What is it that you can do to feel great even if you are currently not running like you know you can or should?
So often we don’t know what it takes to recuperate, to get healthy.
How happy are you with your run performance? Are you in a good state of mind? Is work, household, bills causing you to head towards a burnout?
Is sitting in front of the computer supplemented by sitting In Front of the laptop? Are you eating healthy, correct? You know you should. But maybe you are struggling.
What about those apps on your phone? The apps that are supposedly going make you become a champion. OK I am being cynical. No champion born behind a phone.
The questions are meant to identify how you are doing. What level of potential can you access, what type of run can be currently expected of yourself?
Development of self-esteem, self-worth. The effects of a full development and influence on your adult life. Youth develops its own identity. This is not so easy, you are becoming a man or woman, difficult and nice because a lot is happening.
And here there is a crossroad, strong or weak self-image.
If those runners you associate with, give you that feeling of not being good enough, you take on those doubts. And that then feeds off negative beliefs. Something you heard, as an adult you remember it. And then you accept what was said, as your own.
There are ways to overcome this limbic wave for example, but that’s jumping ahead of myself.
Some runners progress in different ways, they have allowed their belief and confidence to be shattered, just that feeling of not being able to reach a proper time.
All other runners look fitter, and appear to run faster.
Well if this sounds familiar how about today starting a new route, starting by training the brain, and taking a closer look
Self-confident people, what do you think that means? Strong, quick to respond. Clear, can get his way? And yes, self-confident people tend to be attracted to each other. Yes, to others they might appear arrogant, but that’s not healthy then is it.
All it means is accepting the way you are. You don’t need to post your finish time, you can be a quiet type but be that runner who stands up for himself.
Especially those runners that don’t have such standing sometimes they like to be put in the spotlight as though there is something wrong with them.
Not having self-confidence can lead to having a difficult run performance.
Especially those that have low self-confidence like to try to lower others. Maybe you know this from a job, a career.
And ever so often the question arises: is it me? Ask yourself that in a different tone.
It is not you. The other person has an issue. Because actually he or she is insecure. Seeing this, realizing this, is a big moment.
Just thinking about it is often a game changer, especially if you are in a relationship with such a person, and now bingo you understand what the real issue is.
No, you are not slow. No you are not making yourself a fool by running. No, your figure might not be that of a long-distance runner, but figure was never the criteria.
Come on, you know what’s best for you.
But every so often those limiting beliefs do still come up. That you doubt yourself. Insecurity comes up and the contact to your inner self is broken.
But honestly tell me it is just you and me here. Do you really want people, especially those out of your past, those that most probably have an issue with themselves, and that’s why they tried to put you down? Do you really want to allow, give power to them so that they can disrupt, upset, and make you doubt yourself?
Do you want to allow those words spoken, those comments continue to have an effect on you?
If this affects you in your running, then it is pretty likely that it affects you in other areas of your life as well. My dad, not only was he a successful businessman, he taught me a lot of sports, billiards, table tennis and great memories. And he was really good. And as a kid I was perhaps 12 or so. I blocked him from what the gym teacher had taught us to stretch the body, you know, the usual stuff. Bend forward, touch your toes and so forth. And he suddenly said to me, I remember the old Gym in school. ” All kids had to do a certain exercise, and as the teacher walked past me he said “look at that stiff kid”.
So my dad must have been close to 40, and even over 30 years ago. He still remembered it. Sure enough he was a great trumpet player, must have gotten many compliments, he could sing, must have gotten a lot of praise. But he remembers some slip of the tongue by a gym teacher.
This happens so often. Especially in a sales environment. I have met runners’ that came to me with Kit that a pro runner would be jealous of. Even though I was jealous, my running shoes that half an hour ago I still fancied suddenly appeared old and out of date. LOL. And the gear was bought because the seller, the company who made a compelling argument that in order for you to be good, you need to be owning that gear. But that is another blog topic.
Without knowing you, there is something I am pretty sure of. You want to be the one making decisions in your life. You want to enter, participate in races you like. Or perhaps just be content running for yourself. You don’t want someone else’s value system placed upon you. And to get there? How to get out of that marketing machine.
Did I do it correctly? Was it helpful? Do I feel better or worse now? And the solution, that running aspiration that you have, that needs to be discovered. Image and image of others. Since puberty we have this for lack of better word: issue. We look at others, we compare and then of course we fall into the comparison trap.
Hey comparing per se is not bad. I regularly recommend my students to compare. To where they came from, compare to where they were yesterday, last week, last month, last year. And to compare to others. Yes, shocker. Compare yourself to others, especially those less fortunate.
