As a coach of endurance athletes, I am often asked about strategies to improve focus/concentration during loooooong runs and rides. I’ve already written about the strategy of Chunking, and another useful strategy is to play the role of being your own color commentator throughout the workout! In other words, you can treat the run as if you’re out there with imaginary opponents, and it’s a practical way to practice positive self-talk, as well as to add an element of fun!
You’re already talking to yourself in some way, shape, or form when you’re running, right? Certainly. So why not spice it up! I first started using this tactic with my friend and cycling buddy Brian many years ago when we did 3-5 hour bike rides together out in the middle of nowhere in the sticks of VA/MD. The invention of portable music players has since changed the game, but back in the day, we didn’t have that technology. Either way, when cycling with someone else, you tend not to bring your music with you. So, I would entertain us both by doing my best impersonations of the Tour de France commentators, Phil Liggett and Bob Roll, as we had to pass the time somehow while climbing hills, staring at trees, and inevitably getting lost on occasion (‘twas no GPS tech either).
The commentary kept the training fun, but I also started to see common themes emerge once I kept this up on occasion during my solo run training. I noticed that it helped keep me positive, as I could create positive self-talk at any point in the workout to help me push through to the end. When training each week can otherwise become monotonous, this is a way to generate some excitement! Even on the days I wasn’t feeling my A-game, I could still pretend that “everyone else on the course is suffering too, yet I’m still having a solid day and/or winning the race, etc.” Therefore, I mostly used this fun tactic toward the end of my workouts, when I was more likely to need a mental boost. But the possibilities are endless.
Give it a shot. Be creative, have fun, give it your own flavor, add an accent too if you like. Any time you pass a runner who is going in the same direction, you can make them part of the story, as if you’ve passed one of the current leaders. Another example pertains to your out-and-back runs…if you’ve already hit the turnaround point, then any runners heading the opposite direction can spark commentary to add a blurb about how they’re behind you in the race and they’ve yet to hit the turnaround point of the course. You can even turn it into the overly (overly) melodramatic NBC-style coverage we are bombarded with during the Olympics. It’ll also allow you to be brutally honest with yourself (if you’re not already), as you can remind yourself of the obstacles you’ve overcome, that you are probably fitter than you’re giving yourself credit for, and so you can soul search in the midst of all this commentary. It’s a good way to get to know yourself as an athlete. It’s also a great way to get in the habit of envisioning success, whether it’s actually winning a race, hitting a goal time, or a PR. At the end of the run, who the hell is there to say otherwise!? Nobody.
I have separate sections on Self-talk and Imagery in Chapter 6 of my book “The Art of Run Training.” Chapter 7 offers many other strategies for different race distances, but this strategy is an old favorite of mine.
Train smarter, not harder!
Mike