More I need to run more I need to run further I need to train more often
Isn’t that usually the message? Or it seems to be the complete opposite run less but more intense. And now here we can tell you you should spend more time on your brain.
Yes, welcome to today’s blog. I thank you very much for joining me today with so many blogs to choose from but somehow you decided to come back to this one. I really do appreciate it.
If you have already gone for a run today: well done. You have actually accomplished something today. Yes, something that no matter what happens, that run, that experience is yours for keeps.
Doesn’t matter if you felt awful, and maybe your time or you didn’t make the distance
If you haven’t gone out, do it right now. Same money doesn’t buy the POWER of NOW, or the 5 second rule and spend weeks of your life reading through the book and somehow never finding a 5 second to impose the rule.
Go outside NOW. Run.
Don’t find more reasons, just go out, start running. The run will be over before you know it.
And if you haven’t gone out, and you know you haven’t been running for some days: then definitely make the effort, otherwise just to put it into perspective here you might have to call yourself or refer to yourself as a “I used to be a runner” – runner. Ouch how awful that sounds.
What is actually that thought that keeps you from going outside? Or that made you go outside. Important question, let me repeat it. What thought came to mind that keeps you from NOT going for a run? What image comes up when you say words like, I only run a 5, 10 or half marathon because of my knee, or feels like too much? What is the picture that is in your mind’s eye?
Keep that for later.
Now, let’s dive into this topic of either you need to do more or you need to do less. Isn’t that the message in so many running magazines?
Thinking about all these different options, all these different training plans. It is not only is it confusing but it leads you to doubt perhaps your current training
If you’re even training, seeing that there are hardly any events, who knows maybe you are just doing the minimum to get by. Please don’t do that, if you listen to today’s blog and apply some of the points I will mention you are going to be able to make some big strides towards becoming a better stronger and smarter runner
And yes, you guessed this already. The answer is neither here nor there. Running more, or running less depends on your current state. What your health condition is like, what your mileage currently is. I will be talking about mental training. See, why would someone need to spend more time training their brain rather than trying the legs? Like as a runner, you take many steps actually and imagine a huge amount of steps. You run on tar, you run on trails, you run on gravel, you’re in the rain, you run in the sunshine in cold and hot weather.
But sometimes it happens, you’ve signed up for a race and you doubt yourself. Or you are frustrated because you’re not achieving the time you set out to achieve. And maybe, you are just playing well and getting frustrated because others seem to be improving but you’re not.
And mental training is nothing more than or I should say it is a lot more than tools: that enable your brain to help you give your best performance. Physical preparation is something as a frequent runner you are well aware of. However during that you are in a high-performance mindset is something that takes practice. You need time to do it
Oh the non-believers, let me address your first. Yes I’m pretty sure it doesn’t work for you I can hear you now “doesn’t work”.
Runners who reply faster than a serve by Serena Williams usually did not fully grasp the concept. Didn’t really listen and dive into it with dedication putting in time and effort. Then of course observing your own behavior and waiting because you still need to run and then see the results.
It’s usually those people that already struggle to do the basic breathing exercise. Quick fix for this your brain knows a burger from ordering at the drive through until you take a bite. How long does it take? Without you doing any research, or even if you don’t like burgers you have a rough idea don’t you? Maybe 5 minutes? Or less?
Guess what I know exactly. I googled it. Apparently it takes 3 minutes and 15 seconds for your burger to be delivered to your window. So lets add another 15 seconds to park the car. Then 5 seconds to unwrap 3 minutes 35 minutes from the idea to I want food to actually feed yourself.
And that slice of tomato. How long does it take to grow? Well What do you think?
The rule of thumb is about two months. In my little garden remember my neighbor has the nicer one, about 3 months.
Point is, our generation is used to excluding the process and being result driven. Food, get it in 3:15 seconds, vs. 80 days. And these quick expectations get imposed on everything.
Brain Training for runners’, well duh obviously I need a quick result.
Many people just lack the perseverance of consistency. And I hear it so often that the answer, “it doesn’t work for me” is a regular, common one. Stretching doesn’t work for me.
Yoga, yes I tried it once, didn’t work for me.
See with brain training there is no accountability is there? I can walk around pretending and actually I do nothing. I can pretend to redefine or set goals. To start really focussing and concentrating but if I don’t, who knows, or who will know. It’s a secret between me and myself.
Same thing with ordering a burger. What does that 80 day period of a tomato growing and ripening have to do with it? Nothing well, actually a lot. Your burger had a tomato on it didn’t it? It came from somewhere, it took its time. Just because you didn’t see it, didn’t have to wait for it .Well for 3:15 second it still took its time.
This is what I built this whole Mental sports coaching on. Conducting workshops, one on one training, online courses for runners that understand these principles.
Here at advanced endurance coaching we teach runners’ how to do it properly.
And no it doesn’t mean you have a defect. Or you have an error in your system, and “that’s why you need the training”. This whole concept of training is aimed at giving you more and better understanding.
A different way of putting it or explaining it is: your attitude towards the sport of running will improve.
