2016

How to Avoid Mental Roadblocks in Training

How to Avoid Mental Roadblocks in Training
[caption id="attachment_24726" align="alignright" width="300"]Photo: travisholley.blogspot.com [/caption]

I'm a runner, and I've been running, in some capacity, for most of my life.

I've run everything from the 100 meter dash on a track to a 50k ultramarathon out in the wilderness, and I've run through terrain that's as flat as a pancake, like city streets, to terrain that's so steep that it literally took my breath away and necessitated walking – casually strolling, even. I make a living by writing about running and talking about running, and when I wake up each day, one of the first things I want to do is complete my daily run ritual. Nothing revs me up more than signing up for races and going forth and absolutely kicking ass in my training as I try to chase down whatever goal(s) I've set out for myself. I live, eat, and breathe this stuff.

Sometimes, though, I don't want to run.

Sometimes, I think running sucks.

Sometimes, I think that it's time to hang up the old running kicks once and for all – for good.

Isn't that bizarre? How can an activity that I love, and one that literally helps me pay the bills, yields such a polarizing reaction?

I think it's the same for many other people, runners or not. When I talk about running, I often get one of two reactions from the peanut gallery: an enthusiastic YEA! Where do I sign up to do this stuff that you do?! or an equally enthusiastic hatred and aversion, the Oh joy, it's another runner talking about mile repeats, marathon splits, and fartleks. Get me the hell out of here. I think many of us probably started in that latter camp before we had our come-to-Jesus moment with running, the moment wherein we realized that running wasn't so bad after all and that we actually, kinda-sorta-maybe enjoyed it a little.



Running carries with it a ton of physical conditioning, no doubt, but I think running also gives us tons of opportunity to condition our mental capacities as well, as evidenced by the fact that many runners hated running at one point in their lives. In fact, over time, I think running actually does more for our mental conditioning than for our physical. I'm living proof here that even the most joyful and enthusiastic runners can (and do, and will) encounter mental roadblocks with their training; it's just part of the process.

Because running is my sport of choice, that's how I'll frame my discussion here, but I think when we talk about working through mental roadblocks with our training, we can extrapolate our conversation to virtually any other type of physical activity – provided it's one in which you regularly participate, one that brings you happiness, and one that challenges you. There will probably come a time or two, if they haven't come already, in your career with your activity of choice that you'll encounter some sort of mental barrier, and hopefully our discussion here will help equip you with some tools for trudging through what I like to call “mental garbage” and making it out to the other side.

[tweet_box design="box_9"]Training is meant to be really tough. As tough as it is, though, you're tougher. Own it.[/tweet_box]


Back to running for a minute: for as many people I know who absolutely love running, I know so much more who completely abhor it and render it incomprehensible and inconceivable that someone who's not being chased by the police or by an ax-wielding murderer would willingly run for fun. When you talk to runners, we'll often say that over time, running becomes a “mind over matter” thing, that really, with the right amount and type of training, that virtually anyone can run any distance, from the 100m dash up to a 100-mile ultramarathon. Mentally training yourself – giving yourself a hefty dose of mental callous, as I like to call it – may help you with your physical fitness but will definitely make you mentally stronger over time. The running company ASICS, derived from a Latin translation (roughly) to “in a sound body exists a sound mind,” bases the entirety of its company on the mind-body connection and importance to running. No doubt this connection is imperative to the sport and activity of running, but I'd also argue that having sound mind-body matters in other physical pursuits as well.



The next time you find yourself struggling on your run or in your workout, wondering how the hell you're going to make it through to the other side, consider drawing from my tips below. I've had great highs and terrible lows during my running career, and it's from these vast experiences that I'm deriving my advice. My thoughts:

4 Tips to Work Through Mental Roadblocks in Training


you can do it! Believe and achieve.


