Going Mental (Part 2)

Back to running for a few moments..

It is hard to convey the mental difficulty presented in running an ultra. As with the physical challenge, the mental effort increases exponentially with time. It is not a linear increase or simple matter of "keeping it together" till the end.

As early as the training runs right up till the finish line, the mental obstacles appear non-stop and it is a constant struggle to deal with them.

There are so many other things I could be doing right now.
That was far enough.
I don't belong here with these people.
I didn't train enough.
I didn't recover enough.
I didn't drink/eat/sleep enough.
Maybe today is just not my day
My feet hurt.
My legs feel like cement.
My stomach hurts.
I think there's something wrong with my knee.
I don't need this in my life right now.

First of all, when things are good this is all furthest from the mind; which is exactly the way it should stay as long as possible. How do you do that? Simple - run your own race. Run your pace not someone else's. Stick with your strategy and listen to your body for making adjustments to that strategy. Remember that part of listening to your body is what your body has told you in the past as well. (what works and what doesn't work; what happens when you've gone out too hard, gotten dehydrated, etc.. )

Staving off mental obstacles by feeling good should get you approximately half way if you've put in the physical preparation, but inevitably things will get tough and those first few realizations also need to be accepted and embraced and not allowed to turn into doubts. At this point it is a simple matter to think about how great it is to be healthy and strong and able bodied when there are so many people who are not so fortunate. Maybe you are even running specifically for a cause (large or small) Maybe you have thought about dedicating a run to someone battling cancer or other debilitating disease. Think about how they struggle through weeks of treatment or therapy which are MUCH more grueling than any ultra-marathon.

If focusing on the dedication of others does not get you through to the end, chances are you are going to turn to a self-motivated approach for the final stage of the mental battle....