The Mental Game of Running - Strategies for Overcoming Setbacks
Mental toughness is what allows runners to push past their limits and reach new heights, from training runs with discomfort or racing through fatigue. Although it requires immense discipline and motivation, mental toughness can be learned and refined over time.
Focus on what you can control during your runs: thoughts, emotions and training form. This will keep you motivated while decreasing stress levels and reaching peak performance. With that being said, let’s jump into some strategies in order to build some mental resilience as a runner.
Identify Your Goals
Establishing realistic running goals can keep you on the path towards reaching them and remain motivated during training and competitions. From improving parkrun time to running a marathon, your goals should excite and inspire you, motivating you to wake up each morning eager to pursue them.
For optimal success, they should also be SMART goals – this means specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound objectives should be established as your targets.
Reframe Setbacks When Striving Toward Your Goal
Change the way you perceive difficult or unpleasant situations during your runs; rather than viewing them as setbacks or threats, view them as opportunities to test yourself and strengthen mental toughness. Another good way of looking at this is embracing the suck!
Remind yourself why you started running in the first place – whether that be setting an example for family and friends, raising awareness for a cause, or pushing your limits beyond what was once considered possible. Recalling these motivations can provide an extra boost of motivation when legs are burning and the mind is telling you it’s time to quit!
Visualize Your Goals
For success in any race, practice visualization techniques. Athletes have used visualization for decades as an aid in setting their minds on task – engaging the auditory, visual, and kinesthetic systems to create mental images of what you want to accomplish.
As runners, this might mean visualizing yourself running at your best in a specific environment or competition, or visualizing how you will overcome any barriers that might stand in the way of success. Focus on positive outcomes rather than reinforcing negative ones!
Instead of thinking of your competitor fading while running uphill, visualize yourself catching them and pulling ahead instead. No piece of running gear or training plan can provide this kind of mental toughness, but through practice and dedication it can become part of you, giving you unstoppable strength that enables you to push yourself and reach your goals.
Focus on the Present
Challenging runs are an integral part of developing as a runner, but they don’t need to be something you dread. By staying focused in the present and finding opportunities within each challenge for growth, it will make developing mental toughness that much easier.
Being present means being fully immersed in your current environment and remaining engaged. Running can make this difficult. It’s easy to become disoriented by thoughts of discomfort and fatigue, so embrace these feelings by using techniques like breathing strategies or pushing yourself further on runs if needed to stay present during them.
Strategies to Stay Present
● Distractions like technology and social media can make it challenging to stay focused, especially if you’re constantly comparing yourself to others. Sometimes it may be a good idea to stay away or take a break, especially when you feel in a drag to get back into your running routine.
● Break your distance or long run up into chunks. For example, if you feel intimidated by the distance of a marathon or long road race, take each mile at a time and mentally break the race up into segments. If you’re running a marathon, look at it as six-4 mile segments instead of a 26.2 mile race.
● Reducing mental wandering with mindfulness techniques like body scanning and thought-watching is another effective way to remain present and appreciating each run more fully, even through discomfort or fatigue.
By practicing these strategies regularly, mindfulness helps runners appreciate every run and find joy even in discomfort or fatigue that might accompany it.
The Power of Positivity
As a long distance runner, you must learn to focus on what matters and let go of what doesn’t. Strategies such as mental toughness development, staying present in the moment and motivation techniques are invaluable resources that top runners use to remain resilient and confident under pressure.
One effective way to stay present and remain engaged during each step is using visual cues as reminders that every step is progressing you toward your goals. Mile markers, trees or stop lights all provide visual reminders to stay engaged. Each time you pass a visual cue, you reinforce a positive outlook that you are one step closer to your goal.
Another way to remain engaged during long runs is to put on a smile. A study published in Psychology of Sport and Exercise, demonstrated that runners who did this expended less energy and reported lower rates of perceived exertion than those who frowned. If you find yourself flagging midway through your next long run, try this strategy – you might be amazed at what a difference it makes!
Focus on your Strengths
Running has often been described as being “90 percent mental.” Unfortunately, most training plans – from couch-to-5K training plans to advanced marathon prep sessions – tend to focus on physically preparing you for race day and fail to recognize the significance of cultivating mental strength.
Although proper nutrition and exercise can help prepare runners physically for running events or sessions, nothing beats mental strength when it comes to improving performance on race day or during training sessions.
A 2-Pronged Approach
Step 1: Strengthening your mental game is as simple as identifying your individual strengths. This requires some self-reflection and feedback from others. Consider activities and tasks that come easily to you or excite you as indicators of potential strengths. Consider also how you respond to challenges and obstacles. If you tend to remain calm when faced with difficulty and problem solve with ease under pressure – such skills could also indicate strengths.
Step 2: Once you’ve identified your strengths, the next step should be committing to building them further. This may involve seeking feedback, creating goals, taking on challenges and practicing them until mastery has been achieved. Nurturing your talents takes time and dedication but can pay dividends over time.
Take Responsibility for your Weaknesses
An effective way to strengthen your mental game is by identifying your strengths and assigning responsibility for any weaknesses. Doing this means focusing on areas critical for performance such as arms or breathing, while neglecting those that deplete energy from your system (bad mechanics, self-doubt, etc). This allows you to stay focused on reaching your goal faster!
When faced with challenges or setbacks on the path to becoming a better runner, it is crucial to remember they are part of a necessary journey. A growth mindset allows runners to view setbacks such as tough hills or last miles as opportunities to push beyond their limitations and grow.
Celebrate Your Achievements
Consider all of the obstacles runners must navigate – from finding motivation for training runs to persevering during races – and you can quickly understand that mental strength is a cornerstone of running success. Learning to overcome mental blocks by employing techniques such as visualization techniques, harnessing determination, and employing motivational tactics will help you meet your goals more quickly.
Recognizing your running journey’s small victories can help build both confidence and empowerment. From shaving seconds off of your personal best to conquering new distances, celebrating each mini-achievement is important in building self-reliance and confidence.
As soon as you feel overwhelmed by race day pressure, take a minute and remember all of the small successes you’ve already accomplished along your journey. This will keep you focused and motivated while reminding yourself why you started running in the first place. From there on out, your endurance running abilities will only improve further!
A Final Recap
Mastering the mental game of running involves several key strategies that can significantly impact your performance and enjoyment of the sport:
● Set Specific and Achievable Goals: Establishing SMART goals keeps you focused and motivated throughout your training and competitions.
● Reframe Setbacks: View challenges as opportunities to test yourself and strengthen your mental toughness, reminding yourself of your initial motivations for running.
● Visualize Success: Use visualization techniques to mentally prepare for races and overcome barriers, focusing on positive outcomes.
● Stay Present and Positive: Remain engaged in the moment during runs, utilizing mindfulness techniques and visual cues to maintain a positive outlook and boost resilience.
● Focus on Strengths and Address Weaknesses: Identify and build upon your strengths while taking responsibility for improving areas of weakness critical for performance.
● Celebrate Achievements: Recognize and celebrate your progress and achievements, no matter how small, to boost confidence and motivation.
By incorporating these strategies into your running routine, you can enhance your mental resilience, performance, and overall enjoyment of the sport. Remember, the mental game of running is just as important as physical training, and mastering it can lead to significant improvements in your running journey