Mental Toughness on the Run

I have two outcomes for my talk today. First I want to share a series of great mental training tips and strategies. You can actually practice these on your training runs. It is a way of getting double the benefit of your training runs.

I also want to remind you to use my blog. It has lots of articles on very similar topics to what I am talking about today. Many are from previous presentations I’ve given.

My Top Ten Tips for Psyching up for a race:

My friend Stewart Hughes lives in Utah and bought a home near Salt Lake and it had a tennis court. So he decided to learn tennis and hired the U of Utah tennis coach to give private lessons to his family. One day during a conversation it came out this coach was doing some research for a sport psych degree on the personality makeup of world class tennis players and athletes.

The coach said there were five key traits and one of them accounted for 80% of the effects. They are: self-confidence

Character

Emotional stability

Athletic Ability

Self-Motivation

Self-Motivation was the most important factor in sports excellence and probably in marathon training as well.

How do you get Self-Motivation? By setting goals and meeting commitments.

2—Goals are usually considered as the single most important tool for improving performance in sports. Think of developing smart goals: S specific; M measurable; A achievable; R recorded; T timebased.

I ran across an interesting way to look at goals: a Pyramid with 3 layers, allowing you to see the big picture.

The base of the pyramid is your vision or story describing the big picture and how you want it to look. These are your long term goals, precise levels of achievement you want to accomplish: finish the marathon, qualify for Boston, a time goal.

On the next level are your weekly performance goals, specifying frequency, intensity, duration of workouts for the week.

At to top are your physical and mental goals for each training session. Daily goals.

By using this pyramid approach, every workout is directly connected to your big story. Feeling good about achieving your daily and weekly goals is motivational and has a cumulative effect on your attitude come race day.

3—Know the course---good to practice this on training runs; helps to plan race strategy accordingly.

4—Learn to regulate level of tension and use relaxation techniques before and during the race to control tension. Stay loose and Centered.

Relaxation training; Deep breathing; muscle tensing and relaxing.

Bud Winter San Jose track coach Relax and Win book; 90% rule

Bud was probably first sports psychologist. 100% effort not as fast as 90%

Glen Mills went to one of his workshops; he later became the coach for Usani Bolt.

5—develop Positive affirmations/power words

Using Positive self-talk

“I am comfortable being uncomfortable.” “All the Way” Yes I can

Smooth and relaxed Tough Strong

I am doing the best I can

Mood words like Power and Strength

Use these thoughts and words especially at those moments when negative thoughts show up; they are sure to do so during a race.

6—Use Imagery before and during the race. Why imagery is effective: free throw shooting studies.

Influences performance; it can enhance athletic performance and can be a more effective practice tool than no practice at all. Effective in basketball shooting, volleyball serving, tennis serving, golf shots, placekicking, figure skating, swimming starts, diving, skiing, running, dance and rock climbing.

For example:

Imagine yourself at difficult points in the race, feeling calm, focused and energetic.

If fatigued picture your lower body as a horse on which you are riding; going downhill picture self as a sled; Frank Shorter Gold in 1972 Munich imagined his legs as bicycle wheels

Plan for and during the event use, specific images(visual, phrases, words) at particular cue spots.

Experiment: close your eyes and imagine you can see yourself running in your mind’s eye

7—Use thought strategies

Association---scanning your body, stride, respiration

Dissociation—musical phrases, counting trees, thinking of friends

Reframing the Pain: Sensations of Endurance Sport Effort

This is the body’s way of telling me I am running at my race pace

The feelings/sensations are feedback

8—Run for yourself, not against someone else

9—Expect at least something which you planned on won’t go the way you planned it. Decide now how you will forgive yourself then.

10---similarly, when you know you will be facing an emotional dilemma you have to make a decision on how you will handle it before hand, not when you are in the emotional dilemma. Decide now that you will Never Never Never Quit.

Click here to see my favorite drink!!

http://www.usana.com/media/File/Prospecting%20page/Tools/US/Rev3/EN-REV3AthleteSheet.pdf

Keys to a positive marathon training season

Again, congratulations of becoming a member or staying a member of Fort Bend Fit, the jewel in the USA Fit system. It is a highly acclaimed training program. Follow it and you will finish your race.