Reading about runners that do enormous distances, have a sponsor and a marathon pb of below 2:30 you as an everyday runner will have difficulty relating to it. Simply because after your training interval you go sit your commute to work, to sit through the net meeting, or you need to follow whatever your tasks are whilst the runner with sponsorship is getting physio treatment just to ease out that strain of the last workout.
Or following runners’ on social media comparison thief of joy. Now there are some runners that actually have a social presence that’s pleasant to look at. I enjoy seeing the landscape and scenery where others run.
Sorry, I don’t know about you but the selfies, along with a runtime and the fire emoji I mean good for you
Distances who ran the most miles let’s post it on facebook. And if someone ran further let me add that actually I wasn’t feeling well to get some aw shucks emojis. I am not sure what they look like, but you get the awe-shucks picture.
But to have a clear idea of what exactly you need to do, what part of your thinking you need to improve. Not an easy task.
Reading mental training books is not fun. See the best book I can recommend and no it’s not my own. It’s Matt Fritgeralds Brain training for Runners’. But you know what, it’s nearly 600 pages.
Don’t misunderstand me, in no way am I going to dish the book, or try to downplay its value to the running community.
But 600 pages. So if you read 20 pages every second day it’s two months until you have covered it once.
Puuh. That means you just went through it one single time. Doesn’t mean you understood everything, nor that you did everything.
Another one, Hypnosis for runners also approx. 400 pages. Excellent content. But again, to read and then understand and then do it. Totally different points altogether.
And then there are some books which I really wouldn’t recommend. Because they are full of quotes and references, until you have finally read a chapter you need to reread it because of the constant referencing of studies, and places where the studies took place, and what that particular study was based on to define which theory which again was based on another study.
The psyching up and I am quoting here Weinberg & Jackson& seabound 1985. Optimal arousal and supreme confidence Gould Eklund, and Jackson 1992.Which states that Meyers, Schelsser, Cooke and Cuvillier 1979 demonstrated that
So that is where I decided to write something that is
1.) a quick doable read 2.) useable tools
Those steps follow them that will give you high performance.
And a summary is
Goals: you need to have clear goals.
Train you need a training plan.
Race you need to compete.
Those are the three essentials to be coming:
Becoming THAT runner.
It is about doing, and learning, a to- and fro- mixture, that allows for over or under compensation.
Learning something or being told: let me teach you you know it does sort of or could lead to the fact that hey say what I need to learn something?
Like sit In Front of a teacher and that person is droning on about a topic or sitting through PowerPoint slides or waiting for very low quality, a dodgy late night put together PowerPoint .
But that’s not how knowledge is actually transferred. Because if your brain is not absorbing the information it’s because well you were not ready, or clever enough or didn’t concentrate .ouch. That’s what most people associate learning with.
You the student it’s all up to you. It’s all out there you just need to dive in.
But that’s not how it works. Even knowledge transmission Takes me right back to my rather strict schooling.
And now comes the punchline. There are two ways of teaching and getting people from A. to B. basically. That’s what you are interested in. You think that ad of a wide grinning runner jumping over a stream with jagged mountain peaks left and right, wearing an absolutely stunning pair of compression socks you somehow think they will make you faster. The best way is getting from a.) you are currently not fast enough to be.) I will be fast, I mean obviously isn’t it.
But you don’t understand mental training. LOL.
The theory is called knowledge transmission. And its origin is from Seymour Papert. Mathematician, Computer guru.
And what he came up with is so simple. So logic: effective learning takes place if the process is constructed in the students head.
Just for a moment remember at the start of the blog I asked you what image you have in your mind that keeps you from running, or keeps you from running a certain distance or speed?
That picture in your mind’s eye if that is different, if that is changed all improvement can and will occur. It is as simple as that. That’s what it means, you need to see it to believe it.
Don’t think it means you first need to physically see that race distance, or that new personal best. You need to see it in your mind’s eye. There Are no limits to what your spirit can envision and possess.
You have the power, given to you by God, to control your thoughts and imagination. God Designed you that way on purpose!
They will begin to play on the movie screen of your mind, your imagination. That’s what your imagination was created to do!
So snap out of when I will reach my personal best. IOr when I have gone for a run or when I am a regular runner. Which means your attention isn’t where it should be.
Then don’t take on literature which might not be suited for you as a beginner. Take on something you can understand and relate to. And be prepared to make a mistake, to try means to learn ways how it doesn’t work. Without immediately giving up and buying the compression socks.
Now join us next week, or check out our website heikostribl.com there is a free course, high quality downloads. And no I don’t mean the graphics, they are not too bad, I mean the content. Do check it out, or:
If you are interested in a one-on-one session, do drop me a mail. Makeeverystep@gmail.com or feel free to check out our youtube channel, some videos on there which give you further insight.
Your 365 Day Run Streak, one whole year of running Why who or what would you want to do that?
And if your first thought is “I couldn’t do that” then definitely you should get the book.
Remember what I said in the beginning of the blog, that our minds sometimes cruise around the same negative thoughts Well those 9 points they will help to implement 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.
