{"id":1889,"date":"2022-02-14T12:37:03","date_gmt":"2022-02-14T12:37:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jayanthmurali.com\/blog\/?p=1889"},"modified":"2023-06-12T07:56:41","modified_gmt":"2023-06-12T07:56:41","slug":"why-running-is-mostly-mental","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jayanthmurali.com\/blog\/2022\/02\/14\/why-running-is-mostly-mental\/","title":{"rendered":"WHY RUNNING IS MOSTLY MENTAL?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Many times, when we step outside to run, we begin to hear negative voices urging\u00a0us to stop running. When we reach such a point, our body would want to give up,\u00a0but it’s the mind that gets one to the end. The mental aspect of running is essential\u00a0to silence such mental barriers that arise during a run. Running is a mental sport. It\u00a0is 90 percent mental and 10 percent physical. Hence, mental toughness is\u00a0imperative to break such mental barriers and overcome them. Mental toughness is\u00a0the ability that enables runners to stay positive and run at a level of peak\u00a0performance without succumbing to discomfort, fear, humiliation, or failure. And\u00a0developing mental strength is no simple job; it needs continuous work. Uttering a\u00a0running mantra can help silence negative thoughts and encourage one to push\u00a0through tricky spots. You can also develop mental toughness through physical\u00a0training. Physical training develops grit and resilience. We release endorphins and\u00a0serotonin that improve mood and positive feelings when we run. So regular running enhances mental health and reduces depression, stress and anxiety.\u00a0Endorphins make running a pleasant experience once we break through the mental\u00a0barriers by silencing our negative inner voice. Besides developing mental\u00a0resilience through training, we can enhance our mental toughness by practicing\u00a0cognitive techniques like meditation, visualisation and affirmations<\/p>\n

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VISUALISATION<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"Just as it’s essential to train\u00a0your body to withstand the\u00a0rigours of race day, working\u00a0on your stamina, speed, and\u00a0power is just as important to\u00a0train your mind to resist and\u00a0overcome rough patches in the\u00a0race or training. Developing\u00a0mental resilience to get\u00a0through rough patches is an\u00a0excellent aspect of brain training. Professional athletes, Olympic athletes, and\u00a0weekend warriors like us can benefit from brain training.<\/p>\n

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\"\"Your mental preparation matters as much as your physical. Visualisation is a\u00a0crucial component. The process of creating a mental picture of a future scenario\u00a0and watching it unfold as vividly as possible is visualisation.\u00a0 Visualisation can help\u00a0athletes imagine themselves as successful.\u00a0It helps them overcome complex parts of\u00a0races before they run through it. It allows\u00a0runners to find solutions to in-race\u00a0problems such as a desire to slow down,\u00a0walk, or give up while forming positive\u00a0expectations and rehearsing a solid\u00a0consequence. Suppose there is a big\u00a0mountain on the course, and you have to\u00a0overcome that during the race. Visualise yourself jogging up the mountain in\u00a0complete ease, all the way to the top and over it. Visualise how you felt about it\u00a0and how you made that happen effortlessly. Also, imagine yourself breezing\u00a0comfortably through the rest of the race. Practice glimpsing this scenario\u00a0repeatedly, in varied race conditions such as when it is raining, extremely hot, cold\u00a0etc. Before running my first marathon, I would put on my headphones, sit still,\u00a0listen to soothing music and picture myself executing the race I wished to have. I\u00a0made my imagination as rich in detail as possible. I visualised the flurry of other\u00a0runners around me, the weather conditions on race day, the sensations in my legs,\u00a0the rise and fall of my breath and the smells in the air. I made my visualisation as\u00a0vivid as possible by engaging all my senses by seeing myself doing the race\u00a0exceptionally well. By which, I had consciously programmed my mind to replicate\u00a0my visualised performance on race day. Boom, on the race day, my visually\u00a0programmed mind came to my rescue even when I had unexpectedly developed\u00a0cramps and eventually helped me cross the finish line. From then on, for my future\u00a0marathons, I began imagining smooth, effortless miles and obstacles that could\u00a0arise and vividly practised overcoming them. I used visualisation for the most\u00a0challenging parts of the race, such as steep inclines, cramps, etc., which derailed\u00a0my earlier performances. I would mentally rehearse, the race seeming more\u00a0formidable than it looks now, and I would imagine myself feeling easy and\u00a0enjoying the race despite the hardness as I raced past other participants with a song\u00a0on my lips. When it came to doing the races, mental rehearsals and programming\u00a0helped me conquer insane distances despite all kinds of difficulties effortlessly and\u00a0efficiently.<\/p>\n

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Picturing has a meditative aspect, mainly because of the inward gazing it involves.\u00a0Very few of us slow down and take the time to reflect on our goals deliberately and\u00a0the steps we need to take to reach them. But visualising allows for things to happen\u00a0pretty seamlessly.<\/p>\n

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Believe me! Visualisation works like magic. You can rely on it and trust it to work\u00a0every time you do it. Initially, you may have trouble picturing success, but if you\u00a0persist and do it repeatedly, you will eventually get the hang of it and succeed.<\/p>\n

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The most excellent part about visualisation is that it’s free and something you can\u00a0start today, right now, on your next run. With so many areas of life in which one\u00a0can apply the simple technique, there’s simply no reason not to do it.<\/p>\n

\"\"AFFIRMATIONS<\/strong><\/p>\n

Positive declarations that can help you challenge\u00a0and overcome self-sabotaging and negative\u00a0thoughts are called Affirmations. Affirming\u00a0reinforces positive action. Affirmations, often\u00a0repeated with total belief, start to create positive\u00a0changes. Just like visualisations, saying\u00a0affirmations out loud increases your odds of\u00a0accomplishing or achieving something specific.\u00a0Just as we run repetitively and lift weights\u00a0repetitively to build muscles, affirmations are\u00a0exercises for our minds. If reps of weight build muscles, mental repetitions\u00a0reprogram the software of your mind. When your subconscious gets programmed,\u00a0you change. You act and think differently. For instance, there is ample proof that\u00a0affirmations can help you run better and faster. Spending just a few minutes\u00a0affirming your training or race can calm your nerves, enhance your confidence,\u00a0and boost your chances of turning a hard run into an enjoyable run.<\/p>\n

Here are a few affirmations !!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n