The weather is getting milder and we are starting to experience lighter evenings.  Spring is on the horizon and the imminent easing of UK national lockdown restrictions provides us with further room for optimism.

In the upcoming months, we should hopefully start to witness a return of normal outdoor competition (in line with England Athletics guidelines).  Virtual races (i.e., running alone at any location, at any pace indoors on a treadmill or outdoors) have served a purpose throughout the Covid-19 pandemic but is limited in its ability to fully replicate the experience of race participation. 

The different stages of normal outdoor competition (i.e., going through your pre-race routines, approaching the start line, waiting for instructions to start your race and competing against other runners) creates a range of feelings and emotions that is distinct from virtual races. 

The return of non-virtual races could result in race participation feeling similar to a new experience for some runners regardless of their level.  

Starting back with new challenges

We can consider how a race could be approached through the lens of the Theory of Challenge and Threat States in Athletes.¹  A central idea of this theory is that stress can facilitate or debilitate skilled athletic performance.  In a challenge state, the perceived resources are deemed as sufficient to cope with the demands of the situation, whereas in a threat state the demands outweigh the perceived resources.¹  

The athlete must perceive the demands of a situation as dangerous (physical and/or esteem), uncertain, and requiring of physical and/or mental effort.  Within the context of races whereby a high degree of effort is required, the outcome is uncertain and potentially dangerous if self-esteem is aligned to race outcome.

Self-belief, perceived control and achievement goals are the perceived resources that influence whether a challenge or threat state is experienced during a race.² 

PB5K. Credit: Callum Gillett

What makes a threat into a challenge?

To elaborate further, an athlete who has the self-belief in his/her capacity to execute the required behaviours and skills that are conducive to success is more likely to approach a race in a challenge state.  In contrast, a lack of self-belief could result in the occurrence of a threat state.

Perceived control is the extent to which an athlete believes that the situation is within their control.  For example, an athlete that can perform well despite being exposed to bad weather conditions would be considered as having a high level of perceived control.

Achievement goals consists of mastery, performance-approach and performance-avoidance goals.  The distinction between approach and avoidance is of specific importance.  Approach can be defined as the motivation to be seen as more competent than another athlete and is likely to result in a challenge state.  However, avoidance is focused on the desire to not be regarded as incompetent in comparison to other athletes.

Socio-psycho-biological perspectives

The theory of challenge and threat states in athletes also needs to be considered from a physiological, psychological and social perspective.  

From a physiological standpoint, a challenge state is considered to promote efficiency of energy delivery due to increased blood flow to the brain and muscles.  In contrast, efficiency of energy delivery does not occur during a threat state which results in a slower mobilization of usable energy.³

From a psychological perspective, positive emotions are typically associated with a challenge state, but it is also feasible than an element of negative emotions is required.  The experience of a mild level of pre-race anxiety (i.e., the feeling of butterflies in your stomach) could be construed as useful in contrast to more severe negative emotions, which could result in a debilitative race performance.

Social support has been defined as knowing that one is loved and that others will do all they can when a problem arises⁴.  Athletes typically derive different types of social support from their network and this will include emotional, esteem, tangible and informational support⁵ 

Photo: Paul Stillman

Safer in the group, faster in the group

The benefits of having a high perceived level of social support are numerous and vital for psychological wellbeing.  Within the context of challenge and threat states, an athletes’ perceived level of social support has direct implications on their sport performance. 

If a runner has a high perceived level of social support, this could result in less danger to self-esteem in the knowledge that regardless of the outcome in the race, they will be safe in their social group.  

It is worth noting that challenge and threat states are not always at opposite ends of a continuum. 

For example, a runner might start a race with a challenge state but shift towards a threat state during a particularly difficult section of the race, which might last for a specific period of time before returning back to a challenge state again.  This is particularly applicable for longer distance races where there are more variables to contend with.

It’s important to plan for all eventualities in an ultra. Photo: Robbie Britton

Back into the real world from a virtual one

If you have a non-virtual race planned in the diary during the upcoming months, this could be a good opportunity to consider whether you have sufficient resources to cope with the demands.  Incorporating a realistic and sensible level of pressure training that mimics the demands of a race would be advantageous (i.e., practising running at half marathon pace on tired legs if training for a half marathon race).