Here are some keys to having a good, motivating, successful training season.

1--Be open, coachable, and teachable. Training may challenge some of your ideas about training, running, nutrition.

2--Run for a Reason

Find a cause/person for whom you may wish to dedicate your training and finishing your race. This will provide motivation to train during the week and to show up on Saturdays for long training runs.

3--Make another commitment. One that world-class athletes make. Commit yourself to becoming comfortable being uncomfortable. Last year we ran in high heat and humidity, rain, snow, wind, and otherwise torturous conditions. The Sugar Land USA Fit Marathon was run in 25 degree conditions. Start today and repeat this mantra, affirmation to yourself:

I commit to being comfortable being uncomfortable. Say this at least 10 times per day and you will feel the difference when you don't avoid the puddle and end up soaking your running shoes in 3 inch deep water!!!

4--Don't beat yourself up if you miss a Saturday run or a weekday run. Nobody likes a bully. It only erodes your self-esteem.

5--Only make self-to-self comparisons. Self-to-other comparisons are dangerous and may lead you to make a false assessment of your fitness level. Your are you only competitor. A positive attitude will result from making these self-to-self comparisons.

6--Begin to develop the Mindset of a Marthoner. The first step is to ask yourself: If I knew I would finish a marathon in January, what actions would I take today, next week, next month?
The answer would probably to follow the FBF Training schedule.

Lastly, remember the story of the professor telling his students to look to the left, look to the right and that only one of the three would end up becoming a lawyer. Well if you are in Fort Bend Fit you can look to your left, look to your right and say "See you at the finish line!!" You all will become marathon/half-marathon finishers!!!

Have a great season!!!

Mental Toughness for Marathoners

Mental Toughness for Marathoners: The Nine Mental Skills of Successful Marathoners

You don’t have to be a professional marathoner or an Olympic champion to be a successful marathoner. Nor do you have to have a room full of trophies, win a state championship, or make the front page of the sports section. What these Marathoners have in common is that their sport is important to them and they’re committed to being the best that they can be within the scope of their limitations – other life commitments, finances, time, and their natural ability. They set high, realistic goals for themselves and train and play hard. They are successful because they are pursuing their goals and enjoying their sport. Their sport participation enriches their lives and they believe that what they get back is worth what they put into their sport.
There are nine, specific mental skills that contribute to success in running/marathoning/sports. They are all learned and can be improved with instruction and practice. We work with serious Marathoners of all ages and ability levels to help them learn and sharpen these important skills.
A Brief List of the Nine Mental Skills
Successful Marathoners:
1. Choose and maintain a positive attitude.2. Maintain a high level of self-motivation.3. Set high, realistic goals.4. Deal effectively with people.5. Use positive self-talk.6. Use positive mental imagery.7. Manage anxiety effectively.8. Manage their emotions effectively.9. Maintain concentration.
Detailed Descriptions of the Nine Mental Skills
1. Attitude
Successful Marathoners:
Realize that attitude is a choice.
Choose an attitude that is predominately positive.
View their sport as an opportunity to compete against themselves and learn from their successes and failures.
Pursue excellence, not perfection, and realize that they, as well as their coaches, teammates, officials, and others are not perfect.
Maintain balance and perspective between their sport and the rest of their lives.
Respect their sport, other participants, coaches, officials, and themselves.
2. Motivation
Successful Marathoners:
Are aware of the rewards and benefits that they expect to experience through their sports participation.
Are able to persist through difficult tasks and difficult times, even when these rewards and benefits are not immediately forthcoming.
Realize that many of the benefits come from their participation, not the outcome.
3. Goals and Commitment
Successful Marathoners:
Set long-term and short-term goals that are realistic, measurable, and time-oriented.
Are aware of their current performance levels and are able to develop specific, detailed plans for attaining their goals.
Are highly committed to their goals and to carrying out the daily demands of their training programs.
4. People Skills
Successful Marathoners:
Realize that they are part of a larger system that includes their families, friends, teammates, coaches, and others.
When appropriate, communicate their thoughts, feelings, and needs to these people and listen to them as well.
Have learned effective skills for dealing with conflict, difficult opponents, and other people when they are negative or oppositional.
5. Self-Talk
Successful Marathoners:
Maintain their self-confidence during difficult times with realistic, positive self-talk.
Talk to themselves the way they would talk to their own best friend
Use self-talk to regulate thoughts, feelings and behaviors during competition.
6. Mental Imagery
Successful Marathoners:
Prepare themselves for competition by imagining themselves performing well in competition.
Create and use mental images that are detailed, specific, and realistic.
Use imagery during competition to prepare for action and recover from errors and poor performances.
7. Dealing Effectively with Anxiety
Successful Marathoners:
Accept anxiety as part of sport.
Realize that some degree of anxiety can help them perform well.
Know how to reduce anxiety when it becomes too strong, without losing their intensity.
8. Dealing Effectively with Emotions
Successful Marathoners:
Accept strong emotions such as excitement, anger, and disappointment as part of the sport experience.
Are able to use these emotions to improve, rather than interfere with high level performance
9. Concentration
Successful Marathoners:
Know what they must pay attention to during each game or sport situation.
Have learned how to maintain focus and resist distractions, whether they come from the environment or from within themselves.
Are able to regain their focus when concentration is lost during competition.
Have learned how to play in the “here-and-now”, without regard to either past or anticipated future events.

