“Running is mind over matter. If your head doesn’t mind, your body doesn’t matter.”
The month of April sees both the Boston (Monday 20th) and London (Sunday 26th) Marathon’s take place.
Over the past 15 years, marathon running has taken on a whole new dimension. The number of elite athletes participating has grown significantly and the overall volume of runners simply trying to register has gone through the roof.
Whilst the essence of the runs importantly still deliver much needed charitable funds, the athletes themselves seem ever more determined to set new record times and achieve personal bests, pushing their bodies and minds to the limit.
Marathon running of today has set a whole new bar in terms of professionalism.
With this in mind we thought it more than apt to offer up some encouragement to our athletes via way of a few thoughts and ideas on how best to enjoy, remain calm and stay focused throughout their 26 mile adventure.
Get Creative And Have Fun
Make your run exciting and challenging. When we use our imagination, it is possible to fire up our neurons to such an extent that we can positively impact our muscle groups. So in the next few weeks, really imagine yourself running the event - think of all the magnificent landmarks you’ll get to see, feel the strength in your legs & the relaxation in your body, pick up the various scents of the flowers & trees along the route and hear the surrounding applause as you pass by thousands of people cheering you on. Use every sense that you have to imagine your run.
Finally enjoy it. Even with a set goal, don’t take yourself too seriously - you will perform way better by staying relaxed. When we laugh, smile and have fun we release a chemical called serotonin within our body. This has the effect of keeping our brain cool and our mind focused. So remember, when you are at your most frustrated, turn that frown upside down!
Present is Perfect
Whilst running, have you ever felt yourself performing without thinking…performing with ease…performing with no distraction or perception of time?
Our guess is that you have. And that when you were doing this, you were totally absorbed within your run. You were in the “zone”.
Being in the zone is effectively performing with total and utter concentration. When doing this known, or more than likely unknown, you will be following a certain set of factors.
Thinking about your time, about the finish, about your final pace etc. is to be ignored - just focus on what’s with you at that moment - the wonderful sound of the crowds, the atmosphere around you and your breathing. By doing this, you will have a better chance of finding the zone. The rest will take care of itself. So remember, focus on the current and ignore the future!
Relaxation Is Key
It is a well known fact that our body and mind is inextricably connected - one will always affect the other - and there are several great ways to remain calm and relaxed both prior to and during your run.
Breathing has a big impact on performance. How you breathe is vital to how you feel. Short, sharp and shallow breaths often make us tense and panicky. The best style of breathing to remain calm is slow, deep and steady - count to 5 seconds when inhaling through the nose, another 5 seconds when holding and up to 10 seconds when exhaling through the mouth. Practice this and you will feel its positive affects.
Using your Peripheral Vision can also help you stay relaxed. It employs your parasympathetic nervous system which is responsible for calmness and relaxation. When you defocus, you manage to block out any anxiety, nervousness or stress. It also relaxes you physically. Again, you can practice this at home. Simply pick a spot on the wall at eye level (it could be a blemish or a picture) and slowly start to employ your peripheral vision - that is to defocus on the spot you are looking at and allow your eyes to spread both left and right. Notice how calm and relaxed you feel after even a minute or so.
A third offering is to utilise an idea called Centring. This concept is based on the body’s centre of gravity and is often used in boxing and martial arts. It can however be very effective in many areas of life. By focusing your attention on the centre of your body - that is to say about an inch below your navel - you can create not only incredibly strong balance, stability and power but also keep your focus away from any unwanted distractions as it concentrates the mind on the area where you have your larger muscle groups. The saying is, “where your mind goes, your energy flows”.
And finally, your Jaw, yes your jaw. Known to us as the ‘Michael Caine’ because “not a lot of people know that”, relaxing the muscles in your jaw can remove tension from your whole body. Due to the vast amount of micro muscle movements when we talk to ourselves, our jaw holds the majority of tension found in our bodies. Practice dropping your jaw and slowly wiggling it from side to side.
All of the above relaxation techniques are well worth experimenting with and then having available to you whilst out running.
Use Your Eyes Wisely And Pose Like Madonna
When running, it is most important to keep your eyes on the horizon or preferably just above. When you look upwards you tend to employ an area of strong visual recall that allows little room to access any negative thought processes - be that language or feeling. So, if at any stage during the run you do experience negative self talk, ensure that you look up to help yourself.
Posture is another secret weapon when adopted correctly. It is another one that you can practice at home to notice its merits. See how you feel when you stand upright with your shoulders back, head held high and arms aloft. Pretty good right? Now compare this by slouching your shoulders forward, head bowed to the ground with your arms by your side. Notice the difference?
The art of posing is to use it when you need it most. Social Psychologist, Amy Cuddy, says “fake it ’til you make it”. What she means by this is that by adopting strong power poses, you will actually create a feeling of positivity, happiness, belief and success for yourself. So, a few minutes before you run, simply ensure your strong posture and big smile are on show for the whole world to see!
Size Your Run - From Little Acorns Big Oaks Grow
‘Chunking’ your run can play a big part in how well you manage it and ensure it's achievable.
When embarking upon a run such as the Marathon, it is easy to get caught up in the enormity of the challenge ahead. 26 miles, when focused upon, can seem a fairly daunting task.
As we learn, our brain can consciously only process several pieces of information at once. However, as each small piece of information becomes habitual, it can form a single bigger chunk. Effectively therefore we start with small offerings and slowly increase our knowledge base to successfully achieve our goal.
The concept remains true for your run. By chunking the run into smaller distances (say 4 x 6 miles and a 2 miles) it will allow your brain to both see and feel the possibility of achievement without being overwhelmed.
This is a good strategy to adopt as you will mentally ‘tick off’ successes (each distance) as they occur, allowing the mind to sense both achievement and belief.
The Power Of Music
One of the most effective ways for creating emotions within a sports performer is via music.
If you watch various sports on TV, you will often notice athletes wearing headphones an hour or so prior to and in some cases even right up to their performance. Music can be used to create a positive mood, to control emotion, to dissociate from fatigue or pain, for learning new skills and even for synchronising movement.
Before you run, ensure that you put together three different playlists. Each playlist should fall into the following categories:
1 Loud and upbeat with inspirational lyrics.
2 Soft and slow.
3 Slow tempo with motivational association.
Loud and Upbeat is most effective for increasing vigour and stamina. If you want to put some drive & aggression into the run, then think of music linked to a heroic character - Rocky for example.
Soft and Slow can be used perhaps at the beginning of your run when you are looking to ease into it and build a nice steady pace or perhaps during the race if you are pushing too hard and want to ease down a tad - here a ballad or slow classical can work well.
Slow Tempo will help to relax your body whilst at the same time creating a feeling of optimism and control. It will also help focus the mind on the task in hand. Chariots of Fire is a good example.
Each one of you will know what your favourite tunes are but may not know which tunes provide which emotions and results. Now you have a steer, get compiling and may the force be with you!
