If yu have followed my last post then yu know I am preparing for the Bangalore Half Marathon — and now just a few days to go. Have been off training for more than a month, and I was telling my office colleague (who pushed me to register for this event): I am totally out of physical training and so for a week I’ll do a bit of breathing exercises, a bit of core, and the rest — all Mental Strength.
Like — first 4 kms or so will come from basic physical strength. Then the next few kms I’ll manage because of my lung capacity. Another 3–4 kms from the newly worked-out core strength. And the rest — 8/9 kms — almost half of a half marathon — will be on pure Mental Strength.
Yes, on the 10 milers I’ve pushed myself beyond the pain threshold and hardened the Mind — I know I can rely on it when all else fails.
Just got in new shoes for the Run — need to break them in with a few runs so things don’t go horribly wrong on race day.
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Lacing up the New Shoes ! |
It is only now that I realise what people mean when they say experience counts or you’re not starting from zero. My physical strength might be close to the baseline I had a decade back, but when I run, my form is still the same as years ago. Back then, I worked a lot on running form — and even now, my shoe wear pattern confirms that I’m striking the ground the way I want. Secondly, the experience of training — knowing that pain subsides, knowing how to fuel on long runs — helps me stay calm and relaxed going into this half marathon.
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Thanks and Bye-Bye to Old Shoes Yu can see the area near the Ball of Foot is worn out - that is where I strike the ground |
AND — I’ve already run two full marathons. Sometimes I think: I am hardly pushing myself, so why the hell am I making a big deal out of this? I’m not even close to the edge of my limits. Far from it. But for now, I need to go through this phase to reach that edge — no shortcuts, no skipping the grind.
Reflecting on this strategy over the past few days, I realised something: mental strength also comes in different forms, like different muscles for different activities. Someone hyper-tuned for weightlifting may struggle with planks or squats. Same with mental strength — mine is hardened differently for different areas of life. Some strong, some weak. But for running long distance (yeah, at a decent pace — not sprinting like a world champion, but still speedy enough), I know my mental toughness works.
I can’t remember a single 10 miler where I didn’t have to overcome pain — chest sometimes, sole of the foot other times, or just heavy breathing after 2–3 kms. Each time, I just took one extra step, then another — and eventually the pain subsided. It always does.
At times, I ran 10 milers and more on back-to-back days, knowing the second run would always be on sore or broken legs. From step one, I knew it was going to be challenging. To sharpen mental strength further, I never carried earphones on long runs. First half, I’d let the mind wander. Second half, I’d bring it back to focus — on every element of running: Am I striking the ground properly? Am I leaning forward just enough from the ankles? How are my shoulders and elbows?
I haven’t been able to get proper visualization training in this time, but I know — when all else fails, when the body is out of energy — that’s when I’ll dig deeper and use mental stamina. I know I have a lot of it, but I also know it takes its toll. So my plan is simple: cruise through at least 12 kms on basic muscle and core strength (skipping, planks, leg raises with ankle weights) — and then dig deeper into mental toughness for the last stretch.
Would love to hear your story and belief around Mental Stamina and Strength. Do yu intentionally incorporate mental training exercises in your daily life?
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