Mind Games, Mental Diversions, Running Tricks

Earlier this week, I caught a run with my running friend Art.  Being the top notch-nothing- can-stop-us-athletes we are, we went for a run in the 95 degree, 85% humidity at 4:30 in the afternoon.  Great company, fantastic trail, miserable weather!   

During the run, there were definitely a few points when I wanted to stop, call a cab, have a beer and forget the whole running thing.  Our running conversation was good - but we needed a little something more to get us to the end.  I rummaged around in my "I want to stop running but I want to get this run over with" bag of tricks to find a couple that would work for us.   Here were a few I tried:

• Run-as-slow-as-you possibly-can technique.   Slow my pace down to a trot that feels much too slow and try to hold it.   After a short amount of time, my body slowly and gradually accelerates until I was back at a comfortable pace.   It feels mentally better than walking and physically it gave me a little break.
• I-could-be-doing-something-way-worse mental exercise.  I think of things that I do or have done that are a ton worse than trying to get through a mile of running.   Insanely boring meetings at work, long car rides with screaming kids, cleaning out the refrigerator, changing a kids bed in the middle of the night, going to the grocery store.  The list is so long and always reminds me how much I like running compared to nonrunning things.
• Think-about-someone-who-has-conquered-greater-running-challenges perspective.  There is a great list of runners who inspire me through their stories and accomplishment.  It's one of those - if they can do THAT, then I should be able to do THIS - trains of thought.   Well known people like Terry Fox or Team Hoyt.   Or lesser known runners to the world, but incredible to me like Brad who recently ran across Iowa, Coach Potato to Ironman's amazing journey of triathlons and inspiring others along the way, or Rob and his "inner defiance" (I love that term!).

(WOAH!  Just found one more motivator!  At least I am not dragging a REAL tire around like Bob!)

On tap this weekend is a longer bike/run combo, going well over the 2 hour mark.   It is going to be hell hot and humid so I need some new tricks up my sweaty sleeves.   I am not only battling my foes of weather and wind, I also have a highly deficient patience reserve.  If patience was water, you could pick me up with my head in one hand and feet in the other and wring me out like a washcloth, and would still need to bring in a forensic scientist to detect even a trace of patience.  I will need some patience to make it through the long session and my mind is catching onto the games I have played in the past.

I need to tap into your collective wisdom.  Any great advice that gets you through your long(er) runs?

Photo by purplespace

Comments

[Art Dinkin]

Have a great bike/run Amy! I thought you were TEACHING those techniques, not USING them :)

Looking forward to our next run.

[Nancy]

I started off thinking this was Tom until I got to "change a kid's bedding in the middle of the night." Then, a mom knows, this is Amy talking. :)

I start writing my next post in my head and don't want it to be about that I was weak and couldn't do my miles.

I think about the mantra from the Non-runner's Marathon Trainer, "it just doesn't matter." I simply have to do this many miles today if I'm going to make it to the marathon.

When I really want to quit, I say "what really hurts here?" Nothing usually hurts so bad that I would actually have to quit. "what still feels pretty good?" This COULD backfire someday when everything hurts. I am constantly aware of that and that I might need something different during a marathon!

[Bob Gentile]

LOLOL ya thanks--You are lucky to not drag that
tire :-)

...I am all about the mind games and while I am getting use to pulling that tire, I did upgrade to a larger one (which is bad enough) BUT for some reason this one was BOUNCING like crazy and that makes it 10 times harder cuz it pulls at ya each time it goes up & down...(OK BOB, ur point please--haha) SOOOOO after a while to keep me going and not quiting because of the "bouncing tire" excuse... I changed my THINKING and said to myself " Hey Tire is that all you got, surely YOU can BOUNCE better then that...come on you want to bounce well friggin bounce!!!!" --- well it worked big time after a while I hardly noticed the bouncing and had a decent workout.

ummm I hope I explained that well, long story short the reason I am doing my first 50 miler & then beyond is to PLAY these type of mind games, see how I can shift my thoughts when my body says stopppppppppp to continue on and finish the task---ahhh FUN TIMES huh!!

Have a great WEEKEND Amy!

[Amy]

Bob - you are the man! Seriously, after reading your post, my tiny little bike/run seems so easy and uncomplicated. I know that when I head out, at the first hint of uncomfortableness, you will be first in my mind - and will cause me to laugh hard!

Side note - I had to share your story with my husband who is in law enforcement to ask him what his reaction would have been to see a guy pulling a tire. He got a pretty good laugh at it too!

[Bob Gentile]

lolol

[Diana]

I'm still fairly new to running but I definitely need motivators. The one that works the best for me is the thoughts of my two friends. One is paralyzed from mid-chest and the other had a broken neck that luckily did not paralyze him but has left him in chronic pain and permanently disabled. I think about them and how they will never run again. So when I start feeling like giving up I almost guilt myself into continuing knowing that they would do anything at that moment to trade places with me. I know it's a little sobering, but I usually pull that one out when I am getting ready to slow up to a walk. But I would like to note that they are both doing well and are doing a lot. My friend who is paralyzed races cars and is going to college and my other friend is doing side jobs and is working on writing a book. They definitely enjoy life (almost) everyday.

[Daune]

AMy, thanks for the shout out and encouragement!

[Marcy]

ROFLMAO Bob is WELL known for his tire pulling. And actually he also had a wonderful clip that sometimes I'll think of:
http://snipurl.com/1pgwc

[Sandy]

I constantly playing mind games when I run. My most effective is to tell myself that if I run for another 10 minutes, I can enjoy a 30 second walk break. Usually, at the end of 10 minutes I convince myself to run another 5 minutes, and so on.

As always, great post, Amy! I love your writer's voice!
Sandy

[jason]

Amy your posts just rock....

[August]

Well, a few days ago, it was the comments I got from a couple guy friends who told me I'm looking better than ever. Another day I was motivated by the fact that I had a horrible headache and running seems to relieve my headaches. Today I was motivated by some pictures I saw of myself from Saturday where I thought I looked HORRIBLE and need to push myself harder. Typically though, I am not motivated by a desire to lose weight. I think I am more inspired by how mentally great I feel post-run. I think if I was basing my running on how much weight I'm losing, I would have quit long ago, because I haven't lost a pound :(

[Bob Allen]

I don't think there's anything I could do to trick myself into continuing to run in 95° weather. Actually, I'm not sure there's anything that would get me out the door even thinking about running in 95° weather! A tip of the sun screen and water bottles to those who can handle that kind of weather.