In the last Comrades marathon, and if you are a first time listener and don’t know what the Comrades marathon is, mmmh you need to check it out. 56 mile ultra in South Africa. There is a video where I go through the whole history of this ultra-race. And yes you get some I don’t want to use the word idiots that debate or compare it to other races across the globe, it is not tough enough it’s on tar, it is not far enough. Runners that talk like that, especially very popular runners on blogs You haven’t a clue what the Comrades really means. Its history, how much it is part of the culture. Do your tougher longer harder and overcome your issues without dishing the world’s oldest human endurance race.
Uuuf, sorry what happened there. I got a bit carried away.
Yes comparing, ok, I remember what I wanted to say. OK here I am on a hot day, hills Comrades on KM 80, just after the halfway mark, and I am feeling awful. This awful feeling just got worse. And next thing in my head I hear the – music, to my own beautiful inspirational pity party.
Ha! Yes, seriously I was feeling miserable. And my whole body was cooperating, finding evidence that it is time to quit. Next thing I see an amputee runner running on crutches. Do I need to say more? I read later that he couldn’t wear his artificial limb, so he decided to do the whole race on crutches. To anyone with two healthy legs who has ever completed this, you know I don’t need to say more. That race is full of hills, heat, and here I am conducting a great “let’s-feel-sorry-for-Heiko-party”.
Embarrassing.
The runners name is Xolani LuLuvuno, and a big compliment to you Sir. Well done.
Look, we are not living in an easy environment. Sure each generation said the same thing, but hey we are living now, and this onslaught of social media, personalized ads, and the marketing techniques that have been around way before the world went digital Giving women the feeling that if you don’t have this perfume, or wear this brand, well bad luck. You are not beautiful.
Ad to that social media, the Instagram look-at-how-wonderful-my-life-is. Look at how far I have run the best posts on some of the runners pages I see. Some great runners post 10+ photos and the Strava prints out 26 miles.
That’s it. No comment, no nothing. Might as well have written “look at me”.
For you, the runner. Where do you feel great, away from being sucked up by mainstream media? And which people, what advice, what type of advice support is suitable for me?
What environment will help you to become a better runner? And that is the moment where you radiate confidence, and other people get a positive sense of your self-esteem.
That is the main reason you should work on yourself. Don’t believe it when someone, perhaps even a loved one says: you will never run a marathon. What?
Don’t let it lower your self-esteem, work on it. You are a special person. If a negative thought comes up You don’t allow negative thoughts to take place. Come on be brave, re-oriented yourself. And find out what is important for you. What running goal have you been hiding so long? Or have you tried to forget. And any thoughts you have about how fast you should run a 10K, or what is a good marathon time? Put those thoughts away, stick with your running ambition. You have come so far, and yes maybe your journey was a tough one.
If you are struggling now to accept this, just write down your accomplishments. That long run you did when it was already late and everyone else went to the movies, or for dinner. That training session on a Sunday morning where you felt excellent as you ran lap after lap. And then have a supporter, that special someone write on the reverse side what they appreciate about you.
Yes I am serious, no don’t post it on facebook. No, don’t ask for shares or likes. Do this exercise just the way I explained it.
It is a powerful tool that is incredible to see how runners feel after writing and reading their strong points. And if you focus on your strengths, you will have the power to develop them further, and once you have mastered that, you will be more confident to work on your weaknesses.
See, if sprint workouts are not your thing. Or hill repeats are really not what you like to do. But on your list, you wrote a long slow run. Perhaps you can reduce & adjust the long slow run to incorporate a hilly section. A section that you then in the beginning walk up, rather than run. And work your way to overcome that particular section by one day running it.
Again this takes confidence. To admit I cannot do this. But please don’t ever say I cannot do it. Add one more word. Yet. I cannot do it YET. It makes a world of difference. You are leaving an opportunity to OBTAIN and reach that goal. Rather than making a negative affirmation. Where attention goes, energy flows.
That is how re-programming works. To become the runner, you want to be.
Focus on your strengths and work on your weaknesses. Then looking back, you will have a track record, proof that you CAN improve. That you have your own successes rather than staring and scrolling, liking and commenting on other runners’ me-me-me stories.
We all need our success stories. No matter how small, how short the distance, how few participants. How many might have overtaken you. Doesn’t matter. You have your race success, if you open your eyes. And are open to accept it.
That builds self-confidence. Facing situations which intimidate you. Doing this will take you one step further.
So tell me what is your running ambition? What is it that you admire in other runners? And how will it be if you reach that goal? To run races, you never thought possible. To believe in yourself. That you can earn it. That run, that race you dreamed of entering will give you so much more than just a medal and a t-shirt you will never wear.
Your potential will expand. Take your time. Find out what it is that challenges you. Maybe it is your first 5K under 20 minutes. Maybe a 10K in under 45 minutes. Or the marathon. Or perhaps as you grow during this process, you will create your own run event, your own charity event. Who knows what this thought process can and will lead to.
