• Main
  • Sport
  • How to deal with brain fatigue on long distances: my methods
Back
How To Cope With Brain Boredom On Long Distances: My Ways
alt
Julia
The most difficult thing for me on long runs is not heavy legs, stiff muscles and aching feet. And communication with the Voice-in-the-head, which persuades to stop. All in all, this fellow is a representative of a well-developed instinct for self-preservation. It is not easy to negotiate with him - he is cunning, dexterous, a quick learner and constantly improving. For runners with similar mental problems, I share my methods that help to silence or at least temporarily silence the Voice-in-the-head.
The most pleasant moment

1. Preparation for long training

As before the competition minus the introduction. Think about drinking, food, clothes. get some sleep There is no lard, heavy and fatty food, but eat in sufficient quantity. It is more important to look at the plan and not to do long killing intervals (a favorite rake) on the eve of a long one, if it is not planned that way. Any bug in well-being greatly increases the chances of the Voice to achieve its goal.

2. Route in one circle or there and back

The idea with several laps (for example, 5 km each) looks attractive: you can not carry water on yourself, but hide it in the bushes; lay the route in a safe place, in case of injury there is an opportunity to get off.
In fact, it turns out that if you run hard, and there is an opportunity to get off, then this thing in your head becomes unbearable. From the latest developments: reasoning in a persuasive coaching tone from the series: "You're still barely shaking, not running. There is no training effect from this, only violence against the body. It's better to run somehow afterwards with quality."
With one lap, there are no options for how to catch up even with a carcass, even with a stuffed animal, then this bastard is silent. I'll be honest, without it, fatigue and heavy legs are perceived somehow more calmly, it's morally easier to finish the distance without constantly fighting with yourself.

3. Exercises with numbers

I never run 32 km - it's too much, and it doesn't fit in my head. Just run 16 and then come back. 16 - an absolutely strong, easy distance.
In fact, it is only 16 km and back
For 3 km of a 35-kilometer run, I don't think that there are 32 left - it's a bit of a stretch. The countdown starts only when there are less than ten left, ie. trifle.
I don't run the entire distance at once, but only run to the next familiar landmark - to the bridge, to the turn, to the end of the embankment, etc.
At first glance, it seems like nonsense, because the distance from this does not decrease by a single meter. But it really helps not to panic about the numbers.

4. Checking of systems

Is the pulse and breathing normal? Legs-arms in working condition? No dehydration-starvation? Nothing hurts? So, everything is fine, there are no reasons to stop.
Important point: discomfort from fatigue and pain are different concepts. Everyone himself knows where the line between them is, and it makes no sense to engage in self-deception. I don't run because of pain - this is the reason to stop immediately.

5. Inspection of equipment

I go through the list:
  • looking forward, not down
  • relaxed shoulders
  • straight posture
  • slightly tense press
  • relaxed hands, right angle at the elbow
  • landing neatly and quietly on the front of the foot under the center of gravity
  • walk more often with your feet (you can also count the cadence, the optimal one is 180 steps per minute, 90 for each leg)
Such a checklist, firstly, distracts from unnecessary thoughts, secondly, it is possible to correct something, and therefore, it is a little more economical to run away. You can also do exercises for running technique.
I check and correct running technique several times

6. Switching to the outside

This method does not work very well in the forest or park, but it is well suited for city routes, where there is a constant engine around, and for competitions. The idea is to completely switch to the external environment - to observe people, notice some scenes, consider details. During long races, there is even more space for observation - you can read funny inscriptions on T-shirts, smile at supporters, collect statistics for popular manufacturers of running shoes, analyze someone else's running technique, etc.

7. Any Considerations and Visualizations

Sometimes an interesting topic for reflection saves - and you don't have to argue with the Voice, and useful ideas come to mind. But the stronger the fatigue, the more difficult it is to concentrate, the thoughts jump, and some people are bound to start whining.
Another option is to imagine yourself somewhere at the finish line of a marathon. They say that there is a lot of benefit from such visualizations.

8. Running in the company

Finding a pace partner for a long run is a method that works well. Time passes faster with light chatter, and you never have to talk to the Voice-in-the-head. Even if you keep silent and just run alongside, it is equally easier, because less immersed in yourself.

9. Taboo topic

How are you even going to run a marathon? Now it's a miserable 27 kilometers, the pace is like a turtle, and you're nowhere. A it's 42 there and you have to run a minute faster." And everything is in this spirit, the most favorite topic of the Voice-in-the-head. At some point it became clear that it must be strictly stopped, otherwise the right mood can be forgotten. To begin with, it helped to understand the theoretical part in detail and to understand how it is possible to run faster and further in a marathon than in training (I will try to share it in one of the records). At the slightest attempt to break the topic, I immediately shut him up, sometimes with the use of obscene language? Surprisingly, it helps.
Read more: