MENTAL TOUGHNESS
With the gyms being closed during this pandemic, now for the second time, I’ve been running more than usual to maintain my fitness. The other day I had a short, fast run scheduled and I left the house without my music – I know, I know… what was I thinking? Well, it got me thinking about mental toughness near the end of that run because, boy, was I suffering. A gasping, wheezing, lung burning kind of suffering. It’s one thing to hit the red zone during a workout when you have a coach pushing you and loud music driving you, but it’s entirely another thing to hit and stay in the red on your own with nothing but your thoughts. Here are three things that came mind during that workout:
1. Mental toughness, and by that I mean digging deep for a workout, isn’t something you need to accomplish every day. Your weekly or monthly workout schedule should have variety with long slow efforts, moderate efforts, and high intensity efforts. You need not awake your inner beast every single day. If you do, it will likely result in overtraining, poor sleep, injury, or other manifestations.
2. Just do it. Quite literally, don’t give yourself a chance to talk yourself out of putting the work in. If you’re a morning person, great, get the workout done early. If not, be sure to stay true to your word and do what you said you would. Related to this, if your goal was to push hard, then push hard. Don’t start whining and pull back just because it’s uncomfortable. Nobody gets better without discomfort. You can do it. Be strong.
3. You know that feeling you get when you’re in class and the coach walks near you? You push a little harder, you pound out extra reps knowing that they’re right there watching. Next time you’re in a tough workout try putting a coach on your shoulder. Sometimes I put Danielle on my shoulder and she says ‘Looking good!’ or ‘Hang in there!’. When I run by Dave and Kim’s place I think ‘strong and tall!’ in case they see me through their window. Find a mantra or imagine someone cheering for you to get you through the tough bits.
Mental toughness for workouts shouldn’t be a daily thing, but it should be a thing in your life if you want to get stronger. It’s in every single one of us, but how to tap into it is different for everyone. Find what works for you, no matter how strange it may be, and let the suffering begin!