Ok, I know that it sounds totally silly and cheesy and like something from a 1980s-era after-school special, but really, it's true. If you don't believe in yourself, and in your ability to achieve whatever it is that you've set out to do, then who will? You've got to be your own biggest cheerleader and advocate. Incessantly tearing yourself down, criticizing yourself, or judging yourself for your perceived shortcomings and limitations can be incredibly hazardous, if not also a self-fulfilling prophesy. Training – for anything, be it running a marathon or competing in an MMA tournament – is meant to be really tough. As tough as it is, though, you're tougher. Own it.


you might find empowerment through mantras.


In the greater running community, there's a veritable marketplace for mantras, and it's common to see people wearing everything from shirts, to shoelaces, to necklaces, to bracelets adorned with personalized affirmations that compel them to perform. Subscribing to a mantra can sound sort of hippy, surely, but having a special keyword or key phrase can also be a handy tool to use when you're hauling ass through a tough workout. Words really matter – which is why it's so important to only talk to yourself as you would to your best friend – and having a positive mantra or affirmation to cling to when the going gets tough can help put you in a (more) positive frame of mind. You needn't have been an English major to develop a killer mantra – in fact, I'd say the less complicated and more memorable it is, the better – but just make something that holds personal meaning for you. Go forth and kick ass, be fearless, or remember that this is fun all have helped me on some tough runs and races. If anything, using a mantra should leave you feeling like you are ready for total world domination.

stoke that power song(s).


I personally don't listen to music when I'm out racing (purely because I find it distracting and sometimes unsafe), but I know plenty of people who swear by listening to music when they're racing or otherwise completing really hard workouts. If you feel like you derive power and strength from a good jam, consider creating a killer “power-song playlist” that you'll only use for your really important conquests or when you need a mental kick in the pants. Naturally, it's totally up to you what type of music you include in your playlist – so if a little Beethoven or some Hamilton revs your engine, then so be it – but hopefully, the power song playlist will empower you to get through your mental roadblock and go forth to kick ass.


dissociate, “lean in,” or do a little of both when the time is right.


This last one is tricky, and I've been on both sides of it. When the going gets really tough in a workout – when you're at that almost breaking point, where you're beginning to very seriously doubt that you'll be able to make it – it can be incredibly tempting to just turn your brain off and tune out virtually everything to the best of your ability and just go through the (physical) motions. This can be really problematic, however, because there's a fine line between discomfort – being uncomfortable with a new training stimulus and figuring out how to break through it – and pain – being on the precipice of injuring yourself because you're failing to heed your body's mayday! mayday! signals. Eventually, your training/racing experiences will teach you the critical difference between pain and discomfort, so in time, you'll (hopefully) learn when dissociating can be helpful and when it can be detrimental.

The flip side to dissociating is “leaning in,” for lack of a better phrase, and I personally describe this feeling as the point in a race/training where I turn completely inward, more or less trying to “transcend” myself, and basically “lean into” the discomfort of working my ass off, especially if I'm being challenged mentally and am making myself think that I'm incapable. It's an interesting balance to strike – from dissociating from the discomfort and focusing on everything but your body, to going completely “all in” and focusing only and exclusively on your body – but I've found that both techniques can help me overcome mental roadblocks on the hardest of training runs and races. Try either or both on for size yourself, even if it (admittedly) sounds a little bizarre.

So where to now?


If my tips aren't enough for you, you'll be pleased to know that there are several motivational, sport-focused self-help books out there written by elite coaches and their athletes that give some insight into how the pros refine (and refine and refine) their mental callous to become both physically and mentally stronger; less doubting; and more capable. I know runners who think that running is the easy side of our sport and that the mental stuff is where the work is involved, and it might be the same for your sport, too. At any rate, over time, and with a lot of practice, you'll figure out your best ways to develop your mental conditioning, and doing so will leave you a more mentally sound and tougher competitor.

[tweet_box design="box_9"]"He who conquers himself is the mightiest warrior." - Confucius[/tweet_box]


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Writer’s bio: Dan Chabert

Writing from Copenhagen, Denmark, Dan is an entrepreneur, husband, and ultramarathon distance runner. He spends most of his time on www.gearweare.com and he has been featured on runner blogs all over the world.

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