H
ave you ever suffered
a running injury? Or
talked yourself out of
going for a run because
you know it’ll be tough?
You’re not alone. Avoid these hurdles
and improve your performance by
using the power of your mind, with
these tips from new book Mindful
Thoughts for Runners by Tessa
Wardley (Leaping Hare Press, £6.99).
Avoid injury
‘Running is a balance
between pushing yourself to
your physical limits and being
mindful not to push yourself beyond those
limits. Every runner dreads injury and
having to take time off from running. It is,
therefore, important for runners to have an
awareness of their bodies and when they
are struggling. As you train, you learn how
to push yourself, but you also need to learn
when you are exceeding safe limits and to
respond accordingly. It is a fine line, but the
implications of overtraining and pushing
yourself too far are injuries and illness,
which lead to enforced downtime.’Do a body scan
‘A preventative tool is the
full-body scan, which centres
you in your physical being
and brings you into the present moment.
Carrying out this exercise as you run is a
useful way to come into full awareness,
not only of the moment but also of yourself.
You can review how you’re getting on- areas of physical niggles and the
sensations of running. In this way, you can
identify problems before they develop.
‘As you are running and getting into your
stride, take a moment to focus on each
part of your body in turn. Make a note of
how it feels, the pulse and flow of tension
and relaxation as your body moves. Being
aware of your body when you’re relaxed
and in a rhythm provides a baseline for
comparison with how your body feels when
things start to get tougher. Periodically
throughout your run, revisit this body-
scanning process – recognise how your
body reacts to the different phases of
the run and learn how it responds to the
physical stress as it develops.
‘As your fitness increases, you’ll be
aware of how your body changes; you’ll
also notice the good days and the bad
ones. With this kind of full-body
mindfulness, you will be able to recognise
those days when your body is struggling –
maybe you have a virus or you’re tired –
and you’ll learn that you can be kind to
yourself on those occasions and ease off.
It’s better to ease off and return to a
tougher session next time than to push
hard and risk having to take time off.’Embrace
the pain
‘Runners have an unusual
relationship with pain. The
essence of distance running is that you are
pushing yourself to your physical boundary,
and that involves encountering pain. AsMind
over
matter
Being more aware of your mental
and physical state can help boost your
running performance – here’s how