Foreword: This blog is titled "On the Run" because it is literally things I think of while I run. It will be posted irregularly, have random content, and will be poorly written. Of course, the idea to even create this blog came to me while running, and I love thinking of blog topics while I run. It's my new favorite thing :)
"Mind is everything. Muscle - pieces of rubber. All that I am, I am because of my mind." This Paavo Nurmi quote came to me today while I was slogging through one of my first runs post-achilles injury this morning. Endurance sports appear to be an ultimate test of fitness. But the truth is that they are a mind game in disguise. Your muscles need your brain's permission before they drag your body through training or to the starting line of a race. Oftentimes you want to quit before your muscles do. Without direction, the muscles will go all day--provided they have enough fuel. Most of us think that mental strength needs to come in the middle of a race or workout, when the lungs are screaming and the legs are pleading mercy. However, your mentality before a workout or race has a bigger impact on your feelings while you're in motion--and therefore affects your performance.
The majority of athletes have experienced a mental breakdown in the middle of a workout or race, and I am exhibit A for such malfunctions. I have sabotaged many a race and workout by defeating myself mentally. I realized that perhaps it is my mentality going into the event that causes negative thoughts during the event. I didn't ruin my first half marathon, triathlon, olympic triathlon, or cross country race. Why? Because it was something new. I put no pressure on myself because I had never done it before. I looked at each event as an adventure. I felt the worst pain in my life during my first olympic distance triathlon, but I didn't give up. I just wanted to keep going, and it was the most mental strength that I have ever displayed in my athletic career. I can't say the same for a couple of my subsequent Olympic distance races. I truly wanted to quit several times this season. My mentality was different once I had done it before: I wanted to go faster, and therefore was more in tune with my body instead of just enjoying the race and being smart.
The same goes for workouts. I will run the same pace in a 5 mile run and a 10 mile run, but the 5 mile run will feel more difficult. If I lace up my shoes with the knowledge that I am going further, I give myself permission to go the distance. If I know I only have to expend my energy over 5 miles, then that's what I will do. The will to train is like clay: it will mold to your expectations for the workout.
Example: I rode to Treasure Island on my bike to visit my parents, who stayed on the beach last weekend. It was 25 miles one way, which meant that I was going to cover 50 miles in total. I thought of it as more of an adventure, not a workout. This helped me cope with the distance, and I enjoyed it much more than I would have if I had thought about how "necessary" this long ride was to my fitness. Don't get me wrong, I was definitely hurting at the end, but it was infinitely better to think of it as an adventure.
One of my new mantras while I run is "flow". It reminds me that if I just let my legs pull me along (rather than straining), allow my arms to swing gently at my sides, and embrace the stream of thoughts, I will have a good run. I want the flow to be like a lazy river on my easy days, like powerful rapids on my up-tempo and speedwork days, and like a waterfall on race days. Some days its harder to let it flow than others, but I know I am (and you are) capable of it everyday.
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