Posted on November 28, 2013 by Jenny Cromack
So, going for a run is easy right? You put on a pair of trainers, sling a t-shirt and some shorts on, step out of your door and set off on your run. Sounds simple, but I beg to differ, whilst the majority of people are physiologically and biomechanically blessed to be able to run, from my experience as a Personal Trainer and also as a runner myself, a huge aspect of running performance is psychological. I find the psychological aspect of running the sometimes the hardest area to change in my personal training clients as so many people will tell themselves they can’t run, they can’t improve, etc, etc. It is easy to improve someone’s physiological aspect of running through adapting their training plan, and running biomechanics can be improved through running drills. But many people find it so easy to talk themselves out of things, or hold a negative view of themselves that changing their psychology can be hard…..my main view on this, be positive and believe in yourself!
Now, I don’t hold a doctorate in Psychology, nor do I profess to be an expert in running psychology, so this blog is going to look, from a personal trainer’s point of view, about the psychology of running. The experiences I write about are both from working with my personal training clients but also from my own personal experiences. Hopefully, some of these experiences will resonate with you, after all we are all human, and you will be able to learn and improve the psychological aspect of your running performance.
In my years as a personal trainer I have trained many clients to complete anything from their first 5k to smashing a PB in a marathon and personally that is where my passion lies…..I am a runner myself. For each personal training client, regardless of their goals, I give them a personalised programme to follow to achieve this goal. The majority of clients will stick to this plan religiously, but then on race day it all goes to pot, for many this is because they simply get caught up in the moment and set off to fast but what if it’s because race day nerves get the better of you? Here are our top 5 tips to stop race day nerves kicking in.
Top 5 Tips:
- If you’re training for a run and you know that nerves can get the better of you, practice imagery in the 6-8 weeks leading up to the event. Lie down for 10 minutes (don’t fall asleep now!), and imagine yourself running strong in the race, feeling full of energy as you run, passing people on the course. Practising positive imagery such as this is well documented to improving performance on race day.
- If you suffer from pre-race nerves then practice relaxation techniques before you start the race. Focus on your breathing, think positive thoughts and imagine yourself running strong and confident.
- Positive mantra….Have a positive mantra which you repeat throughout your run such as ‘keep strong, stay focused’. This can be used during a training run or during the race. You will be surprised how much this helps. When I ran my first marathon I used this mantra and when the going got tough it really helped to push me through. I also used a congratulatory technique, so every time I completed a mile I congratulated myself on how well I had ran my last mile and that I was looking forward to performing well over my next mile. I know it sounds cheesy but it really did help….try it!
- Ignore everyone else around you….it’s easy to get caught up with everyone else isn’t it? Or think the person next to you is running better than you are. Forget about everyone else and focus on what you are doing! Negative thoughts about your performance compared to every other runner will waste precious energy and slow you down. You’re not racing against anyone else but your aiming to achieve YOUR OWN personal goal. Remind yourself of the hard work you have put into your training and that you will achieve YOUR goal!
- Finally, have a plan for the actual race and stick to it. Sit down with your trainer and work out what split times you need to be running, when you need to take water and energy on board, what is the course like and how this may affect your splits throughout the race, etc. Be confident in this plan, and stick to it…..and if you feel good towards the end of the run then pick up your pace and go for it! The psychological benefit of this? It takes out the stress of having to think about what you’re doing at each mile and allows you to focus on simply running.
So that’s race day sorted….the next time you race you will turn up at the start line feeling ready to achieve your goal, but what about during training? It’s not just race day where you may need to address the psychological aspects of your running. And likewise, some people never race but still face psychological barriers to running on a day to day basis. Here are some tips to help you get through your day to day training.
- First and foremost, believe in yourself! If you set off on a run or get the start of the race telling yourself ‘you’re not in the mood for it’ or ‘you’re going to have a bad race’ then believe me you will have a bad run and come back feel frustrated and grumpy! Turn these thoughts into positives…at the start of the race remind yourself that you have worked hard in training and remember all of those hard training runs that have set you in good stead to smash a PB.
- Tempo runs and intervals…those dreaded words on your training plan! You need to get your head around hard runs and believe you can do them! We don’t put hard runs such as tempo runs and intervals into your training plan just to be mean! They serve a purpose of improving your speed, stamina and running efficiency, however from a psychological point of view these runs are fantastic for preparing you for race day. They help you learn what it feels like to run out of your comfort zone, run with your lungs feeling like they are going to burst out of your chest! I know it doesn’t sound fun, but these runs are worth it both mentally and physically. If any clients ever miss a training run I can guarantee it will be one of their tempo runs or interval runs, but don’t do it! Embrace these runs instead and give them 100%.
- So….it’s day 4 of your training week and you really can’t be bothered going out for a run, on these days I want you to remind yourself why you run? Is it to get a PB? Is it to switch off from the stresses of work? Is it just because you simply enjoy it? Whatever your reason, get your trainers on, get out there and think of these reasons as you run, I can guarantee you will feel so much better for getting out there than staying in and watching the latest soap.
- So, it’s time to get out for a run but your legs feel like lead from your last training session. Uh oh…you’re stressing about not being able to run at the pace on your training plan, so instead it’s easier to skip your run, right? Wrong!! Pop your trainers on, but don’t wear a watch! Get out there and run and just enjoy the moment…it doesn’t matter if you’re not doing the pace on your plan, just get out there and enjoy running!
- I can’t run! How often do we here that as personal trainers, well let me let you into a little secret, unless you have something biomechanically wrong you CAN run! It’s that little devil on your shoulder which tells you, you can’t! So, the next time you hear that voice in your head , I want you to tell yourself you CAN run and BELIEVE you can do it. Take one step, literally at a time, build up with a combination of running and walking and you will soon surprise yourself how quickly you can build it up.
Running is such an accessible activity for everyone to do, and most people think it is easy and whilst most of us are able to run, sometimes we can set our own psychological barriers to running. Hopefully the tips above will help you overcome these barriers and you will see an improvement in your running performance.
If you need any advice or a running plan to help you on your way then please contact one of the motive8 trainers and we will be happy to help?
Do you have any techniques which you use to help improve the psychological aspects of your running?