Mental Toughness

One of my favourite quotes from @on.zap.endurance is “the mind is the athlete” and I feel it couldn’t be more true. Pushing through that psychological wall can be one of the hardest things a runner has to do. Whether you’re trying to maintain a tough pace, or you’re pounding the pavement on a long run, or you’re scaling your efforts back after an injury. Often, it’s our heads that get in the way of what our bodies are capable of.

For me, mental training came in during yesterday’s long run. It was not a particularly long or difficult run, but I found myself feeling frustrated. My heart rate wasn’t where I wanted it to be, and my pace felt sluggish at best. Rather than let the feeling fester, I acknowledged what was happening and how my mental state was impacting the run. The second half went a lot better.

Not every run is the best run. But this is part of the training, and I came out mentally stronger at the end of it.