Inhibit the Response
Inhibit the Response. The first rule of long distance running is to acknowledge that training and racing will be difficult. In the middle of a workout or race, your mind begins to sense a growing physical pain from the completed exercise. As your mind begins to sense this pain, it brings your attention to it and eventually zeros in on this sensation. The feeling of discomfort consumes your consciousness and you do not see a way out of it other than giving in and slowing down. The majority of the time, the brain gets in the way of the body. Quite simply, your brain gives in before your body does. The best distance runners are best at inhibiting the brain’s response to slow down, ease up, and feel comfortable.
Psychobiological Model of Endurance Performance
The study “Talking yourself out of exhaustion: the effects of self-talk on endurance performance.” demonstrated that self-talk significantly reduces rating of perceived exertion (RPE) and enhances endurance performance. The findings support the psychobiological model of endurance performance and illustrate that psychobiological interventions designed to specifically target favorable changes in the perception of effort are beneficial to endurance performance. Exhaustion which limits the ability to sustain aerobic exercise is created by the conscious decision to terminate endurance task performance. The model suggests that perception of effort is a critical factor for endurance performance; hence, endurance performance might be affected by any physiological or psychological factor influencing perception of effort exhaustion (Marcora et al., 2008, 2009).
“Exercise science research shows that we constantly weigh our physical perceptions of effort associated with an activity (i.e., how hard something feels) against our motivation to do that activity. When perception of effort is greater than motivation, we slow down or ease up until the two are balanced.
It follows that the more motivated we are, the greater the perception of effort we are willing to tolerate. And when it comes to increasing motivation, studies show that doing something for others is generally far more effective than traditional incentives like money or reputation. The less we are consumed with ourselves, the more willing we are to do hard things for others.”
Steve Magness
TEAM → Positivity → Motivation → Response Inhibition
The bigger the focus on the TEAM and positivity, the more motivated athletes will be to inhibit their response to ease up and slow down.
Knowing all of the above (and living it first hand as an athlete), I wanted to create a mantra that would help cue athletes to take their minds off of the ever-growing discomfort that comes with distance training/racing and redirect it to a specific executable action. A short simple phrase to help them inhibit their response to give in to the discomfort of training and racing. I use the mantra Don’t Give In.
Don’t Give In.
The main objective with this phrase was to help athletes talk positively to themselves instead of listening to themselves. By talking to themselves, they are able to return their attention to the task at hand- making sure that their movements and breathing are both effective and efficient. This helps athletes not focus on how much further they have to go and speculate about how they will handle it, rather focus on that moment in time and their controllable actions. The key to not giving in when “it gets real” is to refocus your attention to what you are doing at that moment in time and who you are doing it for- THE TEAM.
THE TEAM. Directing athletes to give all their energy and attention to running for their teammates and their team is paramount. This is the ultimate motivation, they are not just running for themselves, rather now for each other. Everything athletes do is for the TEAM. Knowing that if you do give in to that voice you are letting down your teammates is powerful motivation. “The less we are consumed with ourselves, the more willing we are to do hard things for others.” — Steve Magness.
An individual’s ultimate level of success is in direct relation to the size and strength of their support system. This support system is the TEAM. When the focus is on helping others and supporting the team, that is when their individual pursuits and achievements rise as a result. Learning how to cooperatively work together with others for a shared goal is a requirement for wherever life takes athletes above and beyond their athletic lives.
For the Strength of the Pack is the Wolf.
For the Strength of the Wolf is the Pack.
“Don’t Give In” was a phrase intended to cue athletes to inhibit their response to the physical and mental discomfort that is distance running. This is used both verbally from coach to athlete as well as silently in each athlete’s own head. This silent individual conversation can also be called self-talk. How you talk to/with yourself is fueled by your thoughts. This self-talk creates your attitude. Your attitude then influences your actions. Self-Talk, Attitude, Actions…This is a never-ending cycle that determines how you view the world and events around you. This self-talk reveals one’s self-trust. Self-Trust is belief in one’s ability to succeed in specific situations, also known as self-confidence and self-efficacy. Inputting good, positive thoughts from the beginning of this cycle is required for optimal Output. If you are going to create a self-fulfilling prophecy for yourself, why not create a positive one?
Inputting good, positive thoughts from the beginning of this cycle is required for optimal Output. Again, if you are going to create a self-fulfilling prophecy for yourself, why not create a positive one? Talking to yourself instead of listening to yourself before, during, and after training or a race is much easier said than done. From pre-race nerves to the pain of racing to post-race reflection, where you mind goes so go your actions.
The Power of Positivity: Faith, Not Fear
Both Faith and Fear paint a picture of a future that has not happened yet. Fear believes in a negative future and Faith believes in a positive future. Since neither has happened, why wouldn’t you believe and act in accordance with the positive future. If you are going to create a self-fulfilling prophecy for yourself, why not create a positive one? Talk to Yourself — Have Faith!
Learn to Talk to Yourself Instead of Listening to Yourself
“I have learned to talk to myself instead of listening to myself. If I listen to myself I hear all the negative thoughts, all the complaints, all the fears, all the doubts, and all the reasons why I shouldn’t be able to finish the race. But if I talk to myself I can feed myself with the words and encouragement I need to finish the race.” — Dr. James Gills
Listening to yourself brings the fear, negativity, and doubt to the forefront of your attention- all the possible reasons why you can’t do this. But when you talk to yourself, you feed your attention the positive words and encouragement you need to focus and complete the task at hand to the best of your ability.
“One of the hardest but most important practices: realize that you are not the stuff inside your head. You are the awareness that decides what to do with the stuff inside your head. The ability to choose which thoughts to pursue and which to leave behind is key to everything.”
Brad Stulberg
The more you Don’t Give In at practice, the better you get at it and the better you can apply it on race day. Repeated behavior becomes habit. Inhibiting the response over and over again leads to the automation of this behavior both in training and competition. Practice Habits lead to Competition Habits lead to Competition Results. I like to remind athletes that you did not train hard so that it would not hurt on race day, you train hard so that you can handle it.
Above and beyond the world of running, I wanted to give athletes a phrase that they could use when life gets tough. A mindset that would help them delay the gratification that comes with choosing the quick, comfortable option and help them see that other choices exist. A phrase that would help them to focus, reflect, and choose the best option for their current situation. A phrase to help them Inhibit the Response.
“If comfort is your top priority, then anything other than the easier options are emotionally filtered into the category of ‘too hard’. Once you favor the comfortable options and tell yourself the alternatives will be hard, your emotions attack the alternatives and your mind rejects them.”
Brian Kight
