Running is Mental
Running is Mental.
A lot of us know we'll never win a marathon and that we'll be glad just to participate and finish one. We train so we can get all of the pain without necessarily any of the glory. Who does that? It's a little normal that some people run with a purpose, i.e. losing weight, heart health, but others simply just... run.
Marathons are 26.2 miles of constant running. Have you ever measured that with your car? It's far. Running that much is mental.
Ultra-runners must be crazy. Who gets up before dawn to run 50+ miles in one sitting? The bad water ultramarathon is some 135 miles in the freaking Death Valley desert. Who does that? That's crazy, right? It's gotta be. It's definitely not normal. "Normal" people don't do that kind of stuff. Yet, it saw huge, HUGE growth during the last decade.
That's how I felt for a long time. Running is mental, crazy; why would anyone put themselves through the mind numbing thumping of sneakers landing on solid ground?
Marathons are 26.2 miles of constant running. Have you ever measured that with your car? It's far. Running that much is mental.
Ultra-runners must be crazy. Who gets up before dawn to run 50+ miles in one sitting? The bad water ultramarathon is some 135 miles in the freaking Death Valley desert. Who does that? That's crazy, right? It's gotta be. It's definitely not normal. "Normal" people don't do that kind of stuff. Yet, it saw huge, HUGE growth during the last decade.
That's how I felt for a long time. Running is mental, crazy; why would anyone put themselves through the mind numbing thumping of sneakers landing on solid ground?
Running is Mental
Do you want a good work out for your mind at the same time you work out your body. Go running. The only way to really exercise your mind is to stretch it, push it (mind over matter comes to mind) and I haven't found a better way to learn about my own mind and body relationship than I have while running.
After downloading and listening to Born to Run by Christofer McDougall, I was intrigued enough by his argument that man was born to run. He made is sound all too easy and natural that I decided to put it to the test. I won't go into details, you can read about my conversion in my firsts posts. This is why this blog has this name, because until then I had swore I'd never "just run".
My first run was about 2 miles. 1 mile more than I had ever attempted at once. I just wanted to see if I could do it and stick with it despite the frustration I'd certainly encounter, in all likelihood sooner rather than later - and I did. I also wanted to do something I didn't think I could do. THAT is what a mental work out is all about. Our mind puts blocks, safety catches, for us in order to keep us safe and comfortable. Our brain is trying to protect us because that is its work: survival. Therefore as soon as we start feeling discomfort of any type in any situation, our brain will say "turn it off buddy, that doesn't feel good" so we look for a way out, a way to stop whatever is causing that discomfort. If you understand this, you will realize that you are stronger than you think; literally.
We can do so much more than we think because our brain is always playing defense. It's all in our mind however. Running is literally mental because you run with your mind as much or more than you run with your body. If it was up to your physical body you wouldn't even walk. But how do you do it? How do you teach your mind to remove those road blocks? Can you train your mind to leave you alone and stop telling you what you can and can't do? I think it is. Actually, I know it is and that has been my experience with running. I have been able to do things I never thought I'd be able to do, both because I didn't want to and because I didn't think myself physically able to. Until I did it. My mind is stretched, thought patterns are broken and room for new ones is made.
Isn't that what growth is about? Pushing yourself outside your comfort zone by sometimes (often) doing things you really don't want to do. Venturing outside that comfort zone alone is something we never want to do.
Going back to "how do you do it?", there's a very good chapter in The Complete Book of Running put out by Runner's World magazine on the mental aspect of running. I recommend this book, it's a good reference; I'd say don't even worry about following order - unless you want to, just jump to those chapters that you feel are more relevant to you at the moment. That's what I've done. Like I said, it's an excellent reference tool. For example, there's a section on how to extend your distance - which is something I was struggling with - and the first thing it touches on is the mental aspect of running. Isn't that interesting? It didn't go into technique or dieting or even strengthening workouts, it went right into working on your mind. My favorite concept out of this section is this:
Isn't that an amazing concept? Not only to run by, or train by, but to live by! Don't let your mind tell you what you can or can't do. Challenge it! Challenge yourself! Choose something difficult, your own mountain and then go do it. Don't set expectations other than finishing your course. Be it 2 miles or 20 miles - be sensible of course, but be honest with yourself as well. When you run, choose how you are going to push yourself and do it. You'll find that there is more to you than your mind will let you believe.
Conclusion
Yes, running is mental, but not because it's crazy. It is mental because it's all in your mind, if you think you can't run it's because your mind is telling you can't. If you believe you will never be able to run well it's because you are allowing your brain to convince you that it is so. Running is mental!
After downloading and listening to Born to Run by Christofer McDougall, I was intrigued enough by his argument that man was born to run. He made is sound all too easy and natural that I decided to put it to the test. I won't go into details, you can read about my conversion in my firsts posts. This is why this blog has this name, because until then I had swore I'd never "just run".
My first run was about 2 miles. 1 mile more than I had ever attempted at once. I just wanted to see if I could do it and stick with it despite the frustration I'd certainly encounter, in all likelihood sooner rather than later - and I did. I also wanted to do something I didn't think I could do. THAT is what a mental work out is all about. Our mind puts blocks, safety catches, for us in order to keep us safe and comfortable. Our brain is trying to protect us because that is its work: survival. Therefore as soon as we start feeling discomfort of any type in any situation, our brain will say "turn it off buddy, that doesn't feel good" so we look for a way out, a way to stop whatever is causing that discomfort. If you understand this, you will realize that you are stronger than you think; literally.
We can do so much more than we think because our brain is always playing defense. It's all in our mind however. Running is literally mental because you run with your mind as much or more than you run with your body. If it was up to your physical body you wouldn't even walk. But how do you do it? How do you teach your mind to remove those road blocks? Can you train your mind to leave you alone and stop telling you what you can and can't do? I think it is. Actually, I know it is and that has been my experience with running. I have been able to do things I never thought I'd be able to do, both because I didn't want to and because I didn't think myself physically able to. Until I did it. My mind is stretched, thought patterns are broken and room for new ones is made.
Isn't that what growth is about? Pushing yourself outside your comfort zone by sometimes (often) doing things you really don't want to do. Venturing outside that comfort zone alone is something we never want to do.
Going back to "how do you do it?", there's a very good chapter in The Complete Book of Running put out by Runner's World magazine on the mental aspect of running. I recommend this book, it's a good reference; I'd say don't even worry about following order - unless you want to, just jump to those chapters that you feel are more relevant to you at the moment. That's what I've done. Like I said, it's an excellent reference tool. For example, there's a section on how to extend your distance - which is something I was struggling with - and the first thing it touches on is the mental aspect of running. Isn't that interesting? It didn't go into technique or dieting or even strengthening workouts, it went right into working on your mind. My favorite concept out of this section is this:
"Don't decide what you can do before you try. Decide what you want to do and then go out and find out what you can do, what your physical limitations are."
Isn't that an amazing concept? Not only to run by, or train by, but to live by! Don't let your mind tell you what you can or can't do. Challenge it! Challenge yourself! Choose something difficult, your own mountain and then go do it. Don't set expectations other than finishing your course. Be it 2 miles or 20 miles - be sensible of course, but be honest with yourself as well. When you run, choose how you are going to push yourself and do it. You'll find that there is more to you than your mind will let you believe.
Conclusion
Yes, running is mental, but not because it's crazy. It is mental because it's all in your mind, if you think you can't run it's because your mind is telling you can't. If you believe you will never be able to run well it's because you are allowing your brain to convince you that it is so. Running is mental!
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