Mental Training

Mystical Miles: Running Living Beaming is a marvellous book about the deeper experiences life has to offer. And sure, it's about running, about the fullness of what it is like to run. Not quite a training guide though with lots practical tips, it goes further and through running explores the shimmering brilliance of life

Mental Training

The Basic Requirements [for the details click here]

1. Training Plan

a. There is enough about planning training on other pages on this website. The main thing is to have a plan, to implement it; then to adjust where you need to.

2. Get your mind to understand what it is going to be asked to do

Two aspects of this are:

a. Research – find out as much as you can about the race.

b. You need to imagine how it’s going to feel at 60 km. You need to know what hills you face. You should try, even for just a few minutes at a time to visualise how it’s going to feel on the day.

3. Race day plan and preparation

a. Getting there: You don’t want to wake up on June 16 in the wrong place; nor do you want to scramble for a lift the day before. Make a plan that will work.

b. Night before and getting to the start. Know what’s going to happen. The closer a toilet is the better. Have a routine for going to the toilet so that your body knows what to do at 4 am. Be careful what you eat. Set out your clothes and everything you will take with you (cap, glasses, energy bars, toilet paper, grease and salt) before you go to bed.

c. Running

i. Plan A: you have to know what a realistic time is for you to aim at. You should then work out how fast you are going to run the different sections.

ii. Plan B: Know what you are going to do if things go wrong with plan A. Develop an alternative – maybe a run/walk strategy.

iii. What to do when things go wrong. This is the hard part – because you might bump your watch and stop the timer so you can’t do your splits any more. Or can you? What if you get a blister?

4. The C:Factor

a. The “C” or “G” factor is what many of us need for ultra-running. It’s the courage or guts to keep going when things get tough. You can build this, you can fill your special fuel tank.

5. Add enjoyment to your running

a. The more you enjoy your running the more you will want to do it. you probably know lots of ways to make a run, or any run, more enjoyable.

6. What you also need is realism and to learn to be flexible.

a. You just need to keep your mind near your feet. It’s easy to think you can do more than you can – you often feel strong and invincible. Relax.

b. And things will happen that you can’t control. Adapt. Keeping thinking.

For more on all these issues <click here>