To run better and faster, you need to hone your mental skills.
Many people would like to become runners but don’t even try because they believe they have the wrong kind of body. Their legs are too short. Their stomach is too big. Their shoulders are too broad. Their total body fat is too high. Their total body weight is too much.
These people are wrong. The body is unimportant. The mind is everything.
They simply need to train their brain more effectively.
Others begin running but then quit after a few days, a few weeks, maybe a few months. They get discouraged. They assume they’ll never succeed. They can’t run as far as they’d like. They can’t run as fast as they’d like. They can’t run as easily as they’d like. They see other runners who look thinner, faster, smoother than they are. It’s so-o-o-o discouraging.
These people are right. No one can run as far, fast, smoothly, or effortlessly as they’d like. Not even the Olympians. But this is no reason to quit. If you feel like this, you simply need to train your mind more effectively.
Running is not a physical sport. It’s a mental sport. The people who succeed are not the ones who have the longest legs or the leanest torsos. The champions are the ones who understand how to harness the power of the brain.
To run better and faster, you need to hone your mental skills.
Here’s an example—not a solitary anecdote, but an entire-population anecdote. As recently as 30 years ago, women were told they couldn’t run. They were too small and delicate. They weren’t strong enough. Their bodies carried too much fat. And so forth.
From one perspective, all these statements are true. Women are smaller on average than men. They have less testosterone, so they don’t build as much muscle. They naturally and normally carry more subcutaneous fat on their bodies than men—up to 10 percent more.
So the statements are basically true. And yet millions and millions of women have taken up running in the last 30 years and done absolutely amazing things. Some have even won Olympic gold medals. But, more importantly, women in every neighborhood have gotten fitter and healthier through a regular running program.
How did this happen? It happened because the statements are true, but the assumption is wrong. It’s wrong to believe that you need a certain physical body type to run. All body types can run. It’s not about your legs, muscles, or cellulite. It’s not about the physical side of things.
If you train your brain, your body will follow. It’s that simple. The hard part isn’t getting your body in shape. The hard part is getting your mind in shape.
“Keep thinking about the reasons why you want to become a healthy, fit runner, and more reasons will pop into your head.”
So let’s return to our women’s running story. How did so many women succeed in running? It was easy for them. Because many women already possess the essential mental skills.
Determination. Discipline. Organization. Time management. Friendship-making. These skills are what it takes to succeed in running. You have to want it, you have to plan for it, you have to fit it into a busy day, you have to be mentally tough, you have to use others to help you. Women are outstanding at this, and it makes them great runners.
Running is just an example. Women haven’t achieved equality with men in some sports like football, basketball, and baseball, because those sports do demand a certain physicality—be it height, strength, speed, or whatever.
But women are rapidly becoming 50 percent of the worldwide running population—a mark already achieved in the United States—because you don’t need to be tall, strong, or fast to reap all the benefits of running. You don’t need a certain set of physical qualities. You only need a certain set of mental qualities.
The rest of this chapter lists a number of ways any runner, male or female, can train the brain. Or, to put it another way, these are tricks, tips, and systems you can use to keep your motivation going.
There’s only one important thing to remember: If you train your brain and pave the way to your success, you will succeed. Repeat after me: Running is a mental activity. Now let’s look at these motivational secrets.
A training log is for runners as a captain’s log is for the captain of a ship. It tells where you have gone and what you have encountered—the good and the bad. The purpose of a log is basically twofold. First, a log serves as a simple but compelling get-up-and-go device. Once you have a log, your brain knows it’s there and wants you to enter something into it on a regular basis. After all, no one wants to carry around a log full of empty pages. Many studies have shown that a training log is one of the most effective motivational tools for runners: It gets you out the door.
That’s the reason that this book actually contains your first training log. Whether you decide to use the 8-week or 24-week training plan that appears later in the book, you’ll find a training log exactly suited to your needs. And, unlike most training logs, which are essentially blank pages meant to be filled in, this one tells you what to do for each workout. Plus, it provides inspirational quotes and training tips for each week of your program.
But before long, you’ll fill up this first training log, and it will be time to move to another. You can buy a simple, inexpensive training log at any bookstore or running store, or you can make one of your own from a loose-leaf notebook or any diary or journal that’s appealing to you. Pick what you like, but be sure to keep using a training log. It’ll help you maintain your training program and also serve as a vital feedback tool.
That’s the second purpose of a training log. It lets you see where you’ve been and learn from your experiences. If you get injured, your training log can help you figure out why. If you get sick, your training log could have the answer. Experienced runners keep a bookshelf full of their training logs and refer back to them often.
Log it: Track your running progress by recording your mileage, PRs, and other achievements.
“If you train your brain and pave the way to your success, you will succeed.”
Just about everyone loves a good inspirational quote, and many people use quotes to motivate a particular behavior that they are trying to adopt. The practice is so common among runners that you can actually find one or two entire books of quotes gathered together specifically for runners. The best of these books is Mark Will-Weber’s The Quotable Runner. You might want to check it out the next time you’re in the bookstore.
