Dear Blog-ary,
Cedar Hill Golf Course is one of my favourite chip trails to run in the city. Nestled beside the green of the golf course, in amongst trees and bushes, it is a beautiful escape from the streets and suburban housing of the surrounding neighbourhood. It’s continuous rolling hills, and high resistance trails, make it an ideal place to train!
Having ran this trail before, I knew somewhat of what to expect this Sunday. Being week three, of the “Can You Bear It” 10K running clinic, our runs continue to become longer and more challenging. As physically prepared as I was, when I arrived to this weeks training, I discovered a new aspect to our training.
I felt that I was pushed hard and had to put my own self-doubting aside to make it through to the end. One hill in particular, near the end of the trail was especially brutal. At about three quarters of the way up the hill, my leg muscles and lungs started screaming at me. It took everything I had to continue up the last few meters to the top. Deep down I knew I could do it. But still, every time I had to run that hill, I had to force myself to keep going when my body tried to tell me that it had enough.
It really is a mind-over-body challenge for me. Outside of the moment, I know that if I continue to train hard, that I will be able to physically do this 10K race. It’s in those hard moments, when I get to a point where I start doubting myself, that my real challenge begins. I need to train my thoughts just as much as I train my body. I need to attain a positive mind set. In those challenging moments, I need to tell myself that I can do it! Just like the Alter Ego Fitness slogan says, “Alter your body, Alter your mind, Alter your Self!” . . . Kirsten Wolf
You are so right, Kirsten – training the mind is half the battle and consistent training to feel how the body reacts is key. Coming up with a mantra or two helps as well. Keep your mantras short and meaningful. Some examples are: “Run like a gazelle” – I used this one at about mile 23 of my first marathon when I felt like I was slogging! “Up and Over” – for the crest of the hill; and another of my favs, “Think strong, be strong, finish strong.” Training the mind is crucial, feeling your own strength mentally is key. I will be writing a blog post addressing Mind Training in the next week. Stay tuned! And thanks for your post – I do enjoy your insight!