Hello runner friends!
Welcome back to the Bass Pro Fitness Series
MIDWEEK M😊TIVATI😊N blog!
Now let's get started by talking about something every runner needs to make it to the finish line... mental fortitude.
What exactly is mental fortitude though? As defined, mental fortitude is the ability to courageously focus on and execute solutions in the face of difficulty, uncertainty, temptation or adversity. If we break under pressure, if we lose patience with the process we're being challenged with, it can easily drive us to quit prematurely. Having mental fortitude then is necessary to succeed but it does requires patience, creativity, exploration and execution to obtain it. Thankfully mental fortitude can not only be learned but it can be grown, honed and perfected over time... by a deliberate pursuit of it that is.
To show you what that look likes in real life, let me introduce you to a dear friend of mine who I truly admire... not only as an ultrarunner but as a genuinely kind person of integrity and talent. And even though, Rachel Baker is one of the toughest, grittiest, and most resilient girls I've ever met, she is always looking for ways to gain more mental fortitude. Which leads me to my story. While most runners in our area took advantage of the three-day weekend by logging a few extra miles, Rachel issued herself a challenge to gain the extra mental fortitude she knows she'll need for The Sticks, a 72-hour race she will be running from June 2-5. That's right... a 3-day race. But let me stress this. From the 5k to the ultra, mental fortitude is needed at every distance. Especially if you want to keep running for a lifetime.
On February 20 at 4:09 p.m., Rachel posted this: 4x4x48 (4 miles every 4 hours, for 48 hours) challenge complete. I think the bread and butter of an ultra training plan is back to back long runs, but I decided to spice things up a bit since I had a 3 day weekend. This challenge would be solo and give me a chance to work on sleeping in short bits and help with some mental fortitude (if my crew at KRTT had taken a shot every time I whined they would have been drunk by mile 25). I decided to start in the evening and planned a time that would allow me to make 9:00 am mass with the family Sunday, so I started at 7:00 pm Friday. It would have been better if I had run my 11:00 pm and 3:00 am runs outside, but did not feel safe running by myself at these time on Friday and Saturday night so treadmill it was. My 7:00 am Sunday run was my toughest mentally and my legs honestly felt pretty good the whole time.
Wow! Do you just love that or what? When I messaged her later and asked, "What does mental fortitude mean to you? Why do you think it's important for every runner to have it? And why did you choose to do this?" she replied, "I have a 72 hour in June I am preparing for, The Sticks. During my 100 at KRTT I was crying at mile 25, literally. I called my husband bawling. It was because it was so hard having done Heartland 125 only 2 weeks prior. I feel like the second half of The Sticks will be like this and I am trying to avoid some of the crying. Also, the 1st time I did this challenge I did it with my training partner. Lots of friends joined us each time. It made it easier to get up and go. This time I knew she had a 100 a big race and did not want to hurt her taper because I knew she would join if I asked her. Would I still have the determination to get up at 2:30 in the morning to get my 4 miles in, especially if no one knew (I would only be accountable to me). I feel like mental fortitude is so important in an ultra. Many times you are out there by yourself for hours. If you lose focus or it becomes hard it is easy to check out and want to quit." Wow again right?
So how can you become mentally strong you might be asking? Check out these four expert-backed ways to build mental toughness.
1. Connect to your why. We are much more willing to tolerate discomfort when we know that doing so is tied to a meaningful purpose or long-term goal. As you warm up, bring to mind the big goal you are currently working on (maybe that sub-4 marathon) and why that goal is meaningful to you. Be specific. Doing this as you ease into the run will set the stage for tackling what’s to come. With a strong why, you will figure out any how. And mental toughness is all about embracing how you endure.
2. Find a way, not an excuse. Understand that both willingness and optimism are mediated by self-talk. We can be really good at talking ourselves out of upcoming harder efforts before we even reach them. We can negotiate with ourselves in an effort to avoid unpleasantness. Be mindful of the messages in your mind and realize that you can change your thoughts. You can use the power of self-talk to engage in both willingness and optimism throughout your workout. When you begin to encounter discomfort, bring positive “I am” statements to life: “I am willing to keep pushing. I am capable of this effort. I am optimistic that this will help me obtain my goals.” If “I am” statements don't work, try a variation by using “you are” self-talk—referring to yourself in the second person as if you are a coach, guiding the session along. “You are going to finish strong. You are almost there. You are crushing this segment.”
3. Train purposefully in unpleasant conditions. Crummy weather provides an ideal test for mental toughness. So does running during a time of day in which you are not used to training. Vary the times you train and intentionally pick a few sessions that will alter your usual schedule to be purposefully uncomfortable. Of course, don’t risk injury or harming yourself in extreme conditions, but if you’re usually a lunch time runner, make it a point to wake up and run in the very early morning when you’re tired or groggy. For morning runners, alter your schedule and run in the evening after a long day when you’re feeling fatigued. Starting at an inconvenient time when you may not feel fresh will train your mind and body to work through uncomfortable situations and help you hone both willingness and optimism.
4. Practice daily. Outside of the those tough training sessions, there are plenty of opportunities to practice mental toughness in your daily life. For those of us who shower (hopefully you), you can sharpen this skill simply by proactively and purposefully turning the water cold for a few minutes each day. But don't just jump in and shiver. Enter the shower with your arms open, allowing the water to hit your body and accepting the experience for all that is, in both your physiological experience and in your emotional and psychological reactions. Tolerating an uncomfortable moment each day lets you learn the connection between an unpleasant physical experience and the games your mind plays to quickly escape or avoid. It’s important to remember that your mind is designed to scan for danger and seek protection. Thoughts will start seeking a place of refuge the moment your body crosses the threshold into an area of discomfort; this is where the task of developing mental toughness begins. It’s your job to decide whether you let the mind win, and you back down and let off the gas or if you will enact self-determination to reach your desired level of success. If you train your mind to tolerate and even embrace these uncomfortable moments by establishing an internal level of mental toughness to sustain the experience, you are training yourself to be able to access this same skill set come race day.
So there you have it friends. Gaining mental fortitude is always worth the effort. It may take time and cause you a little pain but you will be so much better better for obtaining it. Acquiring this mental mettle will not only make you a better runner, allowing you to run farther and faster, but will make you a more resilient person in general. Which means you'll be better able to withstand adversity and bounce back from difficult life events. And when trials, tribulations, and difficulties knock you down, and believe me they will, being mentally tough will allow you to rise stronger than you were before. So get out there and gain that grit!
Happy Running!!!
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