your mind take that
steam and blow right past them. Some of
you sweet, soft hearted, hug lovers out there may think that you could never go
into blood thirst mode, but I’m telling you.
It completely invigorates you when you try it. I did this many times in my 50k and it was
such a boost that it had me sailing at a stronger pace for a solid 5 minutes after
I passed the person, so not only do you pass someone and feel stronger, but you
can put some solid distance in between you and them.
Give
one, two, or all three of these a shot in a race this fall, or even just a
training run. Each tip gives your brain
a different, more positive focus than just letting it run wild. You will definitely surprise yourself, and
will learn some things about yourself in the process. I’d love to hear about any experiences you
all have with these If you decide to try them!
Now go get zen, hurt a little, and smoke someone out on the trail!
Wow, Dean and you, awesome photo!
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