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Huge mental breakthrough (self.running)

submitted ago by brennanannie

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About a year ago I noticed something about my running versus my biking but until today I haven't been able to do anything about it. Today I changed that. What I noticed was that in a bike ride when I hit the later distances and begin hating life I speed up considerably in an effort to just get it done. This makes a huge difference in my overall time and I can absolutely see the difference. But on the run when I start feeling bad, I slow down, I start walking more or barely shuffling. So today I went out for a run in this heat and started feeling bad at mile 3.5 of a 7.5 run. Instead of slowing down, I sped up. I didn't sprint but I pushed harder and gutted it out. The run went so much better than any I have had in a year. Mental breakthroughs may honestly be more important in the long run than physical. What do you think?

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[–]christinaf25 9 points10 points ago

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I've been trying to power through a 5k (just starting out running) and after my Nike+ announces I'm past the halfway point, I'm in a "YOU CAN DO IT!!" mode, and I just go for it. I always usually feel better towards the end of my run

[–]thenameismatthew 2 points3 points ago

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It's a great app. Funny how little pre-recorded sayings can give you a boost! I like the ones at the end too. Now, once you do an event, a semi big one, imagine all the volunteers and spectators, other runners cheering you on! I have to consciously slow down sometimes because they elevate me so much.

[–]christinaf25 10 points11 points ago

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yeah! The first real good run I had Lance Armstrong popped in at the end and was like "Congratulations! That was your fastest run!" so now that's my goal. To get virtual Lance to talk to me again, haha

[–]dtpollitt 7 points8 points ago

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Related story:

Running Grandma's Marathon up in Duluth, MN in 2007. Turn the corner for the finish and just die. Tank: Empty. I look at the crowd and people and soak up my walk towards the last 0.2. I lock eyes with a 19 or 20 year old kid, who's clearly drunk, and he throws his arms up in the air, points to me, and screams, at the top of his lungs:

PICK IT UP YOU PUSSY!

Holy shit, best goddamn motivator ever. Turned my head, looked at the 0.2, and ran faster than a teenage virgin runs into bed after his girl tells him she's ready for the sexy time. I pass 70-100 people while I ran a dead sprint, best feeling ever is crossing the finish line running hard. I cross and immediately start bawling, I've never been overcome with emotion like that. I just trained >500 miles to run my first marathon after never being able to run a 5K.

I'm not a fast guy or have a runner's body, but I've run 5 full marathons and hope to do a half-tri by the time I'm 35. And whenever I feel slow, near the finish line or end of a race, I just yell to myself:

PICK IT UP YOU PUSSY!

/rantover

[–]brennanannie[S] 3 points4 points ago

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Crap, now I am going to have that in my head. Thanks.

[–]Shwoodge 9 points10 points ago

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As a general rule on longer runs I start at a slower pace and at about my 2nd or 3rd Kilometer, I shift up my pace and end up feeling much better about pushing myself and in my last kilometer I usually shift up another gear to push it through to home.

[–]ZoinkPaste 3 points4 points ago

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I am exactly the same. I typically run 3.5 miles every morning. First 1.5 miles is rough but I take it up a notch and finish the last 2 strong and I feel great.

[–]niccig 12 points13 points ago

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I always feel like the first 25% or so of a run is the hardest. After a certain point I guess you settle into a rhythm and everything's fine.

[–]albequirky 1 point2 points ago

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What do you consider to be a longer run? I do about 15-20 km on my longer runs, and if I intentionally shifted my pace up, I feel like I'd start to die around 2/3rd's through.

[–]Shwoodge 0 points1 point ago

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A long run for me is anything over 10 km, but I guess it's different for the really long runs.

[–]SgtSausage 8 points9 points ago

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I think it's pretty much always mental when folks stop or slow down. They say 'I cant keep that up' when really they mean 'I dont want to keep that up'.

Barring injury, it's pretty much always mental.

What do I think? I think you've learned an important lesson that will serve you well throughout your training, and even moreso for racing/competition.

[–]mastigia 2 points3 points ago

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This is kinda what happened to me. A long time ago I was actually in this disciplinary boot camp program (I was a bad kid o.O) and the only free time you could get was after the daily 3 miler, if you got done before the rest of the people then you got to wait for them. It was the only time during that 6 months of hell I could actually sit down and not get thrashed for it. So, I started running faster to have more free time to rest. Then later, running as my primary means of transportation, I applied the same concept. If I want to get there sooner, why don't I just run faster? And I did.

Now I run because I love running, but all that probably had a bit to do with how I run now.

[–]JoyOfLife 0 points1 point ago

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Starting very very slow and ending at a quick (but relaxed) pace always makes my runs feel nice. Your mental breakthrough should help your racing as well since racing is all about working harder and harder to maintain your pace as the race goes on.

[–][deleted] ago

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[deleted]

[–]theunderstoodsoul 4 points5 points ago

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Your wife kinda sounds like a bitch.

[–][deleted] ago

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[deleted]

[–]theunderstoodsoul 0 points1 point ago

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She told me I'd never run a 5k.

This is not typical human behaviour, especially towards someone you love. Look I'm not trying to tell you she's a bad person but saying things like that can't really be justified in my book.