The best runner’s quotes are about courage, struggle, determination, and themes like these, as those are the qualities you will need the most to succeed in your training program. It’s helpful to know that many other great individuals have had a tough go of it and haven’t always succeeded with consummate ease. Some runners like to read a quote or two before they head out for a workout, some like to memorize a quote they can repeat while running, and others like to surround themselves with quotes at all turns, at home and in the office, so they are never far from inspiration.
A training log is great; a training partner is even better. There’s nothing like the human element to get you out and exercising. Picture a dark winter morning in February. The alarm goes off, and it’s time for you to get up for your early-morning workout. Only you’re tired. It’s warm in bed. You figure that a single missed run can’t make that much difference. So you don’t do it.
Now picture the same morning, only you know that your friend who lives down the street is going to be waiting for you on your sidewalk. You’re not going to disappoint your friend. You don’t want to be the one who canceled the appointment. So you get up and do the workout. In fact, it’s easy. Because someone else is out there with you.
We humans are social animals who enjoy social activities. And even though running is the perfect individual, solitary exercise (you don’t need to assemble a full team of players before you can do it), it’s also an unusually good social activity. You can run side-by-side with your friend or friends. Most workouts are casual and conversational. In other words, you don’t run so hard that you’re gasping; you run so slowly that it’s easy to talk to each other as you move on down the road or trail.
When you plan your workout week, try to do as many runs as possible with friends and professional colleagues. You may have just one steady training partner, or you might have several—different ones on different days of the week and in different places. You can join a running club or workout group for larger, team training. Of course, you can continue to enjoy running alone on those days when it’s exactly the tonic you need.
But you’d do well to develop several training partners, particularly several beginning running partners. Rest assured, you know plenty of people who would like to get in shape with a running program but have never worked up the resolve to get started. You can help them, and then you can both help each other by encouraging, motivating, and running together. It’s one of the best ways to ensure your success.
Running is not easy and not always fun. Most of the time, it’s just plain hard work. That’s why it’s so effective. If running were easy, it wouldn’t produce so many positive benefits.
Because running is hard, you need to remind yourself why you are doing it. Chapter 1 listed many of the most compelling health and fitness reasons for running, but you should also create a deck of running cards that includes your own personal reasons for running. The first time you sit down to write some “I am running because . . .” cards, you might soon exhaust your list of reasons. You might only come up with a couple of very basic reasons.
But keep at it. Keep thinking about the reasons why you want to become a healthy, fit runner, and more reasons will pop into your head. They may come while you are running, or they may come at any time during the day.
Regardless, write down all the new reasons on separate cards and keep the cards together in one place. Then review the cards regularly. Each rereading of your cards should boost your motivation dramatically.
Your kitchen refrigerator contains perhaps the most valuable real estate in your house. This is where you put photos of your loved ones, favorite recipes, important date reminders, and the like. It’s also a great place to put a mini training log or similar workout reminders. For example, you could clip a page from a magazine and put it on your refrigerator to remind you to do a certain strength-building exercise at least twice a week.
To remind you of your running workouts for the week, simply write them on a small index card and attach the index card to your refrigerator with a magnet. List the days of the week and the workouts you are supposed to do on those days. If something else will inspire or motivate you, include that in the plan. Some people like to “reward” themselves by putting a star next to every day when they do the planned workout.
When using your refrigerator in this way, it’s crucial to actually slow down and look at your card every time you open the refrigerator. Force your eyes to read the card whenever you go to the fridge. It won’t be long before your workouts have lodged in your brain, and then it won’t be long until you do them.
Motivation comes in many forms. One of them is cash. We’re all motivated to some extent by monetary gain, so it makes sense that cash would be a good way to help you stick to your training plan. Unfortunately, neither Donald Trump nor some other rich person is going to give you a big check every time you finish your 30-minute workout.
In fact, the only person who’s likely to pay you is you. So do it. Many runners have used the piggy-bank trick to keep themselves motivated. It sounds silly, and it is, but so what? Here’s how you do it: First, buy yourself a garish little piggy bank. Second, after every completed workout, drop a quarter into your piggy bank.
Before long, your piggy bank will shake, rattle, and roll every time you pick it up. The sound of the coins in the bank will provide visceral proof of all the successful training you’ve done. It’s almost guaranteed that a smile will come to your face whenever you pick up the piggy and shake it. Your friends will also be impressed as the piggy gets heavier.
If you make the piggy-bank deposit part of your training ritual, you’ll quickly begin looking forward to it. You can play music if you like. Or pronounce a favorite quote or statement from your “I Run Because” cards.
Keep it light, and make it fun. And when piggy is full, empty it out and go buy yourself something you’ve been wanting. You deserve it!
The humble piggy bank—the source of funds for those new running shoes you want to buy.
