Mind games
Running is such a psychological game, but despite this, how much mental training do we do? Before 2017’ s Lavaredo Ultra Trail, I read Matt Fitzg er al d’ sHowb ad do you want it? ( Aurum Press). It’s a fascinating insight into sports psychology and it gave me more confidence. Previously, when I’d seen an elite athlete in a race, I’d felt like an imposter. At Lavaredo, I started to believe that, maybe, just maybe, I was as good as some of them. I had my first top- 10 placing in an Ultra-trail World Tour race and I carried the same ‘ I can be as good as them’ mentality into UTMB.
The Brave Athlete ( Velopress) by Simon Marshall and Lesley Paterson has also proved helpful . Their fundamental message is ‘ courage’: ‘ Perusing a brave life as an athlete is far more rewarding to emotional health, and certainly a lot more exhilarating, than life lived in the comfort zone,’ they write. ‘ Selfconfidence is the athletic wonder drug, and the most important way to develop it is by having a personal success story to draw upon. Success doesn’t mean winning or handing out a curve-graded kick-ass, but getting up when you’re down.’
Mental toughness is a huge asset, in life and in ultrarunning. I don’t know if I have it, but I tell myself that I do. In training, I’ll set myself minor challenges to prove to myself that I’m psychologically strong, even if it’s just one more hill rep or one more lunge. That said, there are times when it’s beneficial to take a full break from running. One thing I’d previously neglected was a healthy balance between family, work and running. At times, I’ve under- prioritised my wife and children, which has led to tension, unhappiness and – because my head wasn’t in a happy place – substandard training and racing. I perform better when I’m happy – we all do, surely. To be happy, I know I need to feel supported and loved. To get that feeling, I have to give it, too. So spending quality time with those closest to me, even if the shared activity is nothing directly to do with running, still contributes towards making me a better runner.