Which of course is code for 'you'd want to mind yourself with all that running'.
I've noticed a lot of the people that mention running to me are not runners themselves. Runners of course have a reputation of always wanting to talk about running, especially with other runners, so it surprises me when non-runners broach the subject as I always assume they think they'll be bored to death if they get me started.
The tone of my runner-non-runner conversations often feels to me to be one of questioning the why. Why do you run so much? Why pay money to run X distances as fast as you can? Why put your body through the pain?
These questions are not direct although I have been asked similar in the past, I always wonder how those people would feel if they knew just how painful running and racing in particular can be.
Of course I'm not speaking of physical pain and soreness from the act of running, I'm taking of entering the pain cave type of feeling from pushing hard in training and races. Personally I've always struggled with this. I came to running relatively late in life at 36, I was entering middle age and wasn't exactly looking to step outside my comfort zone, that happened slowly by my own ego and it's desire to improve- the gain that can't be made without the pain.
As I started training for races and learning about the distances and paces I should be striving for to reach my evolving goals I started to face the discomfort of training and racing more. Because I had not practiced this all my life through pushing myself physically it was a shock to the system. My brain and inner voice often overpowered me in hard situations.
I'd find myself in the middle of a speed work session and my brain would be shouting in protest: 'WTF, you don't need this shit!' 'Slow down, take it easy.'
I'd be in a race struggling to hold pace and the same voices would be there, 'what difference does it make if you finish 3 minutes faster, slow down enjoy it.'
This was my first introduction to type A and B enjoyment.
Type A is something we do that's simply enjoyable: sitting in the garden on a warm summers evening with your favourite drink, eating your favourite food. It's something you really enjoy while your doing it. Type B enjoyment is a different beast altogether, this is something that is achievement orientated- a race is a perfect example, when your doing it it's hard....unenjoyable even, but when it's over and you have achieved what you set out to or know you gave everything you had, there is an after glow, an enjoyment that is retrospective.
Type B enjoyment feeds the ego, gives us pride and lasts much longer than type A which is usually gone when it's finished. But it has to be earned, whether it's a race goal or a college degree, the work has to be put in. When it comes to races and PBs that means hard yards.
I've felt that glow of achievement in putting together a 3 - 4 month training block and executing a good race plan to hit a time goal, it's the addictive feeling the fuels a runner's ability and desire to embrace the pain and discomfort of running at or near the red line, because we know to improve is to push harder.
I now find myself on another quest to sip from the fountain of success. Pain is just part of the process to get there that has to be accepted. Not accepting the pain of training and racing is not an option. If we don't accept it and let the inner voices shout and complain, pain quickly turns to suffering. When the inner dialogue is dictated by the emotional side of our brain we dwell on pain and discomfort. It becomes a bigger deal and can inflate like a ballon. It can eventually eat away and corrode confidence and desire to breaking point. I've been there too, racing with demons weighing me down until those three letters that no marathon runner wants to face.......DNF. Did Not Finish.
Of course there are is a time and place when it's no shame to drop out of a race- injuries and health issues need to be respected. But as somebody who has dropped out because they couldn't embrace the pain and therefore spiralled into a world of suffering I can honestly say this: If the glow and enjoyment of striving and succeeding are long lasting, so is the shadow and disappointment that comes from quitting on yourself and not being mentally tough.
I've read many training books and looked at many more online, they are often full of numbers and stats. There is often a small section on race strategy that covers mental attitude toward the end of the book. In my opinion it should be in the first chapter because it's a key to success. You need to practise an open attitude to pain in training. To know when it hurts you can still push harder. To know it doesn't last. To learn not to ignore but rather acknowledge and know that pain is part of the process, a necessary side effect of the journey to success.
Being aware of pain and discomfort also allows us to develop coping skills. For years I tried to take my mind off it by thinking of something more appealing but that didn't work for me. Instead I learned to accept and acknowledge. When the pain came I told myself that this was part of the plan, I didn't wish it away but took it as a sign I was working as hard as planned having already mentally given myself permission to hurt pre race/session knowing and accepting that it would only be temporary. For times when I'm starting to feel overwhelmed and approaching the red line I've developed distraction tools. These are tasks I give my brain so it can't dwell on the emotion of the high effort levels. One of these methods is counting. If the brain is busy on a task like counting it offers rest bite from dwelling on discomfort. I also sometimes use thumb tapping for times of extreme discomfort. By simply tapping the thumb and index finger together and counting in a liner fashion or in sets of 6, 8 or 10 etc it acts as a cognitive distraction until the effort levels have receded.
We often make the mistake of thinking pain and suffering are unique to ourselves, that everybody around us in a race has it easier. That simply isn't the case, in fact I'd go as far as to say that one of the big things, besides talent, that separates champions and medal winners is the ability to hurt themselves. It isn't a case that the day somebody wins everything is easy for them, it's the case that on the day they dealt with the pain and pushed themselves on to achieve and win.
When it comes to making breakthroughs and improvements from the utilisation of the hidden potential improvement gains, we don't always need new products like faster shoes or supplements. Sometimes the biggest potential for finding X percent improvement is far closer than we think......between our ears.
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