Mental preparation

“Good resolutions” for next year 2022?

Only worked moderately for me. In February of each year at the latest, the beautiful thoughts, ideas, goals, wishes, aspirations and resolutions were forgotten. It has always been a challenge for me to stick to a project in the long term. Of course I asked myself why is that? What do i have to change? And my personal insight is that it should be a goal, a project that fulfills you. You have to know why you are doing something.

What motivates me, what is an affair of the heart? What do I enjoy?

It is always okay to have a “good” resolution, especially if there is a clearly defined goal behind it. What do I want to have achieved by when?

A clear goal sets action in motion. Noted in writing, it increases one's own obligation; that is, so to speak, an “inner contract” with oneself. The look in the mirror counts!

If I know what I want then it has helped me to clearly describe the goal, to visualize it.

Then I asked myself what skills do I need to implement it? Which habits do I have to change or develop?

James Clear describes in his book "The 1% Method" how habits can be changed in small steps and how the potential can be used to achieve your goals. In this way, anyone can achieve what they want with minimal effort and without great effort or effort. Sounds very simple too.

You first have to be aware of which habits you have and which new habits contribute to the defined goal. With the minimal change of habits, the set goals can be achieved.

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December 2021

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Can you prepare "mentally" for a run?

Yes, of course, and it's actually really fun!

Basically, for me, every practice run is a preparatory run. When I run even three miles, I use my “mental tool kit”. So I practice my mental alignment with every single run.

An exception is when I cannot run or train at all due to an injury. But even in such a situation you can prepare your desired run and run through it in your mind.

What experiences have I had so far?

How important are thoughts in running? How do I stay motivated on long runs? These questions have always preoccupied me.

I have had different experiences over the years. On my first 24-hour run, my thoughts literally got lost after 14 hours. I didn't have a strategy and just got tired and frustrated.

Thoughts like “what's the point?” Don't really help in such situations.

The result was that I stopped and took a very long break. My goal - to run 160 kilometers - was far from being achieved at the time.

I was “mentally” prepared for the 160 mile run. The last four hours I ran even faster than the previous 17 hours. Together with my coach from Switzerland, Marjeta Gurtner, I worked out a concept, a tool kit that accompanied me over this 21-hour run.

Basically, I am convinced that every thought is an energy. An energy that comes back to you.

How do I prepare myself mentally for a run and what does that bring me?

Keyword route strategy. How is the underground? Concrete or bike path or forest path?

Is there a height profile for the run on the respective homepage? Where and when do the climbs come or in which section can I catch my breath?

It is helpful to have a pace strategy, to subdivide the route and to have an idea of when and in what time you will go through the milestones you have set yourself.

It is also helpful to have a break strategy. How often and how long do I want to stop?

I work a lot with breath energy. I can direct this energy into my legs, for example, and imagine that my legs are light.

I ran the 100 mile run mentally months in advance. How does it feel at KM 35/70/100 ... at the finish? I imagine that very vividly. So I get a lot of anticipation for the run.

Basically, it is important to build security in advance.

What are the “mental” stumbling blocks for me before and during a run?

Before a competition I have a certain idea of performance. Impression. Can I do it in the scheduled time? Do I hold out? Will the calf hold? Can I keep up the route? I have to qualify ...

I have identified two challenges for myself here: on the one hand, it is to cope with time pressure (also due to cut-off times or qualification times) and on the other hand, it is important to have stamina.

Here I work a lot with energy images. There are images of animals that I visualize and use.

I imagine the strengths and the characteristics. With every practice run I put myself in a certain picture of the animal. For the first 100 kilometers, my wolf helped me stay light-footed and focused. In the second part of the route, i.e. the remaining 60 kilometers, I imagined a polar bear that kept me strong.

An eagle supported me on the climbs. He pulled me up. When the night went on, a white owl flew with me.

With the time pressure, it was one of those things with the 100 mile run. There was a lot of addiction. I looked at my Garmin watch very, very often and it tended to slow down. I had the feeling that constantly looking at the clock (how fast is my pace / pulse, what kilometer am I now?) Was draining energy. In the end I took the watch off after 17 hours and only kept running with my internal clock. Suddenly I had less pressure and could concentrate on the essentials again, the running.

I would also like to briefly mention tarnishing after breaks: at some point your body will rust. I always notice this when I stop at the break to have a drink or when I have planned to change my shoes or clothes. When I start again, I use a lot of energy physically, but above all mentally. It is almost an act of strength to get back on your feet and into the rhythm. This was helped by repeating mantras while running. I keep repeating words that I can relate to. So my body and my thoughts get used to a kind of rhythm, a kind of pulse and a dynamic that helps me get going again.

What do I think when it gets really difficult?

Accept the situation. It is as it is. The practice runs weren't all great either. But it went on and on. Every practice run, no matter how difficult it, passed at some point. I have had critical phases in many training units.

It'll be better to go through with it.

