A few days ago, I went for a longer run than I have recently been doing. In the past it wasn’t too much of a challenge for me to set out on a long run. Several injuries later as well as finding a love for the road bike, long runs have become less frequent and more difficult for me. Add to the fact that the temperature was in the 90s and I was quickly on the struggle bus. So, I did what I suggest to all my athletes. I tried to change my self-talk. Numerous failed attempts lead me to start questioning if I really wanted to run this entire run and my negative self-talk was on the verge of winning when I had the grand idea to try to use my body language to get me through.
First, I just started smiling. Yes, I was tired and hot and wanting to quit but it was amazing the power the smile had over my body. It instantly changed my self-talk more positively and for several minutes I thought about how much I had loved running in the past and how good it felt despite the pain. That worked for a little bit until the tired and hot thoughts crept back in.
So next, I shifted my focus to my posture. I put my energy into maintaining a strong, relaxed posture and focused on my strides. Again, this changed my self-talk and I found myself enjoying running for a few more minutes as I let my body take over and stopped battling the run.
Both of these changes in body language worked to get me through a handful of miles, but yet the tiredness and heat came knocking again. This time, I just looked up at the sky for 10 seconds (if you try this make sure the path in front of you is free of obstacles so you don’t trip). This is a simple technique, I often suggest to athletes to break a negative thought or mood. It worked! When I refocused my eyes in front of me, I was no longer dwelling on how I was struggling but I was able to focus on the positives of what I was feeling.
Yes, the run was a struggle, but I won the battle and reached my goal by changing and focusing on my body language. While, self-talk is extremely important don’t underestimate the power of your body language to help you relax, refocus, refuel. The next time you are faced with a challenge, do something to break the immediate thought such as looking to the sky, change your posture and then smile. A smile is one of the most powerful tools you have!
For daily confidence tips, follow on twitter @tamimatheny and sign up for the monthly confidence calendar: https://r2lc.com/confidence-calendar/
For additional confidence building advice, check out “The Confident Athlete: 4 Easy Steps to Build and Maintain Confidence” online at Amazon or Barnes and Noble: https://r2lc.com/the-confident-athlete-4-easy-steps-to-build-and-maintain-confidence/.
Tami Matheny is a Mental Game Coach and Author. She owns and runs, Refuse2LoseCoaching. Follow her on twitter @r2lcoaching and Instagram @refuse2losecoaching.
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