Just like the body, a mind needs training too

When it came to sport at least, I always just did what I was told. Be it playing football or running and training for cross country and the likes, I listened to the coaches, which were sometimes my parents, did what they said and just got on with it. I trained my body to do what it needed to do, unconsciously of course.

Most of the time I am so caught up in the enjoyment of my training, in the buzz, in the zone, immersed in my surroundings, admiring what’s around me, in the company of friends, that I don’t have to think too much about the actual task at hand. Sometimes it’s speed, sometimes it’s threshold, sometimes it’s long, sometimes it’s recovery; the body knows exactly what it needs to do, the mind just does what it’s told, knows what to do and gets it done. However, with the weather getting colder, harder and damper, and with weather warnings for minus conditions, the mind begins to worry about the roads, where will be safe to run, where will be safe to drive to, all to avoid indoor training as much as possible. Will training be cancelled? What to wear? The body is flying it and mad for road but the mind is out of its comfort zone and needs some work.

Attending a presentation of county hurling medals for young lads recently, the door swings opens, the surprise guest enters, a big roar – it’s Brian Cody. A standing ovation and a round of applause. I was so excited, what a legend. He stands up straight, tall, confident, a glowing smile and begins to speak – all off the cuff, no notes needed, straight from the heart. We are all in awe. He talks about his wins as a player and manager, his defeats, and about that when you love what you do, you practice day in, day out, not because you have to but because you want to. The mind doesn’t have to think, the hand automatically practices the first touch because for hurling this is one of the most important skills. He speaks about the mindset, the correct flow of thoughts, the will to succeed; great teams go out and win match after match against all obstacles.

It’s the same with my running. Every morning the body automatically jumps into the same routine, kettle on, runners on, out the back door. Sometimes I’m down the hill, over the road and a mile done before I am even awake. It’s only when something interrupts our normal routine and distracts the mind that we need to re-focus and consider other options. The main one for me in January’s poor weather was horrendous driving and running conditions. I don’t have many fears but one is of ice, I think, because it is outside of our control, unpredictable and so very dangerous.

Left with unlimited options for training, I found myself doing my least favourite session – indoors, on a treadmill. To get through, I began to focus my mind on a big upcoming goal that I needed to do specific training for. I turned to visualisation and learned a lot. I began to picture, dream and imagine the upcoming event. It’s a big one and something new. It’s going to be very long and I have never done it before, the mind needs to be very strong or lots of things could go wrong.

For me I always do the training, I commit and complete. This week even though there are many negatives, I need to do the training. It is safe indoors and this is the most important thing. I am back to my mindset of get on with it, but how? I need to train the mind, I need to have all positive thoughts, I need to have stories in my mind, I need to talk to myself and it goes on. I think of me running the big race, I start to see myself progressing through, flowing through the miles, smiling, achieving, and most importantly having fun because if it’s not fun I will never go back. I will need lots of fuel and begin to think what I will bring: sweets of all sorts, juice, and anything that will give me a boost. I see my family at different stages, encouraging me. I remember all those long training runs that have prepared me for the long time on my feet. I remember the long day’s work after coming home from an early morning run, children’s training, helping with outdoor chores, cooking and cleaning and then eventually sitting down, this gives me the confidence to know I can do this.

I arrive at the Lough Lannagh sports complex in Castlebar, a very familiar place but only for swimming and so the mind needs to focus again. The advantages are that it’s warm, bright and the music is blaring. I begin to jog, I’m going fast, faster than the road, warming up but I’m not sweating; this is too easy. I up the elevation a bit and on purpose don’t look at the watch, just get in the zone, focus and run.

A mile beeps on the treadmill, this isn’t too bad. I begin the main session, the intensity upped but the heart rate’s low; I am not working hard. The mind begins to feel sorry for me, thinking of the beautiful white surface around Lough Lannagh, but it’s frozen and dangerous so I quickly revert back to safe treadmill running. Eye of the Tiger comes on, I begin to pump it, I see myself running faster, I run tall and straight, I sing the words, I feel great, I get faster. The adrenaline begins to pump, I think of all my family, one being in pain. I run harder, quicker and visualise some solutions that might make things easier.

I begin to think of my son, today is the dreaded vaccine day and a rugby semi-final after. I visualise encouraging him to also get on with it, which I know he will. I imagine my daughter playing soccer in freezing conditions tonight, I see my other half working outdoors in the snow, I know they will all be fine. I visualise cooking something nice for everyone, having lots of hot drinks and catching up later. Another mile beeps, I increase the elevation again and the speed, the heart rate slightly increases, I’m seeing faster times than in a while, the mind begins to analyse is this real? There is no wind, there is no cold, there are no mountains, no uneven terrain, still my body is running these times and so I can do it.

I think of my very long run this Saturday morning, it’s promised wet. I feel the rain on my shoulders, the wind (hopefully at my back), the birds singing, the end of each loop getting nearer to the ultimate goal. I will be strong, I will be fresh, I will run tall and strong just like today. I will breathe a natural fresh air, nature and the animals will be by music and power me on. It is going to be a brilliant run. Another mile beeps. I look out the window, it’s ice white, snow covering Lough Lannagh’s shore, the Reek is as clear as glass; I picture myself there, I increase the incline and climb the Reek. I see two swans fly over, heading home I imagine, they fly beautifully, straight, in line, calmly, briskly, they sing. I tune in to how I feel: amazing, free, no stress. I’m running beautifully, straight, in line, calmly, briskly, and I wonder how far they must go, I, for now, am done. I am self-fulfilled because I achieved the task at hand. Today, for a change, my body didn’t know what to expect but my mind did. It was trained for the occasion. Sometimes life circumstances take over and we have no control, we must re-plan, re-adjust, we must think positively or the experience will be horrendous. We must make the best of the situation, we must prepare our mind. The mind can achieve wonderful things if it is trained how.

I’m not sure exactly what tools worked this morning – probably my old phrase of just getting on with it – but with some imagery, vision, confidence, positivity, seeing and believing, one can achieve their large goal. I pushed the body but mostly importantly for today, I got the brain in the correct frame of mind. I ran taller and straighter than ever before, which gave me a new confidence because I could see myself run tall and fast. I ran faster but at a lower heart rate. I began to enjoy the routine, the monotony, the motion of running straight, confident and not looking at the watch. I now believe by harnessing the power of the mind a little, athletes can mentally rehearse their routines, perfect their technique and build confidence before training, competing and an upcoming goal or event. I also believe visualisation can be used many times throughout our day, especially when we need to breathe, when unexpected difficulties arise; when the row is on at home; when the young lad has a sore arm after injections; when the young lass scores a goal but is pulled for offside; when the other half is frozen from the damp snow, frost and ice; when a relative is not feeling 100%.

For me I know now when Mother Nature changes things, the body will do what it always does and the mind will just get on with it. Tomorrow I will get to the mountain, I will breathe the fresh air. Nature and the birds will bring music to my ears, I will sing Eye of the Tiger loud on the open road.