Secondary gain, a term from psychology that refers to the benefits of being sick or being injured or having a problem. Now for some runners’ this needs more explanation. I mean how can it be that, there is a benefit to being injured but wait first the –
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Summer is in full swing here what a great season this is the #no excuses season, isn’t it? But if you had good, maybe EXCELLENT excuses in Winter, I suppose you have good ones in Summer too. Ok, those of you that live up north I agree not running whilst a blizzard is on. I fully understand that of course there is the treadmill Oh hang on I read this on twitter hate when I’m running on the treadmill for half an hour and look down to see it’s been 4 minutes.
I think I spent perhaps no more than 2 winters where I ran on treadmills. Too much ICE on the pavements, high risk of injury and that really sums up my running experience. Perhaps even worse, felt like an hour and I had hardly covered a kilometer lol
As a runner, you spend a lot of time well, running. It’s normal that there will be times you are ready to go full of enthusiasm. And other days where something is there something is holding you back.
Weather is great you have time hey perhaps you even got new running gear or finally those compression socks arrived you could test them.
But naaaaah Something is there that is like an invisible wall, or hurdle you cannot overcome.
And by now if you have been reading to this blog, you know that you are experiencing a lack on intrinsic motivation. That means that you’re connecting with your internal reasons and desires such as running for enjoyment or improvement, as opposed to external or extrinsic motivators such as praise or placing well in your next run.
OK great but how do you access this? This intrinsic motivation? I mean it is pretty obvious it’s down to you. You have to do something. You need to make the first move so to speak.
First thing is, you need to be aware of what and how this is happening.
There are runners’ that run far below their potential, why? Because they never took the time to analyze and reflect what is actually happening.
Hours spent not procrastinating but filling the time with tasks that distract from running. And look, we are creatures of habit. If you decide NOW is the time to go and clean the kitchen who always leaves a mess or now is the time to just do a bit of gardening
Maybe the thoughts are going there because it seems like it is a less stressful task. Like it is an easier task to do.
And then the internal thinking process, the routine you have created, takes over.
The thought of running gets put aside. Especially if it is a thought of hill repeats, or track training.
Or and let me share some internal confidential information here. Some really persistent excuses-havers and yes that’s a word I created will go so far explaining and arguing for their limitations, that heck even I feel like lets pack it in he or she’s right there is no hope. No way. (I am exaggerating a bit but you get my point) And what a surprise it is to have an iPhone, or an Android .
Asking the excuses-haver pro level excuses have to just have a look at the daily screen time.
And it is a revelation. It’s like whaaat You spent 6 hours looking at your phone? And then wait for it the pro excuses haver will even be able to justify the 6, 7, or 8 hours Well it is because I use Spotify, or I was watching a educational video on YouTube
Look at the end of the day you had your little device in your hand for too many hours. I don’t think the iPhone or android statistics lie. I think they are pretty accurate.
And if you know a runner like that. And you are maybe already fed up asking him or her to join you .And it isn’t your problem but you want to help. Here is a process that works. That, if done correctly, does the trick.
See the excuses haver runner, has already manifested this thinking process in his brain. It’s the same when you get inside your car, you don’t need to look where the ignition is, nor do you look at the dashboard and figure out what these instruments are. You know it, you are doing it out of routine.
And the excuses have a powerful routine. To break this there needs to be a new goal. A new target. That’s why Tony Robbins has and still is teaching goal settings I don’t know for over 30 years?
Because it is a vital element. And yes many runners don’t want to hear this, it’s just a hobby for me. I just run for fun. Ok, but if you are making excuses, you are under your potential, and what a waste it is. Time flies too quickly to not try and go for the best inside of you.
If you don’t like the word goal setting, replace it with a mission statement.
That is simply a statement of purpose. A Aspiration, direction that defines, or captures what drives you to run.
And this task needs time. It’s not a 5 minute exercise. Good things take time. But I am pretty sure that you can come up with one faster than baking a chocolate cake (out of the box recipe) mmmh chocolate cake
Anyway, back to the point.
Most successful runners in amateur sport that I have met or trained. And this is running or swimming, they had a mission statement. And let me just explain, sometimes I would meet aspiring swimmers, meaning people who were great runners, but couldn’t swim. Perhaps breast stroke but not front crawl.
And there is a big difference. Running almost anyone can do. But swimming isn’t something you “can just try”
There are other swimmers around you, self consciousness comes into play, there are people who fear the deep end of the pool. Then there are swimmers who feel completely stressed by putting their head under water.
And those people that then progressed to participating in a triathlon were the ones who were brave enough to write that goal on a piece of paper. And the words they wrote got re-defined, changed them and made them better.
What I am saying is, that it is the most powerful tool you have at your disposal. No need to waste money on an app that will save you something. Or buy a book that you won’t fully read, and can’t relate to the contents.
When you have your own mission statement it WILLn help to fuel your internal fire.
And don’t imagine a huge bonfire now. No, that comes later every fire starts from a small spark.
We forget that sometimes. I was camping last weekend and of course lit a fire. Just dry leaves, and branches. No, let’s pour on some lighter fluid, or let’s add some petrol nope. And that small matchstick it’s a small flame then it takes time for those dry eaves to catch fire. then the branches and then it takes even more time until the fire reaches a real hot temperature, isn’t it?
But somehow, the excuses make them forget that. They have this picture in their minds of a huge bonfire, this expectation that the flames ignite a bushfire.