Re-familiarising yourself with routines that have previously worked well for you before and during a race can help to ensure that stress levels are minimised on race day.

It is also important for an athlete to have realistic expectations for a race.  Is their target race time realistic when taking the lack of races and performance during training into account?  Approaching a race with too high expectations is likely to contribute towards the experience of a threat state.

Although it is not feasible to fully prepare for every encountered experience during race-day, there are different approaches which we can all adopt to increase the feasibility of being in a challenge state during a race.

References:

1. A Theory of Challenge and Threat States in Athletes: A Revised Conceptualization, Meijen et al (2020)
2. A Theory of Challenge and Threat States in Athletes, Jones et al (2009)
3. Arousal and physiological toughness: implications for mental and physical health, Dienstbier et al (1989)
4. Social support, personality and performance, Sarason et al (1990)
5. Type of social support and specific stress: Toward a theory of optimal matching, Kutrona and Russell (1990)

The post Back to the start-line? appeared first on Fast Running.

The first day of 2020 marked the beginning of a new year and decade.  Runners participating in their local parkrun and looking forward to another year of pursuing various goals, aspirations and resolutions.  There was a palpable sense of excitement and optimism in the air.

Although media coverage of the pandemic was already afoot, the outbreak was predominantly in Asia at the time.  It was easy to surmise that the UK wouldn’t be affected but as we headed towards spring, the nightmarish dream of an outbreak became an unfortunate reality. 

The normality of life suddenly transcended into a scene not too dissimilar from a dystopian novel and uncertainty ensued.

Lockdown 1.0

As we entered lockdown 1.0, runners were thankfully allowed to continue undertaking some physical activity albeit in an isolated capacity.  During this period of time, all competitions unsurprisingly ground to a halt.  Runners with spring races in the diary had to abruptly apply the brakes and trained in the hope that rescheduled races would proceed as planned.

The summer brought about a sense of renewed optimism, with a decline in the number of covid-19 cases along with gorgeous weather and lighter evenings.  The streets and parks were aflow with runners enjoying the opportunity to train within small groups, but a lingering doubt remained about the latter months of the year and a potential second wave of the pandemic.  

The cancellation of large city autumn race competitions led to increased demand for participation in smaller-sized local races but even then, it wasn’t definitive that they would proceed either. 

More recent months

During the last few months, we have experienced lockdown 2.0 and this led to further disruptions to training and competition.  The pandemic has affected people in many different ways and the ongoing uncertainty can trigger feelings of anxiety, worry and fear^1,2 

It is thus understandable that levels of motivation might have declined for some runners within the current climate.

From an early age, we are taught about the importance of being motivated to achieve our goals and aspirations in all aspects of life, and this is reinforced through societal narratives.  Our social environment can influence us to pursue goals throughout our lives without pausing to reflect on what drives us to achieve success.  

There are many interpretations of motivation but it is worth briefly outlining the origins and  definition of the term.  We can trace the origins to the latin word ‘movere’ which means ‘to act’ and motivation is considered as a process that initiates, guides and maintains goal-oriented behaviours³ 

Although our actions can be focused predominantly on performance-oriented goals (i.e., extrinsic), it is also possible to freely participate in running for the interest and enjoyment that it brings (i.e., intrinsic).  This is underpinned by our basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness⁴.  

A sense of togetherness and belonging can be important for motivation, seen with the likes of the AB Training group above.  Photo: Phil Westlake (@westlake1953)

Looking after our motivational needs

The need to experience activities as self-endorsed, to interact effectively within the environment and feel connected, and be cared for by important others are vital components for human thriving, wellbeing and personal development.  These needs also facilitate volitional forms of motivation and enhance the ability to persist with goals.

A lack of motivation can stem from the perception that an activity is unimportant, a task is too difficult or the belief that the desired outcome is unachievable⁵.  However, there are numerous psychosocial factors that contribute to amotivation during this ongoing period of uncertainty. 

