Mind over Matter..

 

Having taught a few challenging classes this week, the plan for the remainder is to get out there and do a slow 6 miler on Thursday (with my eldest daughter) and a longer one on Saturday of around 10-12 miles.

 

Monday next week could be an interesting one too. A friend has told me about a local run group that holds a hill running session for all abilities that don’t like that kinda thing (that’s defo me!). It’s local and the distance is between 4 – 8 miles (depending on what you want to do) so it’ll fit nicely for me.

 

As I’ve said before, I detest going up but love coming down. The Amazon has some pretty tough ups apparently, so getting accustom to them and embracing them my “friend” is one of those components that needs to gets thrown into the flavor of the training mix.

 

One runner of this year’s event said that he’d wished he’d spent more time training for steep inclines. Power walking and jogging hills would’ve been far more beneficial than banging in the running miles apparently so maybe there’ll be a shift in the training regime in the coming months.

 

Absolute Certainty:

On reflection of entering for something you’re in two minds of doing and having doubts about, physical & mental abilities need to have a definitive level of certainty for both getting to the starting line and crossing the finish.

 

When building up to anything that challenges me I attempt to eliminate any thoughts of incompletion. Just take those thoughts out of the equation!

 

This type of mentality can be controlled. But just as easily as you can control this, you can just as easily lose it too. Personally, if you want to complete anything bad enough, then you can do it! The guess secret is FOCUS. Make a clear and precise decision in advance and stick to it.

I ran my first ultra four years ago and although I completed it with minimal training (stupidly) I still maintain that it was mind over matter that got me to the end. That particular year saw 70% of the field drop out due to horrendous weather conditions.  

 

On race day I usually just focus on the finish line and not what’s going to happen during. Visualisation is more powerful than most people care to credit. Seeds of doubt and underachieving will inevitably have dire consequences. Having this positivity in life generally is a good thing.  

 

Stay calm and hold on:

I’ve found that when a race begins, I sense a little nervousness slipping into how I’m feeling. Apparently it’s quite common to get a rush of adrenaline and not even realize it. This is what causes a much quicker starting pace (not a good thing if you’re heading out for 100k+. If you give into it, it will certainly catch up to you later in the race.

I stay in tune with my body and back my pace off slightly. Personally, I don’t wear watches that are easily visible which is why I use an App to record rather than a watch that could govern my ability. Remember, for me personally it’s all about completing rather than competing. I just run on feeling and focus of the finish line.

 

Running my own race:

There are many runners of all different shapes, sizes, and speeds and the Amazon will undoubtedly have all levels in attendance (although there’ll only be ~50 of us).

I can categorically tell you now I’ll absolutely not be getting caught up in attempting to run faster than the person next to me. It’s going a long race and a simple misguidance of my own ability will inevitably be a mistake that’ll cost me on each stage. It’s gonna be a tough and lonely place to be out of energy!

I know this from experience when I did the Bournemouth Marathon a couple of years ago!

 

The real race is against myself. I’m going to stick to my plan and let my internal control effect my external environment, not the other way around.

 

Read an article by a professional Ultra Runner and one of the best take-aways from him was:

 

“The most important lesson learned transitioning to ultras is that there are so many people that will tell you that you can't do something, but you can. You should always believe that you will finish the race, and that is the goal I always have. You are much tougher, stronger and more resilient than you think you are, and if you keep eating and drinking, you will finish.”

 

Tbh it’s always been my mentality too but hearing it from a Pro adds validity to my beliefs.

 

I’ve always maintained that mental strength is your greatest asset. It doesn’t matter what training I’m doing (Martial Arts, Boxing, Running etc), I usually adopt the “what’s the worse than can happen?” attitude.

 

Let’s face it, physical injuries are all fixable, either on the day or afterwards. Mental strength isn’t something that can be repaired on the day.

 

If you nurture & strengthen your mind as a habit, you’ll see the benefits during an event right? 

 

Let’s see how the weeks’ plan works out but one thing is assured, it’s all physical training because mentally I’m in good shape!

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