I started running cross country in 10th grade and had some quick success. I was the number three runner on the 2002 Mountain Valley Conference Duel meet champions. Holla!
I was proud to be number three on a good team.
I remember a dual meet where we were the clear favorites. In cross country, there are no Cinderella stories. You either have good runners, or you have bad runners.
On this day we were running against bad runners.
So I said F it. I’m going to run with the top guys on our team.
Who knows what I can do, right? Maybe I can just push beyond my comfort zone I can run with them. Things have been going well, so let’s get it!
I realized one truth about 1.5 miles into that race.
I could not run with our top guys.
I started to spiral down a hole. Then I had a thought and felt instant relief.
“I can just stop,” I told myself.
So you know what I did.
I stopped.
Dead in the middle of the race. I didn’t finish. I wasn’t hurt. I wasn’t sick. I just wanted to stop. So that’s what I did.
In the grand scheme, it meant nothing.
I chalked it up to a bad day, and so did everyone else.
But I knew the truth.
I quit that race.
I gave myself a mental beatdown which I learned is not great for future race performance.
But I also learned that you can’t get by on talent or fitness alone. There is something else when it comes to performance.
So I did some research. I found out no one really knows why we get tired.
You would think It is straightforward. Like you get tired and need to stop. But there are a lot of factors at play.
1) Physical limits. We all have the ability to perform at a certain level. A lot of it boils down to your physical preparedness. Things like the condition of your heart and lungs.
2) Mental exhaustion. Studies have been conducted and show that when an athlete is mentally fatigued they perform worse. So your stress at work and home contribute to your shitty race results.
3) Central governor. This is a theory that proclaims our body will shut you down if we are putting our vital organs in danger. So your brain will shut you down so your heart does not explode. This is a crude explanation of the central governor, but you get the idea.
But again, These are all theories. No one knows what truly causes fatigue while we run.
So should you gear your training to override or central governor while improving our mental and physical capacity to work?
Not really.
You need to control what you can control. And one thing you can control is your training consistency, your nutrition, and your effort level.
But one thing we often overlook is our mindset.
You can train your mind during every run by creating a running “mantra.”
Corny? Yes.
Effective? Also yes!
So I challenge you to come up with a mantra that you can repeat to yourself while training and tracing. make it simple and positive.
*Tip* put the words in the second person.
I like to use “you are smooth” and “you make this look easy.”
You know. Corny shit like that.
Practice your mantra while you train and have it stuck in your head like glue at that start line. You will need it!
A great practice for runners to learn awareness is through meditation. Click here to read how mediation can help you as a runner.