In the absence of races, reflecting and remembering the reasons for training and competing in your sport can assist with sustaining or regaining motivation. 

Establishing a daily routine enables us to attain structure and develop a renewed sense of purpose.  Although there are many apps that can support you with this task, writing in a journal is an effective method for capturing our thoughts, feelings and behaviours that contribute to the emergence of a routine.  

Setting goals, inside and outside of our sport

We can also continue to set ourselves goals with the emphasis on task mastery (i.e., improving our pace judgment, nutritional approach and resistance to fatigue) whilst reflecting and determining appropriate long-term outcome and performance goals. 

For example, where do you want to be in your sport twelve months from now and what are the tasks that you need to master in the process?  Sharing your goals with family and friends can also facilitate accountability and enhance levels of self-motivation.

The pandemic has created an opportunity to further engage in personal interests outside the sporting domain.  This could be developing a new pastime or investing an increased amount of time in the company of loved ones. 

Having a deliberate break from running can result in feeling physically and psychologically recharged when ready to return back to the sport.  As a consequence, the pursuit of goals and task mastery might not be the most appropriate option for a runner in the current climate.

With the year fast approaching a conclusion, I would like to take this opportunity to wish a healthy and happy January to all readers of Fast Running.  Here’s to a prosperous 2021 for all of us.

References:

1. Increasingly certain about uncertainty:  Intolerance of uncertainty across anxiety and depression, Carleton et al (2012)
2. Tolerance of uncertainty: Conceptual analysis, integrative model, and implications for healthcare, Hillen et al (2017)
3. The ‘’what’’ and ‘’why’’ of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior, Deci & Ryan (2000)
4. Self-determination theory: Basic psychological needs in motivation, development and wellness, Ryan & Deci (2017)
5. Toward a hierarchical model of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, Vallerand (1997)

The post Motivation through uncertainty appeared first on Fast Running.

Let the wise guard their thoughts, which are difficult to perceive, extremely subtle, and wander at will’   

This old Buddhism quote¹ remains relevant in our current times.  From the moment we are awake, we are undertaking tasks in our professional and personal lives. 

Life admin, work, sport and academia are all examples of everyday activities that generate tasks which demand our attention.  We experience constant multitasking every day which can result in mental fatigue or feeling overwhelmed.

Despite this necessity to focus our attention on numerous tasks, our mind frequently shifts away from an ongoing task or activity to an unrelated thought or feeling.  This is known as mind wandering and it is considered to occur between 30% and 50% of our waking time²

Let the mind wander

Mind wandering has been studied within psychology for several years and our understanding has continued to develop through research and technological advancements in brain imaging techniques.

It has been associated with the default mode network, which is a brain region that becomes activated during resting states³.  An occurrence is more likely when the task is simple or automatic and could lead to less accurate awareness of the information that surrounds us⁴.

Spontaneous or deliberate?

Based on research evidence⁵, the imagery and thoughts unrelated to an ongoing task occupies our awareness either because they capture our attention or because we have deliberately shifted our attention to them. 

We can thus consider mind wandering to consist of two subtypes which are known as spontaneous and deliberate. 

The content of our thoughts and the context within our environment contribute to the occurrence of spontaneous mind wandering and the lack of self-awareness that our minds have drifted ^5,6   From the perspective of running, the content of our thoughts whilst mind wandering could consist of current worries, neutral and positive topics.  All have an influence on how we feel during our training.

Not just the feet wandering on the long run

An example of context within our environment is the long run, which can become monotonous due to numerous factors including minimal variation of distance, pace and repeating the same running routes too frequently.

Our minds often wander spontaneously but there are situations when the opposite occurs.  Deliberate mind wandering is a strategy that can be deployed with the intention of alleviating some discomfort⁷. 

Training runs at optimal pace or competitive races might lead to a runner experiencing pain and fatigue for a sustained period of time. 

During these moments of discomfort, runners can deliberately seek to have positive thoughts such as ‘Hold tight, only 5k remaining in this marathon race’, ‘Not long until I can celebrate with my friends and family’, ‘Smile my way through the pain and things will get better’.

