I once rode a bike about 200 miles from Seattle to Vancouver B.C. in two days. Not only was this a bit beyond my capacity and training, but it poured rain the entire time. My longest distance ever before the ride was 60 miles. At mile 72 on the first day I was in was could only be described as some sort of purgatory.
I remember vividly feeling nauseated, chilled through, not sure my legs would keep turning, and pretty close to some sort of breakdown. I was riding with three companions, but had been alone for about 12 miles. Two had gone ahead and one stayed behind to fix a flat, promising to catch up. I had 30 something miles to go still that day and there was a hill up ahead. Did I mention that it was raining? Not regular Seattle mist or sprinkles, but a full-on onslaught.
The bargaining with God began. I told God that I realized I had done a stupid thing to sign up for this ride, and I would never, ever do anything so foolish again if only He would help me get to the next rest stop, and get there without throwing up. In fact, I told Him, maybe throwing up would be OK if I could just get there. I did not want to have to ride back in the wagon of shame, as my companions called the truck that scraped up the fallen along the way. Please, please, please, I begged, just help me to keep turning the pedals.
After getting to the rest stop, standing by a heater, and eating some food (that was my mistake–I’d never ridden myself to the point of depletion before, and didn’t know to recognize the feeling) I felt much better and reunited with my companions, determined not to let them, and myself, down. Amazingly enough, I finished the day, and the next, despite sore knees and gigantic half-moon welts on my butt from riding in wet shorts all day.
Fast forward: God held up his end of the bargain. I didn’t. I signed up for a triathlon. So this time, I am on my own. Knowing this, I’ve been researching and trying out different mental strategies to get through the rough spots that I’m sure to face during the triathlon. These are from a variety of sources and are the ones that have worked for me, especially during my time learning to run.
Visualization:
There are several ways visualization can help in athletic performance. One is visualizing the outcome of the race. Another is anticipating difficult spots and sort of virtually experiencing how you will overcome the problem. Practicing visualization is a meditation of sorts, both during training and during quiet moments at home. The power of seeing yourself in a positive outcome is something many athletes say is crucial in their training.
Reframing:
Negative self-talk can discourage any athlete. Reframing means to take something that could be seen as a negative and changing it to a positive instead. For example, I had to walk about half a mile of my three-mile run the other day, even though at this point, I should be able to complete the whole run without much problem. When this has happened before, I beat myself up mentally and did not perform well for weeks afterwards. This time, I reframed the situation, telling myself that I had done the whole run before, I knew I could do it, and I just had an off day. I reminded myself that it was good that I had tried, that I had run most of it, and that I had the extra conditioning of my exercise that day. I felt much better, and the next time, I was able to complete the whole run.
Focus:
Whether you listen to an ipod, focus on your breathing, your stroke, or some other aspect of your exercise, blocking out distractions, especially negative self talk, can help any athlete through some rough spots. In swimming, focusing on breathing helps. In running, I count my strides to focus on something other than the urge to stop. Other athletes focus on getting to a certain point, distance, or to the end of a song. My friend focuses on a problem at home or work and finds this helps her forget the urge to slow down.
Mental Bargaining:
A lot of athletes use this technique to help them keep going or keep their speed up. They make a bargain with themselves such as, if I keep this pace another half-mile, then I can slow down. Often they find once they’ve reached the goal, they’ve passed the rough spot and don’t need to slow down. When running, I often bargain with myself, that if I go at least a mile, I can stop if I need to. Inevitably, the first mile is the hardest and I don’t need to stop, but I need that little push to get the motivation on bad days.
I’d like to hear about any mental strategies you use in your fitness training.