The most important attribute a player must have is mental toughness. – Mia Hamm.
The mental side of running doesn’t get much mention, but that certainly doesn’t make it less important. In his book “Mind Gym”, Gary Mack describes the mind as a legitimate performance enhancing drug when used fully – I couldn’t agree more!
An athlete who is mentally fit will outperform the one who is weak 100% of the time. So how do we prepare our minds for the pressure and nerves of race day? Here’s the most helpful tps I’ve picked up over the years to build mental toughness.
VISION
“Limits begin where vision ends,” writes Mack. Visualization is a powerful tool. Our brain will more readily allow our bodies to do something if we’ve already done it in our minds.
As race day approaches, mentally rehearse how the day will go – Every. Little. Detail. Be as vivid as you can. What will the weather be? What are you wearing? How will you feel during warm-up? Imagine how you’ll feel as the race goes on even picturing the clock at the finish line, and most definitely how you’ll feel crossing the finish line.
This exercise builds confidence to help you relax on race day. Of course, if we’re being brutally honest about our race, we shouldn’t neglect some of the other things that might happen. This leads to the second tip.
SCRIPT THE SETBACK
One thing about racing is that it hurts. You better accept that from the beginning or you’re not going anywhere. – Bob Kennedy. Setbacks and pain are a part of racing. Setbacks can come in the form of physical pain, negative thoughts, bad weather, a watch malfunction, or even a shoe that comes untied. You should rehearse how you’ll handle some of these different setbacks so that you don’t panic at the moment.
When I dribbled a soccer ball in my redcord-breaking race, I had this somewhat irrational thought that the ball might pop and deflate. Believe it or not, I had planned ahead of time what I would do if that happened! After doing that, I didn’t spend a single second more worrying about it. Instead, I turned my thoughts toward what mattered most.
Two of the nearly inevitable setbacks are pain and negative thoughts.
EMBRACE THE PAIN
In Matt Fitzgerald’s book, “Brain Training for Runners,” he explains that our brains function to protect our bodies from harm. When we feel pain, our brain is telling us to slow down to avoid a catastrophe (i.e. overheating).
The only way to reject this “slow down” message is to ACCEPT the current level of pain. It tells our bodies, “Hey, this pain is okay, no need to worry.”
All evidence suggests that elite runners are those that can embrace this pain the most. When you visualize the race, be sure to rehearse these moments of pain and how you’ll address them. What are you going to say to yourself when every part of your body is screaming “NO!”?
STAY POSITIVE
Similar to pain, many runners experience negative thoughts during a race. “Why did I sign up for this?” “I’m not even halfway there!” “My goal is gone.” These are all very common, believe it or not. It is our brain’s way of trying to protect our bodies from harm and literally MAKE us slow down.
I can’t stress enough how important it is to stay positive at these times. I think of each of these thoughts as little thought bubbles floating by (cheesy, I know, but stay with me!). If it’s a negative thought, I just let it keep floating. Instead, focus on what you CAN control and do it well.
For me, I often turn my attention to my form to fight off negative thoughts. I check to make sure my stride is good from top to bottom. This is small, but it’s something positive and it’s something you can control. Staying positive will ALWAYS produce better results than being negative.
SELF-CONTROL
I love music. It speaks to me in ways that nothing else can and brings out emotions that otherwise wouldn’t exist. But I currently don’t run with music.
One reason is simple: elite runners don’t do it and it’s been shown that focusing on your running rather than distracting your thoughts using music produces better results. BUT there’s another reason which involves self-control – I simply get TOO excited and TOO amped up when I’m running with music. Certain songs may even have an opposite effect and draw me into prayer or maybe even tears!
Why is this a problem? Because both cause the body to use more energy than it otherwise would. I first noticed it when I started using a heart rate monitor and found that my heart rate on average is noticeably higher when I run with music. A higher heart rate can have a negative effect on performance.
Without the music, I am more in control and make better decisions, like fighting off negative thoughts.
Obviously, this is just my personal experience. Everyone has to find their own way to maintain self-control during a race or training effort. Mack says it well, “You can’t control your performance until you are in control of yourself. What you’re thinking. How you’re feeling.”
Without a doubt, mental control leads to physical control. “In a close game, I check my pulse. I know if it gets over 100, it’s going to affect my thinking,” said famed coach Phil Jackson. Start to figure out during your training what helps you to stay in control and relaxed.
MENTAL TOUGHNESS
All these ingredients mixed together produce mental toughness on race day. Mental toughness can be trained and built just like any physical attribute. Don’t waste a good race and training cycle by being weak-minded on race day! Good luck!
