Mental Stamina: How important is it?
Running is something that either comes naturally or it doesn’t.
If you’re in the first category, kudos to you! If you’re in the second category (like me), running is a little more of a challenge. Quite frankly, I’m fine with that. I’m always up for a good challenge. What is hardest for me about running though is the mental aspect.
How Much Does Your Mentality Impact Your Run?
There are days where you don’t want to run. There are days that hurt, days that you’re tired, and days where it’s raining. The drive to get out there though and just move your body still exists though. So how do you flip that switch in your mind? The switch that changes your attitude from “I have to to do this” to “I’m gonna run and feel so freaking good about it”? Personally, I know that my mental state at the begining of my run will determine how fast and how long I go. I can literally stop running if I physcailly feel fine but my mind is saying negative thoughts. To overcome this takes practice. I hope that I’m not alone in conquering this.
Tips for Better Mental Running Performance
- Use a mantra. Might be cheesy, but my personal one is “power power, glide glide”. It makes me feel like I’m floating and running becomes easier.
- Visualization. When my legs start to get tired, I visual myself as a world class runner. Doing this makes me feel like I’m using their legs, which are stronger, fresher, and faster than mine. I also envision myself as I am, but picture myself from behind. Watching myself run from behind allows me to notice and change my running form.
- Positive Self-Talk. This works surprisingly well, especially to battle the “I feel tired”, “I can’t do this”, or “I’m not strong enough” negative thoughts. While running, sometimes I’ll say to myself “Dang, you’re the shit.” Or “Wow, you are such a beast!”. Or “You are doing awesome!”.
- Break it up. I get nervous when I know I have to run more than 4 miles at a time. I’ve done it before, yet I still feel anxiety in anticipation of the run. Once I get out there, I break it up. If I’m going for a 60 minute run, I break it up into four 15-minute segments (or races). Finish one, and then start fresh. Before you know it, you’re run is over and you’ve done a great job!
These are a few that I’ve picked up. Do you have any more? What mental tricks or methods do you use while running?
