How to mentally go for it

slowmsrunner wrote:

My goals are sub-4:50 for the mile and sub-10:30 for the 1600, and I feel like I can get there with a combination of peaking and just toughening up. Any advice?

I suggest you buy and read Brain Training for Runners by Matt Fitzgerald. A lot of people on this forum don't like it. I don't buy into everything he says either.

However, with those caveats, I learned some GREAT training tips that explained a lot about my racing performance and changed the way I approach big events.

One of the tips is a few weeks out from a big race, he enters a race not with the intent of getting a fast time, but the intent of enduring as much pain as possible and not quitting when the mind is screaming to slow down.

For example, this coming Friday in the Penn Relays, my teammates and I are attempting an age group WR in the 4x400. Today, I ran my last hard workout. My goal was not to run my 2x200 (60 second recovery) as fast as possible, but to run them TOO fast and then not quit when the inevitable pain came over the last 50m of the last 200m. I was training my brain not to quit when it gets those overpowering signals to slow down.

That message is so incredibly strong that even though I anticipate it, I cannot overcome it without periodically training my brain that I'm not going to die by pushing past that artificial ceiling. It's easier to do it unimportant races or in time trials.

By the way, if you do this in a time trial... and you're standing after the finish... you didn't do it hard enough.

don't feel bad dude. we all do it. don't put yourself down. You are getting fitter, you can definitely do it in the right race. Just keep getting fitter, believe in yourself.

It just sounds like you are beating yourself up a little over "quiting" mentally. you aren't quiting. I've quit before, walked during a race during xc, and it sucks. that's quiting. Running 5 seconds or so off of what you think you could do: you just didn't have an on day.

There are on days and there are off days. Don't beat yourself up when you have an "off" day. That on day, that perfect race, that'll come. You'll do it.

but fisky really has some good tips on what to do when your having a bad day and you really can't afford to have a bad day. For example, if your at the state meet, you can't afford to have an "off" race. You've got to force yourself to do well then, and I think his advice will really help with that.

Wear sunglasses to race, it helps me to relax and not have anything go through my head other than running as fast as I can. I know it sounds stupid but just try it and see how it goes.

Get on what the kamikaze pilots were on.

I recently did a workout that made me feel more lactic acid than I've felt in the last year, though I just kept going on. I feel more ready to fight the lactic acid, though I'm still unsure of what to do when my lungs start screaming like it's an 800. For every single race of the season I've gone out with a watch and ended up positive splitting to just barely miss my goals.

I just now need to figure out a reason to run in the middle of the race. What do you guys use to motivate yourself?

This happens to me too. I think the hardest part of running is the mental battle. I've done all the work and physically I should be able to do it. Ugh

I have that problem too. It is really annoying. I'm always disappointed with all my races. I always think I should have been faster. I'm training well. I get extremely nervous before races. I find it hard not to think of upcoming races nonstop, especially from the day beforehand, up until the race. Everyone who sees me tells me that I need to hang in, and don't let everyone get so far ahead of me. I end up running at the level of "slower" runners who are close by. I often finish races stronger, and catch plenty of people who would have gone out harder. I always wish they were never ahead of me in the first place. It is so hard to break the habit.

Visualize your races. At night, before you go to bed or in the morning before you head out to school, just sit down, close your eyes and pretend you're in the race. Practice not letting go of the pack. Practice digging through the pain. You can mentally prepare for all these things. And for me, it really worked. I was 40 seconds from qualifying for state in XC and on the day of the qualifier, I dropped a 40 second PR but only because I had mentally prepared myself for a hard race. I feel like you have to be ready to endure that type of pain, you know? Also, personally, I like to visualize in the shower with the water turned coldest it goes to practice self-control.

Focus on the goal. The goal is the priority focus. The pain and hurt that you feel during the race is an inevitable byproduct of chasing the goal. You cannot escape it, so why not embrace it?