I recently received the book The Runner’s Brain when I was at the Runner’s World Half and Festival. I am just about to start it and will be reviewing it when I’m done, but I wanted to share my own thoughts on the role your brain plays in marathon running before I read what the “professionals” had to say. So today, I’m Thinking Out Loud with Running with Spoons.
As you know (I mean, I’m certainly not that runner who didn’t talk about it LOL), I ran Marine Corps Marathon just over a week ago. It was my slowest marathon by a few minutes, but in many ways it was my most successful. Before the race, I knew my body was not trained to run a PR. In fact, I wasn’t sure I was even trained to fully run a marathon at any pace, even an easy run pace. So, I felt that I really had to run this race with my brain and just hope that my body could manage it.
So, what did I do differently to keep my head in the right place? Here a few of things (major hat tip to Deena Kastor for her examples at her talk at Runner’s World Festival.)
I believed in myself – I knew I couldn’t do it fast, but I believed that I could run the distance if I paid attention to my body signs. I paid more attention to my breathing and heart rate than the number on the clock.
I practiced positive self talk – sometimes even when we think we are being positive, we are using negative words. Words like stop and don’t, even as part of a positive statement like “don’t stop running” throw mental roadblocks into a run.
I stayed in the moment – whenever I’d start thinking “OMG, I have ## miles to run and that’s SOOO far,” I’d ask myself “can you run right now?” The answer was always yes, so I kept running.
I found distractions – I’m not perfect. Sometimes my brain tried to go all negative on me. Whenever that happened, I did my best to find something on the course to engage my brain. Thankfully, at MCM, there’s plenty to look at, even on the bridge.
Source: Marine Corps Marathon group on Facebook. I couldn’t find the original poster. Rumor has it that there’s a dog in the picture…
I focused on what was working – I was lucky. Despite all the issues I had leading up to the race, my body felt fine. Tired and sore near the end, but nothing hurt. And I know how to run on tired legs.
In the end, I finished with a smile on my face.
I know I still have a long way to go because I’ve lost my ability to push myself to go fast. I’ve gotten so used to going long and slow that there was no way I could add any speed to the marathon. (And I’m pretty sure I would have walked the last miles if I had pushed any harder.) I also don’t know how well those tricks will work if I’m really struggling, but I know from past races that when I’m struggling, if I stop caring about the clock, that I do ok mentally.
It’s funny how fast I’ve gone from “I don’t want to run another marathon” to “when can I start training again?” I really thought I was done with marathons. Unfortunately, my hip is still a little “twingy”, so I’ll be continuing with the off season plan to cross train and strength train. Looks like 2016 might be a whole lot more interesting than I originally planned.
What are your tricks for staying mentally strong in a race? Do you sometimes feel that your mind defeats your body?
I LOVE this post. One thing that stood out for me from your post and from my last marathon is that experience helps a lot. No matter how bad you feel, you know you are capable of running 26.2, and you can cross that finish line no matter what. I used a lot of the same strategies that you did during my race. This marathon was a huge mental victory for me, and finishing was indeed winning.
I’m looking forward to your review of the book. I’m actually going to read it next month for my book club, and I’m hoping you’ll link your review to that post!
Wendy@Taking the Long Way Home recently posted…Pushing outside of the zone
I’ve had a lot of mind defeating the body issues this past year but training for and running my lsat half (Milwaukee) did wonders and has brought me to the other side. I really need to work on it!
Mar @ Mar on the Run recently posted…Thinking Out Loud v19 – Travel Run Eat (Repeat)
This is so interesting. My mind definitely defeats my body if I let it. MCM was also my PW but ironically my favorite and one of my best managed races, since I was coming off an injury and the mental game was crucial.
I thought that book had tons of good info.
Marcia recently posted…RnR Vegas and Going Sugar-Free
I love your tip about staying in the moment. It’s easy to dread how much longer you have, but we just have to run the mile we’re in and enjoy what our bodies are capable of.
Nicole @ Fitful Focus recently posted…Fit, Focused & Fun Finds (from around the web!) #43
My mind often defeats my body. I really want to check out that book to help me with my mental game.
