Mental Block

 Edit: Check out my Rock and Roll Savannah Marathon Recap and how I did in my first 1/2 marathon!



It's no secret that I'm terrified of this upcoming half marathon. Or that I'm 100% sure that I'm not ready for it but like the psychic that Active.com is, I received an email this morning titled "5 mental tips for 1/2 marathon training".

Reading through it I was shaking my head "yes" a lot. My brain is my biggest enemy when it comes to running. I'm constantly having a battle with it and then thank the good Lord when I hit that mental block.

Here are a few things that stuck out while reading:

Take "quit" out of the equation. "Training for a race isn't just about the physical challenge; it's about your ability to stick with a regimen and see it through," said Rankin. "Quitting is not an option. Don't worry if your training isn't perfect—it almost certainly won't be. This is as much about your adaptability and resilience as anything else."
Do you know how often I've wanted to just quit? Or how many times I've needed a kick in the ass from Rachel? She's the only one to yell at me so I go to her. haha It's amazing how different things get once you remove this word from your vocabulary. 

Remember the big Why. Keep your eye on your motivation, Rankin says. "Remind yourself daily why you want to do this." This is about personal achievement and accomplishment. "Every day, think, even visualize, how good you will feel when you have achieved your goal, and what that will mean to you," he said.
This is something that I have to constantly remind myself. Pretty much every 5 mins. If you had asked me a few years ago if I'd ever run in a 1/2 marathon. I would have looked at you like you had 10 heads. NEVER in my life did I imagine or WANT to do this before. This is HUGE to me to now though. Ask me if I'll ever run a full marathon though? Yeah..you'll still have ten heads.

Keep perspective. Even after hearing all of this, still have some lingering self-doubt? Remember that you're not the first person to tackle this training or chased this goal. "Think about all the other people— some of whom have less ability and more limitations than you—who have successfully completed the same level of training," Rankin said. It all boils down to this: If they can do it, so can you.
Lindsey posted a really good blog post about keeping things in perspective. There are TONS of people who can't run or do run & have bigger obstacles than I do. I have to remind myself this often and remind myself not to take it for granted.

 

   I can't wait until November 5th where I can post "I've ran 13.1 miles this morning. What have you done?" :)

Happy Monday Y'all!