Brain Training

There's a commonly repeated quote about ultra running that is '90% of running an ultra is mental, and the other 10% is mental.'  I totally agree with that.  Sure, logging miles, running hills, fueling properly, and listening to your body are all important elements, but if you get to the line on race day and you aren't sure can do it, and you're not focused - you are probably about to endure a running nightmare. 

I am really intrigued by how the brain works, and am fascinated with how powerful it really is.  To complement my physical training I have been doing since December, I felt that I needed some more refinement with my mental game.  I have spent a fair amount of time at a local Buddhist temple called Deer Park.  I first became interested after hearing the Dalai Lama speak back in ... 2008 I think it was.  Every now and then they host a day that they call the Day of Silence, or the Day of Meditation.  I went to a Day of Silence back in 2009 and found it to be extremely helpful in not just quieting my brain, but focusing for a really long period of time.  This past Saturday I went to a similar event. 

Deer Park - last summer

The schedule of the day was:
9:00 - 9:15 - overview of the day; begin silence. (yes, we weren't supposed to talk at all, except for during Q&A times.)
9:15-10:15 - teaching
10:15 - 10:45 - meditation
10:45 - 11 - break
11 - 11:30 - Q&A
11:30 - 12 walking meditation
12 - 12:45 - lunch (silent)
12:45 - 1:15 - walking meditation
1:15 - 2:15 - teaching
2:15 - 2:45 - meditation
2:45 - 3 - tea and cookies in the temple
3 - 3:30 - Q&A
3:30 - 3:45 - meditation
3:45 - 4:30 - closing

There were 60 people attending which I thought was a fantastic turnout, but it became apparent during the day that people were struggling to stay focused and invested.  Maybe around 15 or more people bailed as the day went on.  I did take a break during the afternoon teaching to take a walk outside and caught a 15 minute cat nap which did rejuvenate me.  During the afternoon I took the meditation time to really work on visualization for my race - I do this fairly often as I'm falling asleep, or when I'm on a run, but it felt good to sit there and really visualizing all the pieces of the 50k. 

Prayer flags behind Deer Park. So pretty!

I'm happy I took a whole day to sharpen my mental game and enjoy some quiet.  I have to admit, there's something pretty cool about a room full of people eating lunch at the same time and it's not filled with mindless chatter about people's jobs, their opinions, their complaints, or their questions.  You could just sit and be.  All you needed to do was exchange smiles and that was enough. 

After my day of silence and meditation I was ready to gather my thoughts for Sunday's 22 miler.  It was going to be my first time doing a long run in the morning, so I did my best to prepare.  I'm much more of an evening runner, so starting a run at 8am is not my idea of a good time.... but if I'm going to be ready for Saturday's marathon, and next month's 50k, I knew I needed to do at least one long run with the right food once. 

Things went pretty smoothly, and I took it easy to enjoy the scenery and just cover the miles - I didn't need to try and zip through them.  Temps warmed from the low 30's to almost 50 by the time I was done.  The paved trails were quiet to start - probably people sleeping in after celebrating the Badgers making it to the Final Four the night before!!  :)   But I had plenty of birds to listen to, saw almost 20 cranes enjoying the warm day, and loved not having to worry about snow and ice for the first time this year! 

See the two cranes??

I finished the run pretty strong.  I do feel like I'm not quite in the shape I'd like to be in, but I am recovering really quickly which isn't usually the case.  In looking forward to Saturday's marathon I'm just looking forward to finally having people around, and I don't have to carry all my water and food!  It should be a great way to end my training and kick off my taper.  My tight hips and calves in yoga class tonight reminded me that my three week taper will be a great opportunity to get some more classes in.  :)