Blog
Recognizing Irrational Thoughts in Training
Many runners are Type A personalities who struggle with seeking perfectionism within a sport that is difficult to control. For serious runners, depression and anxiety can play a significant role, especially when factors outside of their control such as bad weather, injury, or a poor race performance. In some instances, these setbacks can lead to a downward mental and emotional spiral, marred by irrational thinking. Recognizing these irrational thoughts and replacing them with rational ones is crucial for the mental well being of the athlete.
Training
The mental aspect of training is just as important as the physical side, but is often overlooked. However, the way that training is approached from an irrational and rational perspective can have many implications on how a runner performs. A common occurrence is to experience a bad workout and allow the incident to spiral into thoughts of being slow, out of shape, overweight, or washed up. When a runner lets these thoughts consume him or her, decreased confidence and even self-fulfilling prophecies of poor race performance is the result. Instead of immediately resorting to these irrational thoughts, a runner should approach workouts as rationally as possible, realizing that they simply provide the runner with data. For instance, instead of assuming a bad workout is a sign of impending doom, factors such as diet, sleep, stress, and training fatigue should be analyzed before jumping to conclusions.
Racing
Runners can succumb to irrational thoughts as a result of races, such as in the days leading up to a big race. Often, runners convince themselves they no longer want to compete, despite months or even years of training. Worrying about performance, comparing themselves to others, feeling pressure to succeed, and being concerned about embarrassment or letting others down are all common irrationalities. Instead, runners should remind themselves why they enjoy racing, and look at the big picture—including the fact that running performance is not equivalent to personal worth. A second important factor is to only worry about controlling the controllables, meaning to ignore uncontrollable aspects, such as race weather, opponents, or external pressure.
Recovery
Runners are notoriously bad at recovery because they are not good at taking time off. Instead of irrationally believing that fitness will be lost when taking time to heal, runners should realize that recovery is one of the most important components of training and that fitness gains cannot be made if the body is not given time to properly rest.
Running Alone vs. Running in a Group: Which Do You Prefer?
For many runners, the tendency to follow the same routine day in and day out is strong. We have the same routes, same workouts, same paces and same races that we like to run on a daily, monthly and yearly basis. We also have preferences for whether we run alone or with friends, and rarely reevaluate these decisions. However, there are advantages to adding variety to your routine and the benefits of running alone versus with others should be weighed, especially if you’re looking for gains in performance.
Running Alone
Many runners choose to run by themselves because they use running as an escape or simply wish to unplug from the world around them with as few distractions as possible. There are many advantages of this approach:
No Pressure
Some runners do not excel in a group environment because they have a difficult time focusing on themselves, instead of others. When alone, there is no one to compare yourself to; no one to push you too hard during practice and no one to distract you from your thoughts. These are especially important considerations when returning from injury, as running in a group can often cause a runner to push him or herself through pain and slow down the healing process.
No Distractions
Sometimes, running alone is simply what we crave. Everyone has days where we need time to get lost in our thoughts or be one with nature. When we feel like the world is resting on our shoulders, having a running partner talk idly about his or her day can be less than welcome.
More Flexibility
When running alone we only have to answer to ourselves. Want to watch another episode on Netflix before heading out the door? No problem! Have a job with an unpredictable schedule that makes running at routine times difficult? Running alone avoids the hassle of having to find a time that works for everyone.
Complete Customization
Nothing is more frustrating than getting into the middle of a run with a good pace, but feeling guilty about dropping your running partner. On the flip side, when you aren’t feeling great but your running partner keeps picking up the pace, it can be difficult to admit to needing to slow down. Running alone helps you avoid these situations.
Running in a Group
Now that the advantages of running solo have been discussed, what about the benefits of running in a group?
Safety
Running alone, especially at night or on trails, can be dangerous. A number of incidents can occur, such as getting hit by a car, being physically assaulted, getting attacked by an animal, or suffering an injury and becoming stranded. Running in a group not only minimizes the chance of these occurrences, but can prevent them altogether.
Networking
Runners are a unique bunch of people who can easily be misunderstood. Running in groups is a great way to build a social network and can lead to interesting business relationships, as well.
More Fun
Unless you truly dislike socializing with other people, running in a group is the best way to have fun while engaging in an activity that you enjoy. Goofy antics, deep conversations or simply having others to draft off of can make a 20 mile run go by fast.
Improvements in Performance
Ever wonder why many elite runners train in groups? The best results often come when we have others to push ourselves to be our best.