Welcome to Week 4
Mental Skills Training
When I first started running it was near impossible to find any research or advice on the importance of mental skills training in sport, in fact Sport Psychology wasn’t recognised as an academic subject by the British Psychological Society.
I’m pleased to say that this landscape has changed dramatically and there is more of an understanding of how being physically active impacts our psychological well-being.
I’m excited to share with you over the next few weeks some techniques to help improve some of the mental skills needed to help you stick with running. And like everything, these skills won’t happen overnight, but with practise, they will soon become second nature.
We’re going to start with Self-compassion.
What is self-compassion? It is the practice of being kind and understanding towards yourself during times of failure, pain, or difficulty and it usually involves three main components:
Self-Kindness: Treating yourself with care and understanding rather than harsh self-criticism - would you talk to your best friend they way that sometimes you talk to yourself?
Common Humanity: Recognising that suffering and personal inadequacy are part of the shared human experience, rather than feeling isolated by your own failures.
Mindfulness: Holding painful thoughts and feelings in balanced awareness rather than over-identifying with them.
The idea behind self-compassion is that it encourages you to accept your flaws and mistakes with a gentle and non-judgmental attitude, which fosters emotional resilience and psychological well-being.
How do we relate this to running?
Learning how to run and how to “squeeze” your new habit into an already busy life will inevitably come with setbacks. But it’s how you deal with these setbacks that can be the difference between you continuing to run or giving up altogether. If you treat yourself with self-compassion and practise some coping strategies like the ones I’ve suggested then, in my experience, you are less likely to give up. Let’s learn how to be kinder to yourself.
One way that we don’t show self-compassion to ourselves is the belief that we have to be a fast runner or to have run a marathon or look a certain way before we identify “as a runner”. If you run, you’re a runner…simple
Key Resources for Week 4 - Overcoming Setbacks & Barriers
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Sometimes we need more specific and detailed running related prompts to help identify and address our own specific challenges that can prevent us from making running a habit.
Try downloading my interactive Overcoming Running Barriers Journaling Activity here
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Problem solving - Itendify and address specific challenges through journalling activities. To help you get started download a Journalling App to record, reflect/develop challenges that you might have that prevents you from running.
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Short runs still build endurance, improve cardiovascular health, and boost mood.
Tell yourself you’re going for a walk, (make sure you’ve got a sports bra and trainers on) and just walk with small bursts of running whenever you want.
Perfect for breaking up a sedentary workday.
They can fit seamlessly into busy schedules.
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2 min warm-up walk
10 min easy running
3 min brisk walk cool-down
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Consistency: Make it a habit by scheduling it like a meeting.
High Intensity: Short runs can pack a punch if you pick a hills to walk briskly up.
Gear Ready: Keep your trainers and clothes easily accessible.
Tech: Use apps to track distance for motivation. And don’t forget to WhatsApp us!
Week 4 Homework
1.
Warm up by walking briskly to increase the heart rate.
2.
Run for 1 min, walk for 1 min just to settle your breathing. Try not to look at your watch but just run on feel, ease back if the legs, breath and mind start to mess with you.
3.
Aim for 20 mins out and 20 mins back. Cool down.