Train Your Brain For Running
Visualization and reciting positive mantras? Yes, but there is so much more that we can do to train the brain
Ever since I started running consistently, about four months ago, I’ve realized that I’m only able to run the run that I plan to run. That is, if I plan to run for an hour, I can run for an hour, and like-wise if I plan to run a half-marathon distance, that is what I’ll do. No matter the distance I’ve got planned, once I get close to the end of my run, I know that there’s not much chance of me going any further, even if my legs still feel fresh.
Initially, I found this confusing, but interesting. At the 4K mark of a 5K run, I think to myself I feel pretty good. I don’t have anything else to do when I get home. I could do a few extra kilometers. But just like that, as soon as my watch tells me I’ve hit the 5K mark, I come to a halt and stop my watch. I’m done.
I can only complete the runs I’ve mentally prepared myself for.
Ah! That makes sense.
Without realizing it, I had been practicing a form of visualization ever since I started running. Before most runs, I plan out my route on Strava. That way I know how far I’m running, where to go, and the elevation profile. Simply by using the route-building tool on Strava…
