I'm in the orange, exiting a water station and starting the course again. I was in the middle of a race and all my brain was telling me was that my calf hurt, my knee hurt and I probably had some blisters on my toes. The more I thought about my aches and pains, the more they grew. Either the pain became more intense or the pain was spreading into other body parts.
I realized as I ran that I was feeding my pain. Thinking about it was making my pain stronger and more intense. I remembered a scientific study I read one time where scientists took runners and put them on the treadmill and measured their oxygen consumption as well as their biomechanics. They then had someone with a clipboard give the runner either positive or negative feedback. If you were a subject who got positive reinforcement they’d tell you that you had great form or that you were running really efficiently (whether or not you actually were). If you were a subject who was to get negative reinforcement they’d tell you that you had bad form or offer suggestions for fixing your form to make it more efficient (whether or not any of this was true). What they found is that if you were given positive reinforcement your whole demeanor shifted. You started running a little taller and with a little pep in your step. Your form improved, and your oxygen consumption improved. You began to be what they had said right down to the molecular level. They found the same to be true of those who got negative feedback. Whether or not those runners had been running well before, they, after getting negative reinforcement ran less efficiently, and with worse form than they had before.
I realized as I ran that I was feeding my pain. Thinking about it was making my pain stronger and more intense. I remembered a scientific study I read one time where scientists took runners and put them on the treadmill and measured their oxygen consumption as well as their biomechanics. They then had someone with a clipboard give the runner either positive or negative feedback. If you were a subject who got positive reinforcement they’d tell you that you had great form or that you were running really efficiently (whether or not you actually were). If you were a subject who was to get negative reinforcement they’d tell you that you had bad form or offer suggestions for fixing your form to make it more efficient (whether or not any of this was true). What they found is that if you were given positive reinforcement your whole demeanor shifted. You started running a little taller and with a little pep in your step. Your form improved, and your oxygen consumption improved. You began to be what they had said right down to the molecular level. They found the same to be true of those who got negative feedback. Whether or not those runners had been running well before, they, after getting negative reinforcement ran less efficiently, and with worse form than they had before.
Mid race at the Stone Mill (where the race gets its name). Do I look happy to be here? I think even I can't decide. So I’m running along and I realize the more I’m thinking about my aches and pains and about everything that’s going wrong with my run and my day, the worse my form is getting. I could literally feel my back getting more rounded, my head sinking lower in front of me and all of this was creating more back pain. Another pain for me to focus on was genuinely NOT what my day needed. The thought came to mind, what will happen if I don’t feed my aches and pains? What will happen if I focus on something entirely different, something positive?
I decided to think of a mantra for me to say. Something I could grind into my head so strongly there’d be no more room for my pain. It doesn't really matter what mantra you pick as long as it is present tense and positive, it should do the trick. What I settled on for this particular race was, “I am an endurance athlete.” With every step I said a word and I repeated this mantra over and over and over and over.
I decided to think of a mantra for me to say. Something I could grind into my head so strongly there’d be no more room for my pain. It doesn't really matter what mantra you pick as long as it is present tense and positive, it should do the trick. What I settled on for this particular race was, “I am an endurance athlete.” With every step I said a word and I repeated this mantra over and over and over and over.
What happened? I was able to successfully block out the pain. I couldn’t hear my body screaming at me anymore. My pace picked up. I felt stronger and I was able to catch up to and pass several runners. In the middle of a distance race this was a really valuable lesson for me to learn.
The take away for me from this race is that we can all alleviate our suffering a little bit with our mind. We can lighten our load by the specific things we chose to focus on.
This is a valuable lesson, not just for running, but also for life.
Happy Running!
Kelly
The take away for me from this race is that we can all alleviate our suffering a little bit with our mind. We can lighten our load by the specific things we chose to focus on.
This is a valuable lesson, not just for running, but also for life.
Happy Running!
Kelly
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