Vivian Kiplagat leads Brigid Kosgei both marathoners that will likely use mind wandering during their marathon efforts. Photo: Bob Martin for London Marathon Events

Benefits to performance and life in general?

The adoption of this strategy could clearly have a positive effect on performance.  However, there are other benefits that can be attained from mind wandering.  During easier training sessions that require minimal attention, our minds can wander towards current or future thoughts/issues.  It is also feasible that you might find a resolution of current concerns whilst running.

Although there are many positive benefits that can be attained from mind wandering, there are drawbacks too.  

As our internal thoughts are often unrelated to the ongoing external task, there is the risk of a detrimental effect on our sporting performance. 

For example, not remaining focused on the practice of a key skill due to mind wandering which might inhibit skill mastery.  As our minds can wander towards current concerns or negative topics, there is also a potential negative effect on our mood⁸ which could also have performance implications.

In conclusion, before your mind wanders

Clearly mind wandering can have a beneficial or negative effect.  The content of our thoughts, context within our environment and physiological factors (i.e; pain and fatigue) are all factors that influence our experiences of mind wandering, which can be spontaneous or deliberate.

Mind wandering is a part of our everyday lives and whilst we need to be mindful of the drawbacks, there are positive aspects which can enrich our running experiences.

Want to run faster? For just £30 per month athletes are provided with a Final Surge plan for each day of the week, coaching advice from Robbie Britton and Tom Craggs, as well as access to the unique Fast Running Performance community.

If you would like more information on joining the project, click here. 

References:

1. Words to live by: A daily guide to living an exceptional life, Easwaran (2008)
2. The persistence of thought: Evidence for a role of working memory in the maintenance of task-unrelated thinking, Levinson et al (2012)
3. Functional-anatomic fractionation of the brain’s default network, Andrews-Hanna et al (2010)
4. The Restless Mind, Smallwood et al (2006)
5. A laboratory-based method for investigating influences on switching attention to task unrelated imagery and thought, Giambra (1995)
6. Re-representing consciousness: Dissociation between experience and meta-consciousness, Schooler (2002)
7. Athletes’ Self-Reports on Mind Wandering While Practicing Sports: An Exploratory Two-Study Project, Latinjak (2018)
8. A wandering mind is an unhappy mind, Killingsworth & Gilbert (2010)

The post Can the mind wander to a PB? appeared first on Fast Running.

Rest days are often part of our training schedules for race competition, with the purpose of facilitating physical recovery and optimising performance in future training sessions. 

Historically, the concept of rest has been considered within the confines of physical inactivity but there is increasing research exploring the effect of psychological rest within sport.

Technology has made it possible for us to read, listen or watch anything related to our sport whenever we want.

Although this level of immediacy provides us with some benefits, it could also be argued that the attainment of psychological rest becomes more difficult as a consequence.

Wakeful resting

Wakeful resting is a key component of psychological rest, and it is the period of time an athlete would spend engaged in minimal cognitive and physical activity whilst awake. 

The psychological experiences that are obtained from wakeful resting includes a easing of the mental demands of training and competition, a reduction in thinking about one’s sport, and increased opportunities to engage in activities and other non-sport related aspects of life.

A common theme is the reduction in thoughts about one’s sport when not in training or competition.

We might know this as the ability to “switch off”. Research has suggested that psychological detachment not only involves putting aside all thoughts about your sport but also achieving distance from negative sport-related emotions ¹ .  For example; lingering on a disappointing race performance for a prolonged period of time could affect psychological detachment. Ultimately it can inhibit mental recovery.

Mental detachment can lead to fewer injuries

These two factors facilitate a ‘switching-off’ process but there is also another consideration which relates to ‘cue-avoidance’. 

Proximity to sporting memorabilia and the physical and social environments that remind us of our sport could potentially act as cues that trigger thoughts during a period of resting. An athlete’s perceived sense of distance from these cues is thus a contributory factor to achieving psychological detachment.  

There are also benefits to physical health and mental well-being that can be derived.  In a recent study², the relationship between physical recovery, mental detachment, health and well-being was studied amongst 161 recreational athletes. 

The findings outlined that an increase in mental detachment is associated with fewer injuries, improved levels of mental energy and enhanced quality of sleep.

