inner critic

The mental vs the physical

This morning was a mental run – you know the kind where you can’t get out of your own head….where the suck monkey is in full voice, strong and clear…where you are bargaining with yourself almost from the first step (just run to the mailbox, telephone pole, next song, etc.)

Yeah – it was that kind of run this morning.

In truth, more than a few of my runs have been like this lately. The runs have had very little to do with my physical side – the legs have been more than willing to go. Just can’t seem to get out of my own way at the moment. I know the heat and humidity of the past two weeks has certainly not helped…but it’s not all about the weather.

I am really looking forward to my fall race schedule but it is becoming increasingly clear to me to have the outcomes I want in the fall, I’ve got to spend more time training the one muscle I need above all else – my brain.

How do you mentally get yourself on the right track?

Part coach, part therapist

I had my bi-weekly call with Coach Bennett this morning and as he listened to me recount my runs of the past two weeks he made the observation that he sensed that I have a “strong inner critic” He felt I wasn’t giving myself enough credit for the level of running I’d been doing, especially in heat and humidity….in so many words, I need to give myself a break.

I am definitely a perfectionist and can be fairly tough on myself – it was interesting to me that it was coming through so clearly to Bennett over the phone line. As we talked about the upcoming weeks in the training plan, it occurred to me that his role as coach will be as much about getting my head in the right place and building confidence as it is in helping me hit the right paces.

Many of us can be our own worst critic so the question is, how do you quiet that critic when it comes to your running?