The Mental Toolbox Series: Intro

I was putting much effort into my training to be ready on race day. I was focused to be the best prepared I can be.

I tried to train smart. I increased volume gradually. I hit every intensity over a season. I did strength work. I ate well. I did the things you should do to arrive healthy at the start line.

Once race day came, it all didn’t matter.

My mind was somewhere else. I had the worst race.

It’s easy to focus on clearly visible objectives. Increasing your volume is tangible. You understand that more running equals more fitness (most of the time).

In ultra running everybody always tells you how much of the race is mental. Yet, when I ask other runners what their mental preparation looks like I often see blank faces, shrugging shoulders and something like: “I run long and get through it”, or “I finish my hard intervals even though I don’t want to”.

We all know it’s important. Yet, in a hierarchy of what is important for a great performance, it doesn’t appear on the list for most.

Let me tell you a secret: There are many things I added to my training and nothing was as impactful as working on the quality of my thinking.

That’s why I’m so hooked on the topic. It’s not hard. It’s not black magic. Sure it’s elusive, but once you find yourself in trouble during your goal race and your thinking is productive, clear and precise you will fully understand it.

Even if you never have a bad race, mental training can enhance your performance.

It can do many things for you:

• Help you get the best out of your race no matter the result

• Prepare you to strive in adversity

• Have drive that is rooted so deeply in your values that you question the concept of motivation

• Be able to focus on what is important in every moment

• Stand with confidence and calm on the starting line of each race

• Improve your downhill skills without training one additional minute out on the trail

• Find joy in everyday training so that races are just one highlight on a record of exciting days

• Don’t be attached to the opinion of others and express your true self

• And many more…

With all that being said there are a few techniques, mental frameworks and practices that you can take on that will improve your training, races and your quality of life.

That's why I want to introduce the Mental Toolbox Series. Over the coming weeks, you will improve your mental game with just a few minutes a week.

I will introduce a new concept every week. The only thing you have to do is spend some time working on the mentioned concept. It doesn’t get easier. The idea is to go from broad to specific over time. That means that the first few weeks will focus on laying the groundwork. Later weeks will focus on specific techniques.

Based on my experience I will share with you what had the biggest impact for me and helped me the most in my races and everyday training. That being said, there are a lot of techniques that you can learn and use. Some will work great for you, some will not.

I, for example, strive with clear mantras that I can repeat in the face of adversity. You might not resonate with the idea of repeating a phrase over and over again. I have one ask.

Try each technique. Keep what resonates. Let go of what not.

We all have different backgrounds, experiences and values. They have an impact on what you are open to and what not. I will do my best to share why certain techniques work and how they can help you in different situations. I often find myself open to new things when I fully understand why they work. You are maybe the same.

Either way, I hope you are giving them a go and experiencing the positive impact they have on your life. I hope I made a strong enough case for it! Mental preparation in our sport is equally important to your physical training.

This will be quite an exhaustive series, so if you feel it has an impact on your life I would be thankful for you sharing it with other runners. Thanks!

Hope I see you again next week!

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If at any point during this series you have questions, ideas or feedback let me know. This shouldn’t be a one way street. If you need help, or want to learn more about a topic always feel free to reach out. I wouldn’t write this series if I want to scream into the void!