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How To Build Your Mental Toughness For Stronger Races
Our physical performance depends largely on our physical preparedness. That’s why we train. But sometimes we forget that the brain is part of the body, a fairly key part, and also needs to be trained.
In recent years, sports scientists have been looking more closely at this connection. It has become one of the more active research areas. The goal is to identify various patterns or triggers that can affect brain-body performance.
This article takes a look at several such triggers–for example, meditation. At first glance, it seems strange that practicing stillness could improve vigorous exercise like running. Yet, “regular meditation can enhance one’s ability to remain present, focused, and non-reactive, especially in the volatile contexts of competitive sports.”
Increased resilience is another major goal. It can teach us “to view setbacks as opportunities for growth, and challenges as chances to improve. This mindset is essential for long-term success in sports, as it encourages a continual pursuit of excellence and a steady approach to training and competition.”
No one will argue with that—more mental strategies at Training Peaks.
A few years back, top former triathlete Joanna Zieger, now a sports psychologist, began investigating how mental toughness (MT) can help you overcome a long race’s inevitable surprises and challenges. She found a wide range of MT in her subjects.
Females, in particular, showed “lower levels of confidence, self-esteem, self-belief, and control.” Thus, they have room for much improvement in MT. More at PLOS ONE with free full text.
Last year, a paper assessed the MT of more than 300 trail runners. Those who scored high in MT also exhibited high “resilience and performance.” More at Perceptual And Motor Skills with free full text.
RELATED ARTICLE: The 18 Best Running Mantras To Encourage You On Your Run
Movement Is Medicine, And Exercise Beats Cholesterol
When you visit your local healthcare provider for an annual physical, s(he) checks your age, weight, blood pressure, blood oxygen, blood glucose, blood cholesterol, and more.
But you aren’t asked about your Strava training data or the step count totals from your Apple watch. Doctors don’t seem to care much about your exercise.
Perhaps they should. A big new study of U.S. adults aged 50 to 80 showed that recent activity patterns were a better predictor of mortality (and perhaps chronic, late-life illness) than any other measure, including age, BMI, and that battery of blood tests.
In other words, your health isn’t defined by the calendar or a blood sample. Your exercise level is more important.
Here are a couple of key sentences from the paper: “Movement and health are intrinsically linked. Mobility loss with aging occurs across species and is linked to deterioration of the central and peripheral nervous systems, musculoskeletal systems, and sensory systems.”
The researchers believe that “signals from wearable accelerometry” [like Fitbits] should be “collected in standard surveys” by physicians. Your health insurance pays for all those annual blood tests. It should do the same for activity monitors.
And your doctor should note your recent activity in those electronic databases that everyone uses these days. More at Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise with free full text.
RELATED ARTICLE: Do Runners Live Longer? up To 12 Years, According to New Research
How The Boston Marathon Deals With Mental Health Challenges
The Boston Marathon has long been a leader in running/marathon medical care. Boston first added a professional psychologist to its medical team in 2002. After the trauma of the 2013 finish-line bombs, the psych team has expanded dramatically. It now numbers 60.
A new journal report “critically outlines, evaluates, and analyzes the approach and effectiveness of the psychological care model provided to runners on race day as part of the Boston Marathon.” It notes that Boston’s psychology team has even developed a “Marathon Mental Status Examination.”
The exam includes questions such as “What is your name? Do you know what city you are in?” And “How did you find the course today? Did you experience any difficult parts?” And “When was the last time you urinated?”
The paper includes three case studies. First, there’s a disoriented runner who has developed hyponatremia. With questioning, the psychologist recognized his condition and called in a treatment team. Second, there’s a runner who failed the mental status evaluation and spoke with a strange rhythm. The psychologist identified autism spectrum disorder and spoke reassuringly to the athlete, who was pleased to have his condition recognized and discussed openly.
Third, a female runner in her 60s fell at the finish line. This frightened her, as it had never happened in her previous marathons. The psychologist helped her reframe her incident as a learning experience she could apply to future races.
Conclusion: “The integration of a psychology team into the Boston Marathon’s medical support model has set a new standard for mental health care in marathon settings. This innovative approach addresses the complex physiological and psychological stresses that runners face, providing critical support during and after the race.” More at Sports Medicine.
RELATED ARTICLE: Here’s How To Qualify For The Boston Marathon 2025
SHORT STUFF You Don’t Want To Miss
HERE’S WHAT ELSE YOU WOULD HAVE RECEIVED this week if you were a subscriber to the complete, full-text edition of “Run Long, Run Healthy.” SUBSCRIBE HERE.
- How’s Gene Dykes Doing 5 Yrs After His Age 70 Marathon Record?
- To Boost Weight Loss & Performance, Hold Those Evening Carbs
- Amazing But True! How Exercise Erases Belly Fat
- Seeing Red? Yes, Color Choice Can Affect Your Performance
- A Simple New (High Tech) Way To Choose Your Best Running Shoe
- Western States 100 Mile Causes No Heart Damage
- What Search-And-Rescue Volunteers Want You To Know About Long Trail Hikes & Runs
- How Steve Jones Won Two Chicago Marathons
That’s all for now. Thanks for reading. See you again next week. Amby
