I went for a run on Saturday–the first one since I sprained my ankle two weeks ago. It was fine; I went 5k, at a much slower pace than usual, but I can live with that. I was being super-careful, because there are still leaves all over the ground. I think I was limping a little by the end, but again, I can live with that. It was such a relief to be moving again, and outside in the sunshine and fresh air.
Usually when I run, I think about random things: my next blog post, how to solve a tricky plot problem in the novel I’m writing, what to make for dinner, how to make lemon ice cream without curdling the milk–you know, mundane, ordinary stuff. But occasionally, a really tough run requires a little more focus. If it’s really hot, or if I’m going a long way, or trying to push myself to run faster than usual, I often have to convince myself to keep going. The challenge of those runs is as much mental as it is physical.
Saturday proved to be as much of a mental run as physical. I was really worried about the impact on my ankle hurting, or worse, falling again. I had to really work on visualizing myself staying upright and running carefully, lightly, past the spot where I fell two weeks ago, and home again, successfully. I very consciously didn’t let my brain go back to the picture of me, lying on the ground, bruised and bleeding and freaking out. I thought back to all times I’ve crossed the finish line, all the times I’ve run further or faster than I planned, all the times I’ve finished up feeling good. When my mind wandered, trying to slip back into the ow-ow-it-hurts-the-leaves-are-slippery-I-don’t-want-to-fall groove, I sternly reminded it to go back to the I-can-do-this groove.
Anyone who has played a sport at a professional, or even (I suspect) college level knows the importance of the mental game. If you’ve run a marathon, you know that it’s your mind that carries you past “The Wall” as much as it is your legs. I’ve been on bike rides where I wanted to just lie down in a ditch and go to sleep (and yes, there were people who did), and I had to keep up a constant stream of positive chatter in my head to keep myself moving forward.
I’ve read whole books on the subject: my favorite, if you’re so inclined, is Your Performing Edge, by Joann Dahlkoetter. Other people I know like Body Mind Mastery, by Dan Millman. There are lots more, but here’s the thing you should know: THIS IS NOT JUST ABOUT SPORTS.
You know how we throw around the phrase “mind over matter?” Well, it’s sort of an amazing concept, and definitely one worth thinking about. Here’s a tidbit: if he focuses, Lee can control his pulse rate by thinking about it. He can sit quietly on the bed, wearing a heart rate monitor, and I can watch the numbers go up, and then go down again. I know he can; I’ve seen him do it. Stop and think: is that really surprising? You know that if you’re stressed out and panicking, you can force yourself to calm down, right? What else can you tell your body to do?
For a while, in the first couple of years after his bypass, Lee had a guru. This guy, Barry, used to work with police departments (New York? Los Angeles? I can’t remember for sure; maybe someone who does remember will chime in with a comment to remind me) teaching the officers to reduce stress and think more clearly. He actually came and stayed with us for a few days at one point. His approach with Lee had a lot of components, but the one that struck me the most was the visualizations they did.
Lee spent hours thinking the color blue into his heart.
Yes, you read that right. I know it sounds flaky, and I thought so too, at first, but then, when I started doing crazy long-distance cycling and triathlons, I realized just how powerful the images in our minds really are. Blue is a healing, soothing color. Lee was teaching his arteries how to stay wide open, how to work efficiently.
If you think about it, the potential is endless. If I can use my mind to keep myself moving when my body wants to quit, if I can control my blood pressure, or heal my arteries, what else can I do?
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Back in college when I was suffering from headaches (remember that??) I tried everything and eventually ended up doing some biofeedback with a psychologist. Totally controlled my body temperature by thinking myself into being warm and being cold. It was only an exercise, but it proved it worked. I was able to vary my temperature by a couple degrees just by thinking about it.
I agree that in most instances Mind over the matter is the way to go.
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