Mental Toughness

     If you're a runner you surely have to have a certain amount of mental toughness to get to where you are. It's nearly impossible to run without it. Life is like that too. You need mental toughness in order to keep going, in order to keep fighting through everything that could possibly knock you down. I've noticed that my "mental toughness" has increased since I have joined cross country, partially because you're used to being in pain, used to seeing those around you throwing up, bleeding, peeing their pants, you name it. You can't help but develop a stronger mental state, and if you don't, you've woven out of the team.That's just the way it goes. It seems to me that as you build your mental toughness, tackling things that would appear difficult (in running and life) aren't so bad anymore. 

    One of the first things I hear from my coach is "control your breathing" as the gun goes off and all the cross country teams sprint off into the race. I haven't thought of it much until now, but it actually makes a lot of sense. When you breathe very sharply and quickly, you are triggering your nervous system's fight or flight response, which releases hormones that work with only short time periods. (Like sprinting) But you are a distance runner, if it were for a short time period it wouldn't be cross country. What my coach means is to relax your breathing. Don't relax your muscles, don't slow down. It means breathe through your nose (if at all possible) and out of your moth, allowing time between your breaths. I'm totally aware that this is not easy to do at all (especially with asthma and while sprinting for a little over three miles) but do your absolute best to set a calming, relaxing pattern as you chip away and the race. I recommend you sync your breathing with your footing in order to create both a secure pace and breathing pattern. 

     As your breathing is out of control and sharp, you tend to develop this negative mindset. This negative mindset allows all of your doubts, worries, and frustrations, to appear in front of your eyes as you run, distracting you and not allowing you to focus on how far you've come already instead of how much farther you have left. This is a huge part of mental toughness for a runner. I've said this many many times, but half of runner itself it completely mental. Positive thoughts will translate into a more positive run with more positive results.

     I advise you to practice crossing the finish line in your head. Day dream about it, day dream about running, and struggling. Coach yourself through your own thoughts before you even begin to run. You have to know what you want, envision it, and don't give up (especially when you're actually racing) on your goal. Easier said than done, for sure, but not impossible. And the reward is totally worth it. (502)