BASS PRO MIDWEEK MOTIVATION - Train Your Brain for Mental Toughness

Hello runner friends!

Welcome back to the Bass Pro Fitness Series

MIDWEEK M😊TIVATI😊N blog!

Now let's get started by talking about how hot it's been. Yikes, right? Thankfully the temps are coming down now. But if you are one of the runners who managed to run through the scorching temps while keeping a smile on your face, give yourself a pat on the back. But if you're not one of those runners who had the grit to keep trucking along, it's time to look at a possible reason why. 

And while the main culprit might be that you aren't physically heat-trained to endure the conditions, the other culprit might be that you aren't mentally trained to endure the conditions. This was a subject I was thinking about as I watched the runners at our Bad Dawg Ultra event over the weekend. Temps got up to 101 with a heat index of 114 and yet these runners didn't drop out. Many wisely dropped down in distance but they pressed on despite the less-than-desirable conditions. Why? Because they had trained themselves to combat the negative thoughts that come with running, especially long-distance running and running in less than desirable conditions. 

In light of that then, and with the Bass Pro Marathon/Half and Dogwood Canyon training in full swing, let's talk about how you can cultivate mental toughness, aka a mind that's trained to stay optimistic despite pain, fatigue, heat, cold, etc. Now remember, mental toughness doesn't mean running through a pulled hamstring or a stress fracture. It means running through things that won't necessarily kill you but will have you questioning your life choices (choices like running a marathon). 

With that being said, let's check out these four key aspects (there are many more) for developing and maintaining mental toughness in running:

Embracing Discomfort:
Recognizing that discomfort is a natural part of running, especially during challenging workouts and races, and accepting it as a sign of progress, not a reason to quit. This is crucial in developing mental toughness as the practice is a discipline that has to be grown. In the same way the body gains endurance by adding mileage, the mind gains endurance by adding stressors. 

Training in the heat, for instance, is a stressor on the body and the mind. But, after every run, the body rests and reaps the reward of being better able to handle even hotter temperatures for longer periods of time. 

Managing Negative Thoughts:
Developing strategies to identify, manage, and reframe negative self-talk, focusing on the present moment and maintaining a positive outlook. On more than one occasion over the weekend, I heard a runner say that he or she had one more 10-mile loop to complete regardless of how many they actually had to complete depending on the distance they had signed up for. Breaking down the daunting thought of having multiple loops to one loop at a time identified the cause of the anxiety, managed it by making it more doable, and then focused on the present moment and keeping a positive outlook. After all, it's just one loop to finish right? And then one more, one more, and one more. 

When you're running a half or a full marathon then, this might look like saying to yourself, "I have one more mile to go." And then repeating it after every mile.  

Emotional Regulation:
Learning to navigate the emotional fluctuations that can occur during endurance events, maintaining focus and composure even when feeling overwhelmed. This is most definitely a learned discipline that takes time to cultivate. Learning to navigate emotional fluctuations begins with learning what causes them and developing cognitive reappraisal strategies. These coping skill developed over time and with intentionality will pay dividends both on and off the racecourse!

Building Resilience:

Through consistent training and exposure to challenging situations, runners can build mental resilience, becoming more capable of handling setbacks and adversity both on and off the track. It goes without saying that if you train for every situation, you'll be ready for every situation. One of the great real-life examples of this was the year Des Linden won the Woman's Division of the Boston Marathon. Was she the best or fastest runner? Probably not. But what she was... was resilient. Des trained in the rain and was ready for the rain on that Marathon Monday in 2018 and became the first American to win the race in 33 years. 

And there you have it friends. By training your brain to be mentally tough, you can be the best runner you can be. After all, if your body is at peak performance physically but the mind is lacking, the mind will cause the body to falter nine times out of ten. So, embrace discomfort and choose to see adversity as a stepping stone and learning experience. Do this often enough, and you'll gain the grit you need to overcome any mental hardship you'll encounter on the way to the finish line. Happy Running!