Many runners like to use music to motivate themselves, and several race series with musical themes (like the Rock ’n’ Roll Marathons) have become huge successes. No one has clearly defined exactly why running and music make such perfect partners, but it might be as simple as this: Music is rhythmic, and so is running. When you jog down the street, your feet make a regular, metronome-like beat on the road. Adding another musical rhythm to your workout seems to reinforce the running.
Different people like to listen to different music when they run. There doesn’t seem to be one style or rhythm that is the best. Some runners like classical music, some like the bigband sound, and of course others like listening to one of the many varieties of rock music. Simply make a selection of your favorites, and go with it.
A word of caution: Many running groups discourage the use of headphones while you’re running outdoors. These groups worry that you’ll fail to hear a vehicle, an intruder, or some other sound that you should be hearing. It’s true, the groups are right to issue their cautions. When you run, the single most important thing you must do is to take care of your own safety, and that requires the use of all your senses, certainly including your sense of hearing.
Nonetheless, there are places where you can run safely with headphones: treadmills and well-lit, nonvehicular paths, trails, and roads where you are surrounded by other people (perhaps runners and walkers). Many popular parks and riverside pathways fit this description. Deep forest trails do not, however, nor do any nighttime running areas. Use common sense when deciding whether or not it’s okay to run with headphones. If you feel relatively alone or threatened in any way, don’t do it.
Here’s a good alternative to headphones: Listen to the music before you run. Use music to psych up for your workout. Sit or lie down quietly, and listen to 3 to 5 minutes of a favorite tune. Let your body relax and gather strength, while your mind is soaking up the energy of the music. Then head out for your run, without headphones.
Listening to music before running is a safe and effective way to psych yourself up.
The latest and one of the best ways to practice brain-training is through the varied resources of the digital world. These include e-mail training partners and Internet forums (or “message boards”), but other forms of social networking are also gaining speed on the Web.
On a forum, you can find and learn from like-minded individuals. At Runner’s World Online, for example, you’ll discover a Beginners Forum dedicated to supporting new runners like yourself. You can participate as a quiet observer at first, until you are comfortable with the format. Then join in: Ask questions, discuss injuries, and listen to other forum participants share secrets that have worked well for them.
You might also develop a special connection with one or two forum participants, who could then become direct e-mail training partners. This friendship can develop into a more personal and sharing one than you would normally post on a forum. You can telephone your new friend(s), in addition to e-mailing, and you may eventually plan to travel to the same event together for a face-to-face meeting. When a larger group of forum participants does this, it’s called a forum encounter. In the running world, a forum encounter is often a trip to a famous race, mixed with the spirit of a barbecue at a family reunion. It’s feel-good running.
Even though you won’t be meeting your digital training partners at the local park every week, these people can have a powerful effect on your success. A quick e-mail, or several, is so easy. E-mails quickly take on a natural, uninhibited feel, and each one can carry a “thread” of messages or exchanges with it, so that it seems much like an extended conversation. You’ll enjoy this social side of things, and you’ll be sure to do your next workout because you’ll want to share all the details with your digital friends.
“It’s wrong to believe that you need a certain physical body type to run.”
Q : How can I increase my discipline?
A : One successful running coach used to tell his athletes to “live like a clock.” In other words, you should do the same things at the same time every day. Go to bed at the same time, wake up at the same time, eat your meals at the same time, and do your workout—you guessed it—at the same time. This isn’t always practical, but just by trying you’ll make it easier to fit in your planned workouts. Second: Develop external networks—that is, people and resources that will motivate you to do what you want to do.
Check here for full-text articles on a wide range of topics of interest to runners, especially injury prevention and nutrition. The information comes from a widely respected and authoritative sports medicine magazine, The Physician and Sportsmedicine.
Three things to remember about this chapter:
1. Your brain is your most important muscle. A runner needs a healthy heart, and strong legs, and a well-developed “core,” but the brain is more important than all the other parts combined. Without it, you won’t succeed in your training program. When the brain says “Go,” the rest of the body follows. When the brain says “No,” nothing happens. So every minute you spend developing links between your brain and your running routine will pay multiple dividends. (Note: The brain isn’t actually a muscle, but you get the point.)
2. Keep a training log. It can be as simple as an index card or as special as a deluxe personal journal that you buy at a bookstore. Your entries into the log can be as short as a couple of checkmarks or as involved as a long and intensely personal diary essay. Go with the approach that seems most normal and natural to you. But keep some kind of training log. It will soon become a close friend, it will motivate you to do your workouts (so you can fill up the blank spaces and pages in the log), and it will become an important history of your fitness progress.
3. Reward yourself. Running is hard work, and anyone who sticks to a regular training program deserves regular rewards. Since you can’t depend on anyone else to reward you for your good training behavior, you’re going to have to do it yourself. The list of possible reward behaviors is infinite; pick simple, mostly inexpensive rewards, and lavish them on yourself. Buy a new running book; go to a favorite restaurant for a yummy meal; take a long, relaxing bath with your favorite bath oils. The better you treat yourself, the more likely you are to stick to your workouts (which are also a form of treating yourself and your body well).