How Important are Electrolytes in Rehydration?

HOW IMPORTANT ARE ELECTROLYTES TO REHYDRATION ANYWAY?


In regard to many concerns about electrolytes, especially during this hot season, I feel compelled to express my concern that they may be considered the “magic bullet” to performance and the key to the rehydration puzzle. While important, they are a piece of the puzzle.

In actuality, regular cellular nutrition may be the ultimate long-term answer. Research indicates that endurance athletes use 12 to 20 times the amount of oxygen that an average person uses and as a result create oxidative stress equivalent to that of a cancer patient. There is a “dark side” to oxygen. Free radicals are created in this process of endurance running/walking. Antioxidants at optimal levels may be more important to performance than electrolytes.

Let’s get back to electrolytes. In order to evaluate their importance, I think it is important to understand how the body uses electrolytes. In addition to being a catalyst for muscle contractions, electrolytes function to hold water in the blood stream so it doesn’t empty into the bladder or send signals to the sweat glands to produce sweat. This is what happens when you drink plain water while running. Water turns off the thirst mechanism and its rapid gastric emptying results in the body’s need to get rid of the excess water by producing urine or sweat. As a result, water doesn’t get into the muscle where it is vitally needed. You end up feeling that you are sweating a lot. You are, but you are just sweating out the water you just drank. However, runners/walkers need to have those fluids in their muscles, not going to their skin. This is not to discount the self-preservation function of cooling of the body. It’s just not primary when you are running.

The key is to keep the water in the bloodstream. This is where the electrolytes become involved; the salts from electrolytes keep water in the bloodstream, and also make us drink more. However, there is no guarantee that the fluid with electrolytes is going to get into the muscles, where we need it. Muscles that are working are being depleted of glycogen so “they” go “looking” for carbs, which are big water attracters. Carbs flood into the muscle, dragging the water with them. The end result of this process is rehydration of the muscles, allowing us to work more efficiently and avoid later headaches, stiffness and soreness. Many new members of Fort Bend Fit complain of headaches after longer runs.

Electrolytes alone will not result in this rehydration process occurring, unless they are attached to carbohydrate molecules. Another important factor is the speed with which this process occurs. The quicker the better you’re saying, right? This is where the concept of “osmolality” comes in. In simple terms, blood has an osmolality of 250; anything less than 250 will be absorbed by the muscles very quickly; anything greater is absorbed more slowly and may have to be digested in order to be absorbed; delayed absorption is the result. Research indicates that Gatorade, at an osmolality of 280, can take as long as 45 minutes to get to the muscles after ingestion. There are many rehydration products having an osmolality of that of blood around 250 and are absorbed relatively quickly. These are called isotonic fluids.

