Going Mental

When I read the advice of adventure racing pros, many of them mention the importance of the mental aspect of training and how it translates into better performance; getting the mind to push the body further than it is willing to go.

Being a mental-based creature and a physical lummox, I started delving into how I could improve my overall performance by building a mental edge in order to compensate for my lack of natural physical prowess.  I started by looking into the art of visualisation.  I have been doing meditation for many years, mainly just to keep my head screwed on straight and to keep from heading to the grassy knoll.  I will say one thing, it has worked so far.  I, of course, wanted to go a bit further.  I wanted to find a way that I could apply these techniques before my toe hits the line in South Dakota.  So I developed a plan.

Next Sunday (May 17), I am going to run the Leiden Half Marathon.  The reason I have chosen this is two-fold: 1) it is close and easily accessible by train, 2) it is going to be sunny, 3) it is going to be flat, and 4) it is currently beyond my imagination.  OK, I guess we can call that 2×2-fold.  The way I see it is that, considering how much I abhor running, this will be a great chance for me to work on my visualisation techniques and improving my overall mental stamina.  I actually know I am going to suffer.  I know I am not going to like it.  I know it will not be enjoyable.  I am also aware how it is going to be much more difficult without the support and encouragement of my team by my side.

Now all of this may sound pretty normal for the typical adventure athlete, but most of my friends here think I am nuts.  I see that as being the point of this whole exercise.  You have to be a bit nutty to want to abuse yourself this much just for the fun of it.  I see it as an inherent trait of most endurance athletes, so I know I am in good company.  In fact, one of the most common questions I have been getting and I suspect most of you do too is; “Why do this to yourself?”

So far, I have been able to come up with one answer that truly makes sense:  because I can.

Todd Phillips
quest4pq@gmail.com

This entry was posted on Monday, May 11th, 2009 at 10:03 am and is filed under Primal Quest. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.