Taboo
Many athletes document and headline their trainings to the very last detail. The social media channels are congested with…
- successful hard-core trainings (39k in 3:32 pace before breakfast without sleeping the last 3 days – backwards uphill with HR 110 #imthebestfucktherest),
- healthy food (chia-seeds-avocado-goji-berries-soy-tofu-smoothie #foodporn #vegan),
- material acquisitions of training-gadgets provided by the favorite running label (running on meta-boost-flyknit-clouds #blingbling), or
- extensive relaxation sessions (chillaxing @ beach with my bestie & electric muscle simulator #recoverhard #compressionbikini).
For the training log, there is even a separate social network (for example Strava). Seems like nothing could be too embarrassing to brag on the web 6.0. However, what’s never mentioned by any athlete on any media, are the trainings for mental strength.
Why is that? Either no one ever applies any mental training, or the subject is a taboo amongst athletes (that’s what I believe is more realistic). Admitting publicly to take mental coaching classes or to visit a sport psychologist, would be a confession to be mentally weak. Nonsense! Any training will make you stronger. Otherwise, no runner could ever reveal anything about his training runs, as he would admit that he can’t run fast.
Otherwise, no runner could ever reveal anything about his training runs, as he would admit that he can’t run fast.
Mental strength
I finished some marathons with a negative split: I ran the second half faster than the first one. Some people said I would be “mentally strong”. But what do they mean with that?
A “mentally strong” athlete can deliver a large part of his potential. The mental strongest athlete can show 100% of his potential on the day it matters.
I realized that mental aspects prevent me from running even faster.
Room for improvement
Last September, I ran the BMW Berlin-Marathon in 2:13:57 – 3 seconds below the Swiss qualification standard for the Olympic Games in Rio 2016. I’ve run the second half faster then the first one (67:37 vs. 66:20). In retrospect, I might was able to deliver 90-95% of my full potential. Firstly, more courage during the race would have helped me to run the marathon more regularly and therefore to run more energy-efficient. Secondly, I used up way to much energy in the week before the race: I knew that I could run the 2:14:00 needed for Rio and was therefore extremely nervous and “over-activated”. Thirdly, I fell into a phase of emptiness after the race for which I needed quite a while to recover from and find my usual motivation for training.
I realized that mental aspects prevent me from running even faster.
Establishing contacts
Just after the BMW Berlin-Marathon, I attended a kick-off for the Olympic Games organized by Swiss Olympic, where I got to know Jörg Wetzel. He is the designated sports psychologist of the Swiss Olympic team. After the event, he sent me a copy of his book “Gold – Mental stark zur Bestleistung”, which was my first contact with the subject (sport psychology and mental training).
Coincidentally, someone that has nothing to do with sport asked me, whether I do any mental training, as he would know someone who could help me. Obviously, I didn’t. Therefore, this “someone” offered me to sponsor ten hours of one-on-one training with his own mental coach. Despite my heavy doubts, it was (after the Berlin experiences) an offer I couldn’t refuse. Even the excuse that “I don’t have time for this” didn’t count, because I was just about to leave for a four weeks training camp in Kenya – therefore plenty of time at hand. During these four weeks, I met the guy for 16 hours. For all these sessions, we communicated over video chat, as he is based in Mumbai (India) – and a former professional swimmer.
Mental training
How do you spend 16 hours with a mental coach? I didn’t have any idea what I should expect – just some skeptical prejudices.
- Would it be a spiritual self-help group / group hug that ends in an emotional striptease?
- Would I need to keep a box of Kleenex at hand?
- Would the guru record the Skype session and publish it on YouTube?
- Would the guy have me sitting in front of my laptop for 30 minutes and laugh up his sleeve for the easy money?
Luckily, all my doubts blew over. Of course, we worked on the nervousness before the marathon (but not only) with the means of visualization, meditation and breathing exercises. These techniques will help me to lower hyper activism into positive tension. I learned, however, that it’s similar to strength training: It doesn’t help if you theoretically know how the exercise works; you need to train it very frequently.
It was also part of the coaching to resolve negative beliefs, as these influence our emotions and therefore also our actions. It’s comparable with a massage: You loosen contracted and knotted structures and foster (mental) circulation.
In the first place, I wanted to have a solution for my nervousness and over-activation before the competition. However, I have now instruments not only for competitions, but also for the daily training and everyday life. To achieve outstanding performances, one must generally live in a positively balanced steady state. In the end, mental training doesn’t make me run faster, just less slow.
To achieve outstanding performances, one must generally live in a positively balanced steady state.