Of late, I’ve been using a product called Vitalyte, once called Gookinaid or ERG. I actually used it in the 70’s when it was called ERG, electrolyte replacement with glucose. It is less expensive than Low Oz and more readily available. For instance, if you have a membership at Road Runners Club and get free shipping you get Vitalyte for free shipping. A great bottom line cost savings. Vitalyte actually predates Gator Ade. Bill Gookin developed it for use with the 1968 Olympic team. I don’t think it is as effective as Low Oz, but it has an acceptable osmolality and an energy source in glucose resulting in very rapid absorption; the electrolyte balance is pretty good. You can go to Bill’s website: www.vitalyte.com. The site is a great way to learn about hydration. It could save your life.

The implications are clear. Optimal rehydration occurs when the correct level of electrolytes, in concert with rapidly absorbed carbohydrates and the correct osmolality level, are taken in to the body. You need a product with electrolytes and carbs.
I have used LowOz( this is hard to get now and only comes in one flavor), Gookinaid, Elyte sport and Ultima Replenisher. All good and effective. I can provide you with details on how to get them.

Stay thirsty my friends.

Energy Drinks

Why energy drinks work. (And it's not the way you think.)

Ok, let's begin this with a question: Why do energy drinks improve the performance of athletes, even if moderately? The sugar gives you a boost, right? (Wrong.) Must be the caffeine. (Nope.) The calories in the drink provide needed energy. (Uh-uh.)

A new study in the Journal of Physiology (see abstract) seeks to answer the question, and the answer is, well, pretty weird. Here's a summary of the results from a news release on the paper:
The researchers prepared drinks that contained either glucose (a sugar), maltodextrin (a tasteless carbohydrate) or neither, then carefully laced them with artificial sweeteners until they tasted identical. They asked endurance-trained athletes to complete a challenging time-trial, during which they rinsed their mouths with one of the three concoctions.

The results were striking. Athletes given the glucose or maltodextrin drinks outperformed those on 'disguised' water by 2-3% and sustained a higher average power output and pulse rate, even though didn't feel they were working any harder. The authors conclude that as-yet unidentified receptors in the mouth independent from the usual 'sweet' taste buds must be responsible. "Much of the benefit from carbohydrate in sports drinks is provided by signalling directly from mouth to brain rather than providing energy for the working muscles," explained Dr Chambers.
The team then used a neuro-imaging technique known as fMRI to monitor the athletes' brain activity shortly after giving them one of the three compounds. They found that both glucose and maltodextrin triggered specific areas of the brain associated with reward or pleasure, while the artificial sweetener did not. This acts to reduce the athletes' perception of their workload, suggest the authors, and hence enables them to sustain a higher average output.

The findings are intriguing because they support the idea that it is not your heart, lungs or muscles that limit athletic performance, but rather the brain itself. This supports the idea that there is a "central governor" in the brain (see long-ish explanation) that paces your muscles so they don't reach the state of exhaustion.

I'd be very interested to see a similar study done with steroids or similar performance-enhancing drugs, but alas this seems unlikely for obvious reasons.

The bottom line is that our minds and bodies still have many secrets they've yet to reveal to science.

Nutrition for Athletes

Athletes, marathon runners and the like simply need more nutrients because they are performing the activity they do. This is a function of increased oxidative stress due to increased oxygen utilization; of training which leads to breaking down bodily tissues. Recovery time can be slowed and the athlete can reach a training plateau. Joints and muscles breakdown and injuries are more frequent. Overall, the tissue breakdown is accelerated by this increased oxidative stress. Truly the "dark side" of oxygen. People training for a marathon will place as much oxidative stress on their bodies as that of a cancer patient.

Here are the specific/general nutrient needs for athletes/marathoners:

Multivitamin tablet(s)
MultiMineral tablet(s)
Omega-3 fish oils
Glucosamine
Essential Amino Acids
Systemic Antiinflammatory e.g., grape seed extract
Turmeric
Bromelain

Add these to your diet and you will decrease your recovery time and improve your immune system. It is a fact that 1/3 of marathoners develop a serious viral illness a month before their marathon and another 1/3 of them will develop a serious viral illness within a month after thier marathon.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me at:

mypsych97@aol.com
cell--832-605-5691

Thanks

Myron