So you are currently injured? First off “get well soon”.
Perhaps you are recovering from a serious injury or you are plagued by one of those on-off aches and pains that just happen sometimes.
I am pretty sure you have found a lot of advice on what alternatives you can do to stay in shape. Mind you even if you are on crutches there are suitable exercise to keep you active. As though walking with crutches already is not hard enough.
Fact of the matter is… whilst you are not running, or not ale to do the mileage you are used to, what goes on in your head might be more important.
Well actually, you know that already.
Its just many runners don’t know how to train their brain, or how to change their state. But actually there is a bright side, because during your down time, you finally have the opportunity to really investigate this topic.
Look, either you currently cannot run at all, or your injury requires you to run less. Fact of the matter is, you have more time available than before.
So how are you going to use it?
Gain some weight?
Get frustrated?
Share your frustrations with others?
Doubt yourself if you will ever be able to “come back” as a runner?
The list could go on and on, couldn’t it.
During this time starting the habit of mental training will have a double effect. One, it will help you overcome this down time in a more positive state of mind, and second, it will ensure that when you are fit again, you have felt the benefit of your new mind-set and attitude.
You can avoid the post injury comparison… what good will that do you? Pondering over “what might have been” How about building yourself a new perspective on your running as a whole.
You already know the steps you need to do to improve. Be it speed work, hill repeats, or simply start a routine of stretching. Its obvious to you, but there must be a big reason you haven’t paid attention to these points in the past.
So what’s holding you back? I mean why are you not doing the things you know you should be doing?
Simple, they are not a priority to you, and running can be done with bare minimums. Means no matter how bad your times are, or how short your run distances have become, you are still a runner. Who cares if your marathon time dropped and dropped, or if you haven’t participated in a 10K because you felt everyone zoomed past you?
Well, it might just be time to re-asses how you see yourself as a runner. Because you love it too much to leave it completely. But somehow the drive is missing, that inner motivation.
Redefining yourself means marking out the boundaries or limits.
Do you have a picture of yourself in your mind’s eye of how you are running? Of how you are training? Your running gear on, those fancy shoes you bought, heading off on your favourite route. Do you see yourself with a powerful posture or as it perhaps happens sometimes, bad form, struggling?
By shaping a imagine in your mind, you can then go and change this and make it how you want it to be. How you want to be as a runner.
And the benefit thereof? Well, seeing is believing and once you start creating new images in your mind you will have a stronger vision that will ensure you dedicate time and resources. Because it will be a intrinsic motivation that gets you up and running.
To then use the power of self hypnosis will take time. Sorry, no quick fix here. We will leave that to the running magazines, they need to make a sale so they will promise you that 3 easy steps to success.
Actually once you have learnt how to hypnotise yourself, it is a quick easy and fun tool to use. And will ensure that once you are back to your running form, you will be stronger and more resilient than before.
Get well soon…
Take it easy.