Negative Thoughts, Reframing, & Mantras:

Anxiety/nerves/jitters…

• All of it is normal and to be expected - it means you are HUMAN and it means you care! 
• Next time you feel nervous or jittery before a big event, rather than worrying about WHY or trying to make the feelings go away, think of it as your body getting PREPARED to do what it needs to. Those jitters and feelings are a GOOD thing - the response in your body will be helpful and ensure your body is ready to perform!
• Not all anxiety is bad! Anxious nerves at a start line or a crucial moment in a race show that you deeply care - and can be considered a signal that your body is READY, your body is prepared to do hard things and to perform!! 
• It’s good to be aware that the nerves are there - tame them down a little and manage them so that you don’t get too caught up in the moment and go out of the gate too quickly in a race, or forget to eat or hydrate sufficiently, etc. and too few nerves may lead to a DNF because you’re not invested in the race enough.

• BREATHE - take a few deep breaths and lower your shoulders. Breathe in deeply, then breathe in again before exhaling
• Wiggle, shake, loosen and lower your shoulders

• We all have negative commentary - we all are our own worst critics! This is normal and happens for ALL of us. 
• The trick is to be AWARE of the negative thoughts, and REFRAME them to be more positive. 

• Consider this: would you speak to a friend with those same messages you're telling yourself? My guess is, probably NOT!! 
• Employ what I call the “Reverse Golden Rule” - be as kind to yourself as you would be to someone else!!
• Practice talking to yourself the same way that you’d talk to a friend or other person out on the trail - and literally speak aloud, using third person (“You can do this!” rather than “I can do this”). Use your name too!   [this is something you can practice in your day-to-day, doesn't have to just be in the context of running!]

• For some it helps to have a mantra, a short phrase of positive self-talk that you can bring to mind and repeat to yourself over and over. You can have multiple mantras! some text
  • Think of a few phrases ahead of time that are meaningful or inspiring to you, and be aware that they may change during the event. I once had a few inspiring and positive messages in mind for a particular race, but when things got tough it helped to just keep repeating: “the more you run, the more you get done!” over and over
  • Might be something like: 
    • “I am fine, everything is fine”
    • “This race is tough but I am tougher”
    • “I am here for all of it, I signed up for this.”
    • “This is exactly where I am meant to be right now.”
    • “Run the mile you’re in.” 
    • “Cruise control is how I roll.”
    • “Yes, you can and you will.”   etc…
  • And no need to take yourself too seriously! Sometimes the more ridiculous/silly the mantra, the better! I’ve once told myself “You’re a beautiful butterfly!” which made me laugh and in turn brightened my mood
  • Mantras don’t always have to be overwhelmingly positive either. Sometimes even just counting your steps is enough to focus your brain away from negativity. I’ve truly used the mantra “this sucks” in the past, because everything was sucking and I just allowed myself to sink into that and it honestly helped me push through because I wasn’t in the mindset to find positivity at that moment. 

• Just as it helps to have a specific mantra or phrase, sometimes it can be beneficial to set an intention for a race - think of it as the mindset that you’ll use to frame the whole event. I may or may not repeat this to myself during the event like a mantra, but it’s how I intend to approach the day(s). For a particular race, my intention could be to “be curious and be open, let it all happen.” (can think of this as your “why” for the specific race)
• Don't forget to smile!! Laughter is very powerful - as are the connections you’ll make with others. I often have a set goal to talk to as many people as I can during a race. 

Mind Body Connection, The Role of Sleep & Nutrition in How You Feel, Sleep Deprivation

• Mind/Body connections is extremely deep - they are completely intertwined and impact each other a great deal
  • For example, think of the analogy, “butterflies in your stomach”, you have a very real feeling of stomach upset/nausea despite not being ill. It’s nerves (the brain) causing this somatic feeling
• During a race: LOW MOOD = EAT FOOD
  • You MUST fuel your body adequately from the very start of the race - whether you feel like eating or not!! Have a nutrition/hydration plan and stick to it! 
  • For races where I know I am likely to get distracted (tough terrain, need to navigate, etc), I use a GymBoss timer set to beep every X minutes throughout the race - this is my reminder to take a gel (or similar) every X minutes at a minimum, knowing that I will snack as much as I want in-between the intervals, and at every aid station. 
  • When you hit a very low point during a race, ask yourself, “Have I done all I can?” and consider what else you can DO in the moment - typically, the answer is that you can EAT or DRINK. And that alone can make a massive difference in your mood and thoughts
• Pain
  • Experiencing some level of pain/discomfort in ultras is quite frequent. From blisters to achy legs. Athletes and non-athletes all have similar pain thresholds, so the limit at which we start to feel pain. However, as athletes we often have higher pain tolerances than non-athletes, so your ability to cope with, sit with, and manage pain is higher. All of the aforementioned tips on mantras and re-framing are great ways to help tolerate pain! **OF COURSE, this does not and should never include pushing through an injury (torn ligament, broken bone, etc)

• Sleep, sleep deprivation, and hallucinations! How to handle them:
  • Having crew/pacers/other buddies on the trail for these moments, particularly if you’re a newer ultrarunner can be huge! They’ll help you stay awake and alert.
  • Short naps can be hugely helpful (1-5 minutes even) to “reset” the brain
  • For multi-day races, important to stay on top of sleep early/from the get go. Plan a sleep strategy prior to the race.
  • Trail naps can be your friend! Find a comfy spot on the side of the trail and take a quick dirt nap. It can be crucial in some of these sleep deprived moments.
  • We don’t want lack of sleep to go too long, could become dangerous (lots of hallucinations, veering off trail, getting lost, etc)

Conceptualizing Time

• How do you eat an elephant (or a massive head of cabbage)? One bite at a time!
• It’s often overwhelming to think of the full distance of a run, and how much farther you have to go. At times, you may feel like you’re moving very slowly, or not keeping up with the pace that you expected. Here are some ways to manage those thoughts and feelings:
  • Break the distance up into manageable chunks - both in your head, and in your race plan. Focus on the shorter distances between aid stations, or crew stop to crew stop, etc. 
  • Rather than “70 more miles to go!!”, just think of the 6 more miles to the next aid station. Try your best to focus on the section that is currently at hand, and where you’re next “stop” will be. 
  • It can also help to fully commit to a chunk of time - for example, “For the next 24 hours, I will be out here doing this race,” or “running this race is all I need to be doing for the next 12 hours” or even “this is where I am meant to be until tomorrow morning.”