Jen @ Pretty Little Grub recently posted…Thinking Out Loud #46
I have a few mantras that I use, but occasionally the negative thoughts do win out. I’ve only run one marathon so far, but I managed to keep going the first few times I thought about taking walk breaks. When I finally broke down to walk, I told myself “you can walk for .10th of a mile, then pick it back up”. That little break worked for me, and I was able to run for about 1.5-2 more miles each time. I think I walked for maybe 1/2 a mile total, but still finished strong and in a good mental place. Can’t wait til my next one!
Alison recently posted…SWOP Halloween 5k
Good tips. I’ve been there in tough races before. I have to bargain with myself – “just run to the next aid station,” etc. Sometimes even that is hard. The few times I’ve come close to quitting (like when shuffling past my hotel for Ironman 70.3 in Mont Tremblant) I think about how I would explain to my kids that I quit when it got hard (obviously if there was an injury or medical issue it would be a different story).
Hahahah “Rumor has it that there’s a dog in the picture…” I was like, WHAT? Normally I pick out the dogs right away but I was thoroughly distracted …
Jessie @ Just Jessie recently posted…How is it Thursday already?!
Thanks for this ! I have started training for my first marathon and love all perspectives.
Karen @ Fit in France recently posted…Thinking out loud : November randomness
I cannot focus on anything but one photo. Also, there’s a dog?!
Laura recently posted…Ten things Thursday: Catching up on Life
My mind is most definitely my biggest enemy when it comes to runs, and I find that it’s always wanting to give up way before my body. Great job on rocking the positivity and keeping your in check!
And there’s a dog in that picture? Seriously? Let me go back and look 😉
Amanda @ .running with spoons. recently posted…. thinking out loud #155 .
Hahaha – didn’t see the dog in the picture till you pointed it out. Too busy looking at the other scenery.
Char recently posted…No Doubts About It
All good tips! My mind and body are often at war with each other – especially this past year. I’m hoping to put some of the information from the Runner’s Brain into practice when I get back out there.
Michelle @ Running with Attitude recently posted…Medicine Mama’s Apothecary Review
Shoot if I had known those guys were around somewhere I might have been able to pick up the pace little 😉
Sue @ This Mama Runs for Cupcakes recently posted…Where do I go from here?
I would like to be able to read this book! I could surely use more confidence with my runs… No matter how well I am training, I seem to always have a negative thought creep in… I look forward to your review!
Lindsey recently posted…Thinking Out Loud – Challenges
Haha! Those marines are definitely…distracting. I find that positive self talk really helps me too!
Victoria at Ice Packs + Races recently posted…Friday Five: Five Best Race Signs
It’s definitely not always a fast time that makes a great race. Glad you had a great run even with all of those distractions 😉 Wink, wink!
Sandra Laflamme recently posted…Top 5 Workout Playlist and a Training Recap
Well… I think I might need to run by those guys – I mean run the race.
Carmy recently posted…Running Gear I Can’t Live Without
Wow, I was talking today in my post about the mental part of running. Great post!! I think you do really have to believe in yourself and stay in the moment.
In a race, I think staying in the mile you are running in key. So great that you got to experience the Runner’s World Weekend and hear from so many experts!
Natalie recently posted…Home Again, First Tempo, Psychology Of Running…
Great tips for getting through a tough race. I definitely try to focus on getting through one mile at a time and what I love about races is that there’s always something that you can find to distract you! I so admire that you can run so many races in a year!
Janelle @ Run With No Regrets recently posted…Running Club Roundup: City Fit Girls
lol at rumor has it there’s a dog in that pic…yeah cause I definitely overlooked it, until you mentioned it. My mind can definitely defeat my body IF i allow it. The key for me, is to remain positive…”you’ve got this…keep going…almost there…can’t stop/won’t stop”…the moment I think…”i’m tired, I’m over this” that’s when my mind defeats my body.
Safari @ Tri-ing To Run Boston recently posted…Black Girls Run! – Changed My Life