Listen there must be a reason that Companies and organizations invest in thousands of dollars and manhous to define a mission statement. and you must too. If you want to create a mission statement, here are four easy steps to take you through the process.
Crafting a “personal running mission statement” is a great way to capture your intentions in a succinct manner. This statement is centered specifically on your running practice, and it can inspire and energize you by emphasizing a process-focused attitude towards training.
Some mission statements will be a single sentence, while others may be as long as a paragraph. As you work to come up with this statement, reflect on the following questions and try listing the reasons you run.
What is it about running that I’m drawn to?
What do I hope to gain from running?
What are my strengths as a runner?
How does my running contribute to the greater good of my life, family and the world around me?
It might be something like: “
To get physical and mental balance in life.
To carry forth the joy I gain from running into my other roles as mother, wife, daughter, friend and writer.
To create meaningful connections through running and share the love of movement with others.”
To finally do that marathon.
To become the best runner I can be.
Keep in mind that your sense of purpose may change depending on the stage of life you’re in, so it is necessary to revisit your mission statement. Once you’ve pinned down a greater reason to run, think about how that fits with your stated goals for the season. Hopefully you’ll discover continuity between your goals and intentions for more fulfilling and successful running.
Ok Heiko so I wrote it down I spent an hour on it now what
See what will happen is This new Belief Leads to a Winning Attitude.
Yes this is the first step to a WINNING attitude. You didn’t see that coming, did you. I mean actually from the outside nothing changed. Actually you might still not have gone for a run, you only have a sheet of paper with some words on it? Yes on the outside that’s true.
But what about my future champion? What happened inside? Inside your brain?
You overcome your limiting belief. Buuhmmm without realizing it. You started working inside yourself. You didn’t believe everything you thought. You started reassessing your possibilities.
And why is this so important?
we have two major functionings of the mind: the conscious mind and the unconscious mind.
⇒ The Conscious Mind
The conscious mind is that part of the mind that makes all the decisions for us. It analyzes, criticizes, reasons, accepts, and rejects. I often refer to this as the “Thinking Mind” when speaking to the runners I work with.
⇒ The Unconscious Mind
The unconscious mind is the part of our mind that operates the body. Its primary functions include managing emotions and storing our beliefs, values, and memories for later recall. It operates a lot like the operating system of a computer.
A belief is similar to a computer program or application that resides on an operating system. It’s a set of instructions that the computer can run when it’s told to.
What we need to do is to get yourself, or your runner to have a belief implanted in your power mind that you belong to a different level. A level of a runner. You need to believe in the cells of your body, in every fiber, every blood vessel, that not only can you win, but you expect to reach your run goals.
How powerful is that? And if you do this right, it is a goosebump moment.
If you, as a excuses haver, can pull this off, then everything else will fall into place and procrastination won’t be a n issue, performance anxiety won’t be an issue rather the result will be you are thinking about running and preparing to run, or even race to the best of your abilities
And yes, sometimes one month or 6 weeks into this new habit, you may still haven’t overcome the struggles then it’s time To use a trick. The way to do this is to adopt that old famous saying:
“Fake it until you make it.”
I have modified this to fit:
“You can fake and pretend beliefs until they become real.”
I’d like to give you the key to making it work in real life. It starts with understanding that the word “winning” is relative.
For example, “winning” for a runner that just goes out twice a week, runs far too slow could mean improving to running 3 times a week at a faster pace, and a new route
Your thinking mind has to give permission before you can install the running belief and all you want to shoot for is getting to that TOUGH NEXT LEVEL.
And this you know Repetition is the Key to Fostering Belief
From there, it’s really not that complicated. With unwavering repetition, you will be able to achieve your run dreams which currently are still just inside of you and make them into reality but DO-ABLE.
You can never contradict yourself on this. You can’t say things that are the opposite of that if you want your mission statement to stick.
And if you fail somewhere or disappoint yourself Tearing yourself down to then build yourself up don’t do it it will only undermine your efforts at instilling the winning belief system you want to have.
Just be consistent. Being consistent with it is what gets it into the unconscious or power mind. Get yourself to repeat back to you this mission statement and do everything you can to repeat it as often as necessary.
Baseball players:
I am on my way to becoming the best runner I can be.
I am going to run that 10K in under 50 minutes.
Oh my goodness what a long blog today got a bit carried away there hey thanks for reading
Do check out our run programs on heikostribl.com close to 4 hours of online video tutorials giving you hands-on training on how you will help yourself improve as a runner. How you will move forward, rather than remembering good old days.
Ephesians 5:16 Making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Indeed they are, stay a healthy runner. Share this, send this to someone who you know needs to hear this.
Advanced Endurance Coaching, where we help you become a better stronger and smarter runner. Online tools created for runners by runners. no risk, proven concepts, you are just a click away hey thanks for reading thanks for your trust, my name is Heiko remember take it easy
Make Every Step Count, a running guide that changes your attitude?
And if your first thought is “I doubt it” then definitely you should get the book. Doing the basics, is the best place to go to once you are in a negative rut once your minds cruise around the same negative thoughts. Make Every Step Count keeps you focussed on what matters.
And if that doesn’t help, then do what it says in the bible
Colossians 3:2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.
Today I had a lot on my mind. Thanks for your patience. Thanks for your interest. Do leave me a rating and share the blog to someone who needs to hear it. My name is Heiko thanks for reading.
God Bless You and remember, take it easy.
