Ask most runners what holds them back and they will point at their legs, their lungs, their training block. All of that matters. But anyone who has pushed deep into a hard run knows the truth: long before your body is finished, a voice shows up telling you to stop. How you handle that voice decides a great deal of what happens next.
Running is one of the most mental sports there is. It is also my specialism, and here is how I think about it.
The voice that wants you to stop
Somewhere in a hard effort, a part of your brain starts making its case. It is too much. Slow down. You can always try again another day. In the Chimp Paradox model, this is your chimp, the fast, emotional part of the brain that is trying to protect you from discomfort.
The mistake is treating that voice as the truth, or trying to shout it down by force. Neither works. What works is learning to expect it, understand it, and keep running your own race anyway.
Discomfort is the point, not the problem
Endurance running asks you to sit with discomfort for a long time. Many runners spend the whole effort at war with that feeling, which is exhausting in itself. Drawing on Acceptance Commitment Training (ACT), we work on something different: making room for the discomfort, accepting that it comes with the territory, and staying connected to why you started.
A runner who can allow discomfort, rather than panic at it, has far more left in the tank than one who is fighting it every step.
Train the mind like you train the body
You would not expect to run a personal best off no training. The same is true of the mental side. The skills that hold a race together, staying present, managing the low points, responding when things do not go to plan, are all trainable. We build them in advance, so that on the day they are there when you reach for them.
It is personal, because it always is
I came to this work through my own performance story across several sports, running among them. I know what it is to want something badly and to feel the pressure that comes with it. That is why the work is never generic. It is built around you, your races and your reasons.
Where to start
Whether you are chasing a first finish or a stubborn personal best, the mental side is trainable, and it is often the difference. You can book a free 30 minute call to talk about where you are and where you want to get to, with no pressure and no obligation. nto a hard run knows the truth: long before your body is finished, a voice shows up telling you to stop. How you handle that voice decides a great deal of what happens next.
Running is one of the most mental sports there is. It is also my specialism, and here is how I think about it.
The voice that wants you to stop
Somewhere in a hard effort, a part of your brain starts making its case. It is too much. Slow down. You can always try again another day. In the Chimp Paradox model, this is your chimp, the fast, emotional part of the brain that is trying to protect you from discomfort.
The mistake is treating that voice as the truth, or trying to shout it down by force. Neither works. What works is learning to expect it, understand it, and keep running your own race anyway.
Discomfort is the point, not the problem
Endurance running asks you to sit with discomfort for a long time. Many runners spend the whole effort at war with that feeling, which is exhausting in itself. Drawing on Acceptance Commitment Training (ACT), we work on something different: making room for the discomfort, accepting that it comes with the territory, and staying connected to why you started.
A runner who can allow discomfort, rather than panic at it, has far more left in the tank than one who is fighting it every step.
Train the mind like you train the body
You would not expect to run a personal best off no training. The same is true of the mental side. The skills that hold a race together, staying present, managing the low points, responding when things do not go to plan, are all trainable. We build them in advance, so that on the day they are there when you reach for them.
It is personal, because it always is
I came to this work through my own performance story across several sports, running among them. I know what it is to want something badly and to feel the pressure that comes with it. That is why the work is never generic. It is built around you, your races and your reasons.
Where to start
Whether you are chasing a first finish or a stubborn personal best, the mental side is trainable, and it is often the difference. You can book a free 30 minute call to talk about where you are and where you want to get to, with no pressure and no obligation.
