Relationships
between people can be extremely complicated, but the relationship between your
brain and your body can be even more intricate.
In this blog I will talk about the role of mind and body working either
together or against each other in terms of training runs and racing. In
subsequent blogs I will go into the mind body relationship in regards to body
image, and nutrition. This dynamic
within ourselves fascinates me on a daily basis and I am always looking at how
these two often opposing forces can wreak havoc on our plans, or sling shot us to
success. Let’s dive in. J
I
believe that our bodies are always telling us things. If we’re hungry, if we’re coming down with a
cold, if the lunch you ate was poor fuel, or if you got a great night of sleep. But how often do we listen to what it is
telling us? Often times people spend a
majority of their day up in their heads, thinking about the next thing they
have to do, the vacation they’re planning a for a month from now, or about a
conversation that ended in an argument over the weekend. Being in one place but having your mind in
another is called dissociation. And it is incredibly common for people to
dissociate during exercise. It can be
easy to face a 20 mile run and head out the door, thinking all the while about
your grocery list, listening to an upbeat playlist in your iPod, or running
angry while mentally rehashing something that upset you at work the day
before. All these mental tactics to get
yourself through the miles also brings you away from yourself, in that you’ve
logged a 3 hour run without paying any attention to how your body feels. Creating this split between your mind and
body can be good in that it will often times get you through the workout you’ve
set out to do, but the outcomes can sabotage the success you’re trying to
reach.
The
most common way I see this in the athletes I coach is when it comes to illness
and injuries. I have a very talented
team as a whole, so the competition within the team itself is pretty strong. This competitive drive along with the
internal desire to do their best can cause the girls to miss serious signs from
their bodies that something isn’t right.
Sure, we all want to be deemed ‘tough’ and shine in competition when we
can, but when your foot is aching, your shins are burning, or you’re getting
dizzy with blurred vision, it needs to be tended to. There of course are different kinds of pains
– some aches and soreness are to be expected and can be run through, but when
you have acute pain, tingly extremities, or a sudden change in body
temperature, you should listen!
Countless athletes have their season cut short because their brain would
override their bodies for too long, until their body was screaming at them to
stop. Often times by then it is too
late.
So what
can you do to turn the noise from your brain down and tune into your body
better? Here is a trick I used with an
athlete I used to coach, and now find myself using it personally when I can’t
seem to get out of my head on a run. I
go through my five senses. What am I
seeing? (trees with leaves changing color, a for sale sign in a person’s front
yard) What do I smell? (bacon from
someone’s kitchen, car exhaust, my own sweaty dri-fit shirt) What do I feel physically? (rain drops,
tightness through my right calf, the weight of my ponytail) What do you hear? (cars passing by, birds
chirping, the tapping of my shoelaces on my shoes) What do I taste? (mouthwash,
orange Cliff Shot Blox) Walking through
these five senses, and taking your time with it can quickly bring you into the
present moment. Take your time with
these, go through the five senses multiple times if you’d like. I find that it also curbs any anxiety I may
be carrying into the workout.
Another
way to look at the mind body relationship is to picture yourself as a
builder. The goal you have in mind to
run your best marathon (for example) is the same as a goal to build your
dream house. Your mind can perfectly
envision the feeling of crossing that finish line with the clock showing the
time you want, or can envision the house with the white shutters and the three
season porch. Your body is the means of
getting you there. Your body is the
collection of tools you need to build that house. Just as it is the main tool you need to get
across the finish line in that goal time.
If your drill is broken, and the saw is rusted and worn down, you’ll
have a hell of a time building that house.
You can still probably force it to happen, but the odds of it looking
the way you want and being truly sound are slim. You need to have good working tools to
build. Just like you need a healthy and
sound body to meet your running goal.
Next
time you are out for a run and feel like you are at war with your body and
having a miserable time, go through the five senses. Let yourself be where you are in that run and
take inventory. Is your body telling you
something you have been ignoring? Take care
of your tools, and they will take care of you.
This a one of my 'zen moments' from an afternoon of Yoga on the Rocks at Red Rocks, July 2013
No comments:
Post a Comment