Today I spoke about the power of positive thinking and how it effects us physically. The demonstration was very noticeable when Gene had Positive thoughts and was strong. With Negative thoughts he lost his strength in his arm. Think about how our legs would react and you can see how important our own thoughts are. Approach your next run or race thinking how prepared you are, how strong and ready you are to accept the challenge of the event.
Try saying a mantra, like 'Kenyan' or 'I Am Strong' both before and during the event.
Even try the Pinch Test - pinch yourself during a good training run, and again when you are struggling. It may remind you of that good feeling you had.
Motivation, confidence, and mental toughness make this sport tougher than others. I think we all share these qualities and you know how much I stress mental conditioning, as well as the physical. Remember Hillah, who needed to run a 23 miler to believe she could run a marathon. She did what she believed was necessary, and then went out and accomplished her goal at Disney. Mentally prepared.
Elite runners disassociate--they will focus on something other than running to take their mind off the discomfort they are feeling. I have said we need to practice this along with association to monitor ourselves. Track and races are good places to try this.
Mandy spoke about mental preparation before a race and during it. She advises association, always monitoring your body, and knowing the course and what to expect. No negative thoughts, ever. They are self-handicapping and set you up for failure. Repeat affirmations. Live in the moment, don't concentrate on the finish, but what's going on now. If you're hurting, run in small increments, like the next 5 minutes.
Toes and belly breathing!!
I believe most of you start out too fast and try to hang on. Patience, run your own race. Know your pace - that's what track teaches you. Finish Strong.
Use your watch, not just for splits. We knew we would run around 23, so at 21, we either picked it up or maintained, as we are trained to run hard when we are tired. Again from the track and long runs. We can hold on for 2 minutes, and even gather a kick at 3. Forget about your breathing at that point, as you can run anaerobically for another 45 seconds. You know from past experience you will recover in a few minutes, so go for it!
Run smart. Pace yourself. Applies to any distance.
The hardest part of marathons is the training. No shortcuts here, as you know. You really have to do your homework, tired or not.
As you trackies-I love that word and should receive royalties from it-know, we always push the last interval hard on the track so we experience race conditions.