Do Not Get Distracted Before Competition: Mental Attributes of Elite Runners #8/15
#8 — Do not get distracted before competition.
Jean-Paul Sartre wrote the mind is nothing. Literally, No Thing.
Buddha said, “The Mind is everything. You think what you become.”
They’re both correct.
The mind becomes what you put in it. It goes where you send it. And where the mind goes, the body will follow.
Mindfulness is a current hot topic. There are apps, Youtube videos, podcasts, books, gurus, etc. all geared to help the consumer be in the present moment and be mindful. While well-intended, none of these work. You don’t need to consume anything to become mindful, quite the opposite.
Zazen, or walking zazen, is a Buddhist method of meditation. It’s about relaxing, letting go, and losing yourself in the doing of the thing. No emotion, no ego, no effort. Just doing. Chop wood, carry water.
When we’re completely involved in an activity for its own sake, the ego falls away and time flies. You enter the coveted flow state.
When the top elite runners run, they run, they don’t worry. It sounds simple, and it is, but it is not easy. For most of us, the pull of the monkey mind, or ego, is strong. It distracts and seduces us to get off task and worry — which derails our efforts in the moment.
Mike Smith, the Director of NAU XC/TF, coaches his runners to know the difference between “On Task” and “Off Task” thinking. During practice, he encourages his runners to be aware of when their mind shifts off task, away from the moment and the running, to something else. Then use that recognition as a trigger to reengage and return back to “On Task” thinking about the task at hand.
It’s a simple and highly effective practice. What Coach Smith is doing is forming habits, thoughts, and behaviors that will significantly help his runners on race day.
At a race, most runners on the starting line are physically fit. They’ve done the physical labor to condition their bodies to meet the task demands of running the race distance and a given competitive speed. However, few are mentally fit enough to handle the racing experience in its entirety.
It’s why races are not simply contests of who has the best plumbing and physiological lab values.
The “mental game” matters and is a difference-maker on race day. Going into competition, elite runners are focused on what counts and disregard everything that does not. Off Task thinking detracts from our energy and emotional bandwidth, whereas On Task thoughts serve to keep us focus, grounded, and primed for achieving our highest level of performance.
Any questions? Direct Message me on twitter.
Thx. | jm