In the land of endurance sports, there is a concept that is tossed around a great deal. Some people refer to it as "mental toughness." What is mental toughness? To me: it's about not letting your mind stand in the the way of what your body is capable.
During the a difficult workout, a steep hill, or even long run, the mind might be saying "You can't do this. You need to stop." But, success in pushing through that is in being able to turn all of the negative chatter in your head off. People who are truly successful athletes not only have the physical talent, but all of the mental ability to turn the brain onto "silent mode."
I never really understood the mental side of running when I was younger. Back in those early days, I ran to think and relax, to get away from the stress of being a teen. I didn't have any talent as runner, and I didn't run to push the physical limits and therefore, I didn't need any mental toughness. I often told myself not to run too hard, or I might not finish or worse, I might have to WALK. Fear of failure held me back.
For the last month or so, I've been running with my 9-year-old son, Jude. I have this desire to try an impart the "wisdom" of mental toughness to him. But, I really didn't know how to make him get it. Our first lesson came just the other day.
He's been following the Couch to 5K program, rather faithfully, I might add. This program progressively adds more running to a run/walk program. A few days ago, we were approaching our street on our way to finishing up a few miles of run/walk. He said, "Oh, no! We are going to have to run on our street to home. I don't want to run up the hill. I don't think I can make it!" He desperately wanted to walk the last 200 yards home.
He was tired. He was really feeling the run on his legs that day.
I said, "Don't think if it as a hill. It's just the road home." I've used these words in my own head, so many times. I've told them to Scott, too.
How can you "NOT" think about it? How can not listen to the burning legs, screaming lungs, and the feeling gravity pulling your body down instead of up the hill---begging and imploring you to stop, or at least slow down?
It's easy to say. Sure. It's much harder to actually do. It's not just easy for me to ignore reason. Yes, it's a hill, but I doesn't have to be hard.
Convince your mind that the hill is easy. Float, breath, relax.
It is hard to do this. SO HARD. Since we live around a ton of hills, I get regular practice, especially with hills. But, it doesn't always come easily.
Changing your mindset about anything isn't easy.
It reminds me of this:
Gotta love Barney Stinson. Anyway, ok, here's my version. "When I feel like slowing down on a hill, I cruise up it like it was flat nothing instead. True story." --Me
Your brain can be tricked, trained to simply ignore what is in front of it. Focus on keeping a steady pace, a mantra, counting your footfalls, or maybe just turn up a revved tune on your music player. Focus on something else. Anything else.
That day, when Jude was facing his dreaded uphill road to home, I said, "focus on moving your arms smoothly, count your steps and set your eyes on our mailbox and run straight to it." He ran home faster and harder than he had during the rest of the 25 minutes we had been out there.
I want to teach him to embrace the route, the path, the journey that he is on---no matter how difficult it seems at the time. We have to decide that there truly is no route that is too hard. Only an unwilling mind can stand between you and that mountain in the distance.
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