After the run

There are always opportunities for optimization. The only question is whether you want to do everything better every time, or whether you are satisfied with what you have achieved. I think everyone has to answer this question for themselves. However, it certainly makes sense to continue to hone your strengths and avoid situations that did not help you.

Toolbox / toolbox

+ Energy images

+ Visualization techniques

+ Breathing techniques

+ Power words / power cry

+ Power music

+ Self-talk

+ Mantras

+ Affirmations

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April 2021

If you can manage the 100 kilometers in the targeted time, the Spartathlon is within your grasp. All you have to do is pass the Taubertal Run and the next trip would be to Greece. Before the 100 kilometers on July 17th you could build up tension again. Will you make it And if not: what then? Therefore: fear of failure and a winning mentality before the penultimate big hurdle.

Internal attitude
I am going into the next 100 km run with a lot of humility and gratitude. Thankful because I have been able to complete all training runs in a healthy way so far and humble because it means a certain strain on my body (and mind).

There's always some risk involved in such long runs (and in this case it's almost 13 hours). However, there is also a certain attraction in this. Since the 100 on July 17th is a private run (and not an official competition), I have a small window of options if it shouldn't work for an important reason (e.g. health). Then I would switch to the following weekend. From a purely regenerative point of view, I still have enough lead time to properly prepare for the October run (Taubertal). But, July 17th, 21st remains the target date.

I see this run as a stage run. Embedded in the big picture. I concentrate 100% on this run without losing sight of my big goal, my vision of the “Spartathlon”.
In the meantime I have run this distance over 100 km twice. I already know a little what to expect. However, I do not rest on it but concentrate on all eventualities that can arise during such a long run.

In addition to a certain work ethic, after all, there are up to four training runs per week (and that since last November), you also need the necessary discipline and ambition to ultimately tackle or complete the units.

The bottom line is a positive mindset helps, but if the meaningfulness is not consistent or is questioned, then the implementation of such long runs becomes difficult.
So I need to know why I'm doing this. In my case, I enjoy it. I am interested when I come to a limit.

At the same time, the journey is also the goal for me. I learn every run, step by step. That inspires me. I feel in harmony with myself, have body, mind and soul together.

I also enjoy the development, i.e. the specific preparation, for the respective stage run, I can learn so much, including about myself.

Focus & Concentration
For months I have been focusing all my performance on this date in summer in order to call up my personal best and to qualify for the Taubertal run over 100 miles in October.
That motivates me, that aligns me.
All activities related to nutrition, training plan, regeneration (even vaccination), equipment are coordinated and coordinated. I took a closer look at the mental training with the aim of gaining control over all eventualities.
It is said that in a marathon about 80% is physical and 20% is mental. For longer runs beyond that, the ration quickly shifts to 50% / 50%.
One is afraid of the unpredictable, of what seems uncontrollable. I would like to avoid and reduce this.

The mental training
I run the 100 km run in my head every day. I know the route. The individual refreshment points, the individual stages of the run. I have been feeling my way through this run every single day for months and imagine it as I go through the individual key points.
I set up a mental tool box. With every run I practice individual aspects such as energy images, affirmations, trigger words, breathing, visualization, music, self-talk.
 
However, for me, not everything fits together in every single training run.
If, for example, I am unable to concentrate and after about 30 km ask myself whether I should run this distance three times again ... then I automatically stop. Especially when I imagine running the whole thing 6 times or even more often. Then I block, my thoughts immediately reach nowhere. These thoughts are counterproductive.

In my opinion, however, that has nothing to do with fear.

A fear of not making the run.

A fear of not being up to the challenge.

Or in other words, having a fear of failure.

Which distinction comes closer in the context of success or achievement of goals? Personally, I differentiate between "knowledge and preparation" vs. "lack of concentration and naivete".

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Key messages

• Mental training is a bundle of methods that contribute to life-affirming personality development!

• the golden rule: either harness the subconscious or lose it

• mental training when you are fine!

• mental strength = new potential + ability - disorder

• Trust and serenity are siblings

• pretend

• Chain breaks where the link is weakest

• Happiness is nothing more than the progressive realization of a goal worth striving for!

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The Laws of Thought

We have around 60,000 thoughts a day. 

What is the basic order of thinking, what are the laws of thinking?

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Thoughts are magnetic

• Thoughts have their own quality

• this quality comes back, this quality works

• Like attracts like

• It is the law of attraction

• Thoughts become things

Concentration creates reinforcement

• an effect is created through focus

• where I direct my thoughts my life energy flows

Repetition creates reinforcement

• where I direct my attention my energy flows

• that's what I draw into my life

Thoughts create feelings

• our feelings let us know what we think!

• negative thoughts = negative feelings = negative energies

• positive thoughts = positive feelings = positive energies

Mind hygiene

• Self-talk: what do I do with my body?

• Thought stop: what am I thinking right now, do these thoughts bring me further?

• Organize with the power of thoughts and words!