Change Your Thoughts…. Change Your Run
I’m sure Kim and Zenaida will be astonished that I’m actually participating in their Tuesday Topics WITH THE CORRECT TOPIC. The prompt was “It’s Positive Thinking Day. What quotes or affirmations do you use to get through a hard run?” This is such a fascinating topic- how much of running is physical, and how much is mental? Mind Over Matter? The Central Governor Theory Explained explores Tim Noakes’ premise that the brain acts as a central governor during exercise, limiting our ability to push beyond perceived fatigue to ensure self-preservation. The central governor gathers data from different sources, including the present effort level, previous training and race experiences, current conditions (i.e. heat, humidity, wind) and the race distance and intensity- then uses this information to set limits on the body. The idea behind this is that the central governor will override your physical ability to run and shut the body down before you’re able to do damage to yourself. However, in the interest of self-preservation, it’s usually operating with an overabundance of caution. People who participate in ultramarathons and other extreme sports have found that when your brain is telling you you’re done, you’re actually only about 40% done. Finding ways to overcome the central governor is key for peak performance. Our thoughts are incredibly powerful. If your thought is “It’s way too hot and I feel crummy” then your brain doesn’t waste time trying to decide if this is true- it just adds it to the data it’s collecting. “It’s 85 degrees, halfway through the run, muscle fatigue is at xxx level, it’s way too hot and I feel crummy” is going to lead to a very different outcome than “It’s 85 degrees, halfway through the run, muscle fatigue is at xxx level, the sun gives me energy and I’m built for this.” Since we can choose what to think, it only makes sense to send positive data to the central governor rather than negative. One of my favorite mantra is “I am strong, I am good at this, I can do it.” If I’m having a difficult run, I’ll commit to saying this over and over for an entire mile. Just like meditation, my mind will wander but I just bring it back to “I am strong, I am good at this, I can do it.” At the end of the mile, I always feel much better- I’ve never had this not work. If I’m nearing the end of a race or speed workout and want something shorter, I use “light and quick” or “fast and strong” (I like my short mantras to be in beats of three!) Often I’ll alternate the two, using one to get a certain distance, and then switching to the other one. Sometimes I just need to keep my mind occupied in this way to prevent the negative thoughts from creeping in. I love hearing other people’s mantras, but the best mantras are the ones we have a personal connection with. My “I am strong…” mantra came from my favorite spin teacher, years ago. In a particularly difficult moment of a particularly difficult class, she said “You are strong! You are good at this! You can do it!” Those words carried me through that class and have stuck with me to this day. Do you use mantras? What is your favorite?