But Heiko, I don’t have time. Oh please, don’t destroy all these power words with such a belief. Yes, I don’t know your situation. Perhaps you are a single mom with kids, or you have an extremely demanding career, or parents you need to take care of, or live in a region where it is hard to train to run.
Hey, I get it. I don’t want to belittle your situation. Really, I don’t, and all I can say is, if you change direction, things will change. Only you can make this a priority. No one else can. The more you discuss your reasons for not being able to dream, assess and plan new run adventures, the more fuel and determined and unmovable your reasons become. And time is passing. Your run story is being written.
Your personal development requires time, not only as a runner, also your relationship with the Creator. This time is the most important.
And if you have no idea how to manage that, I seriously recommend you make “making time” your first priority. There is a free course on hypnorun.com, feel free to use it and experience how to make time.
Listen, how many detours have you already taken in your life? False attempts, false start, started a run streak, abandoned it. Started serious training and gave up after a few weeks.
The best time to start training was yesterday. And the second-best time is right now. Don’t fret on where you could be today if you would have.
Think I am going a bit over the top? Look up here for a second, the number of runners I have met that told me stories of regret, of could have been, should have been. Some were close to a sub 3:00 marathon, others just shy of a podium finish, when events which they cannot even recall now, took over and they never made it back to that form again.
And this realization only occurs when you take time to reflect. If you want to use a turbo. Then you can always tap into your subconscious. And you can learn how to do this. There are too many events to keep in your conscious mind throughout the day. But by moving all those filters aside you can access the subconscious. Right there where your resources are. Where each and every powerful lesson is stored. It is already there inside of you, you just need to learn how to access it.
Now the course hypnorun contains about 4 hours of learning material. And that is the short version. There is no quick and easy way to learn this. It took you years to learn how to talk, write, walk then run. The wheel took years to be invented, don’t be too hard on yourself.
You most probably lost that intuitive way. And yes, that mobile device that is not. Helpful in developing these skills.
We all have that knowledge to make those decisions which empower us. That’s why having a dream is a goal. Combine it with visualization techniques, relaxation methods, so vital for success.
Using these techniques, the processes are in place and can become second nature again. Something you activate. Mental skills training gives you an edge. There are so many studies that prove this is something far more than an interesting time you had whilst being a backpacking hippie in Asia. The art of visualizing your thoughts determines where you will end up. So to change your behavior, you need to change your thoughts. And to do this, you need to learn these tools. Old behaviors are overwritten by new powerful ones.
Sporthochschule in Cologne. They had three groups that trained the biceps. And yes I know this has nothing to do with running, but it is a very substantial study that had overwhelming results. So here goes. There were 3 groups. One group that just imagined, visualized that they train their biceps. Same reps. Second group that only trained with weights. And the group that did not train, well they had no results. The group that trained had improved their bicep by 30%. Impressive I should do that. And what do you think of the group that only visualized? 20%.
Now you can discuss and debate this all day long. I ask you, do it. Try it. Learn it. It is the lowest level, the lowest hurdle to overcome. Especially if you are currently recuperating from an injury.
And I have seen this work with too many athletes. If you are skeptical and want to vent your anger because you think it is nonsense. Send me a mail makeeverystep@gmail.com don’t send anonymous hate mail lol Vent your frustration directly to me, I will reply.
Ok, now, if today you have not yet gone for a run, please do so. Go right now. If you already have, then practice just being mindful. Have some patience. Allow yourself time, maybe 2 weeks, maybe six weeks I don’t know. I don’t know you. But I know that once you start, you will improve. Nothing will make you go backwards. Nope every step you take will ensure you go forward, and things might be happening, but you cannot yet sense it. And you might just stop before you have success.
It takes time to believe those new words you are saying to yourself. It is not an Instagram or Facebook get rich quick scheme.
It will bring you to your goal. Believe in yourself. In your abilities. Hey, even if you are not there yet where you want to be as a runner. Stick with it.
Thanks for your time. Thanks for your trust. Subscribe so you don’t miss next weeks blog Isaiah 40:29 He gives strength to the weary,
And to him who lacks might He increases power.
God bless you and remember to take it easy.
A improved run result due to a improved attitude? And if your first thought is “I couldn’t do that” then definitely you should get the book. The link to the video you know what.. just go to youtube, enter “heiko stribl” (and whilst scrolling stay focussed or you will get sidetracked and end up somewhere you don’t want to be).
Life is too short for that.
If you want to learn more brain training related tools especially designed for runners, have a look at www.heikostribl.com, you can go back to your cell phone addiction and scroll scroll scroll ha.. Just kidding. No, not about the www.heikostribl.com part.
