Endurance Training for the Mind
Ever wondered why endurance athletes were so crazy and tough?
BY: Emma Waddington, Runners World
I know that when I run, my brain burns out before the rest of my body. No matter the ache in my legs orthe burn in my lungs, I could keep trotting along for hours. However, as soon as my brain gets off its game for a split second, operation body-shut-down begins. Particularly after racing, I find that my brain is so exhausted I can’t even untie my shoes, but that I can walk perfectly fine.How come the mind and body play at different levels? Where do these levels match up?
Endurance runners are easy to pick out in a crowd, starting with lean muscles and sock tans and eventually arriving at short shorts and energy gel overdoses. Physically, they look different than huge football players, but they still fit into the general mold of an athlete. Still, you probably couldn’t imagine one of these lanky runners playing tackle football, or a football player running a marathon. In reality, though, they could do it…just not as gracefully.
If it’s not physical, then where exactly do these athletes differ?
Some say running is a mental sport and all runners are insane. Well, that’s precisely it. This is exactly where our change occurs – the mind. Not only do endurance athletes have strong lungs and thighs of steel, but their minds are as sharp as glass. Mental capacity has a huge impact on endurance sport performance, but why exactly does this relation occur?
When racing, I find that it’s the capability of being completely outside of your comfort zone for extended amounts of time that makes you a winner. Being able to push the pace to a level where it hurts your body, and then being able to push even harder requires some serious mental strength, not just physical. Like Steve Prefontaine once said: “The best pace is suicide pace, and today looks like a good day to die”.
One of the main things endurance runners incorporate into their training is running at an uncomfortable pace and allowing your body to suffer. Or, if you want to use dull terms, you could call it interval training. (I know; it sounds awful but it truly works). Normally, at such a pace, your brain would say “no thanks!”to that train-wreck-waiting-to-happen and kick its feet up on a recliner. But not today.
Part of training this way is forcing your brain not to get the best of your physical feelings. Being able to allow yourself to push beyond what feels comfortable, and go for what hurts. Eliminating the thoughts of pain that hold you down, and disconnecting the mind from the body are what will get you through.
Another way that the mind can affect physical endurance performance is by actually training it. (Brain gains!) Studies have shown that if endurance athletes train physicallywhile reading or playing mind games, they will have an increased stamina and endurance after several weeks of training. No kidding!
When you workout your body and mind at the same time, theyare being stressed equally. When it comes time to do a race, however, your body will be straining way more than your mind and what your legs muscles are used to. Because your brain it used to being exerted, the energy that is usually used by your brain can be used around the rest of the body, and can increase physical performance. Then, when the time comes where you need that extra mental power to push yourself on, the work has already been done.
These are just a few ways that endurance athletes are able to niche themselves into the special breed they are. It’s not how much you pay for shoes, but how much you’re willing to push your body and mind that makes you stronger.
But how can YOU do it?
First, get in touch with your hippie side and meditate. Isn’t that what all hippies do? Chow down on some granola and flip the peace sign, man? Being able to connect easily and effortlessly with your mind is one step closer to understanding how it works and controlling the way it performs.
Another way is to expose yourself to brain stimulating conditions while you’re training. Start small by listening to an informative podcast while you run or cycle and get used to brain stimulation through listening. Then, you can increase your brain training to reading articles or books while you cycle indoors. Once you’re comfortable with that, try playing brain stimulating games while you train, and really get all parts of the brain working at once.
Once you’ve done this for a few months, a 5, 8 or 10k will feel like a breeze. Soon enough, Boston will feel like a piece of cake!
In the mean time, make it a good day to push the pace… If your mind lets you.