Regularly sitting down for a cup of tea could be a reason Abdi is so fast? Photo: Dan Vernon/NN Running Team

Easier said than done in the real world

It would be remiss to not acknowledge that psychological rest can be difficult to attain and a key reason for this is the juggling of multiple commitments simultaneously ranging from training, work, studies and other life demands. 

Consistently manoeuvring between these commitments could lead to insufficient time being allocated to switching off, and this has been described as the ‘balance problem’ ³.  Although this is often unavoidable, there is also the risk of engaging in too many commitments which exacerbates the problem.

Could the balance problem also be linked to the desire to be busy all the time?  A recent phenomenon that has been investigated ⁴ is the emergence of a busy and overworked lifestyle as an aspirational status symbol. 

In contemporary Western culture, complaining about being busy and working all the time is increasingly commonplace.  This is partially driven by the perception that busyness equates to having ambition and being competent.  The external validation on social media and other mediums reinforces these ideals and fuels the aspiration.

Stepping outside your sporting bubble

Despite these challenges, there are some practical steps that can be deployed to attain psychological rest outside of training and competition⁵. 

The process of disengaging with thinking about your sport should be a deliberate practice and this could include spending time with people in your support network who are not involved in your sport and abstaining from viewing/listening/reading sport-related media.

Creating some personal time that facilitates respite from the structured lifestyle of training, work and study commitments can be considered as a key resting experience. 

This could involve indulging in a favourite treat or non-sport related pastime, being spontaneous or equally choosing to do nothing.  All have equal merit and should be based on personal preference.

Avoiding monotony in training

Within the structure of our training schedules, there is also the possibility to introduce some variety that can also facilitate psychological rest. 

This could include identifying a new route for a long distance run rather than resorting to the ‘tried-and-tested’ route all the time. It could just be not undertaking a specific training session on the same day every week.  Furthermore, the traditional 7-day week cycles could minimize the opportunity for psychological rest to be attained. 

When you’re focused on a racing or personal goal, it is easy to neglect psychological rest as an important aspect of recovery. 

However, research has illustrated that due attention should be given as there are benefits that can be derived for one’s health and well-being.

So next time you schedule your rest day for the busiest day of the work week, or a long travel journey, ask yourself the question. Is this really restful?

Want to run faster? For just £30 per month athletes are provided with a Final Surge plan for each day of the week, coaching advice from Robbie Britton and Tom Craggs, as well as access to the unique Fast Running Performance community.

If you would like more information on joining the project, click here. 

References

Testing the triple-match principle among Dutch elite athletes:  A day-level study on sport demands, detachment and recovery, Balk et al (2017)

Physical recovery, mental detachment and sleep as predictors of injury and mental energy, Balk et al (2017)

The psychology of rest in athletes: An empirical study and initial model, Eccles and Kazmier (2019)

Conspicuous consumption of time: When busyness and lack of leisure time becomes a status symbol, Bellezza et al (2019)

‘The forgotten session’: Advancing research and practice concerning the psychology of rest in athletes, Eccles et al (2020)

The post Are you getting psychological rest? appeared first on Fast Running.

Having spoken before about growth through adversity, Reade and Emeka’s discussion moved onto another area of study that the Clapham Chaser has found useful in his own running. 

Another more broad area of research Lloyd is interested in is “how we can help athletes thrive and flourish as individuals and assist them with optimising their pre-existing strengths. 

I believe that this is just as important as providing psychological support to athletes when they experience various challenges”. 

From a coaching perspective Lloyd feels that in order to help athletes thrive, coaches must do more to understand where athletes are coming from and where they want to get to. 

As he puts it, “if we truly understand an athlete’s motivations, goals and current physiological and psychological state, it would be possible to provide more specific support that creates the opportunity for athletes to flourish.”

Harder in big groups

Lloyd acknowledges that the level of understanding gets harder to achieve as the groups get bigger, but he feels that the impact of COVID-19 could actually lead to smaller groups going forward.

“It is more challenging to create this culture of flourishing in running clubs whereby you often have a significant amount of members and large groups of runners turning up for training sessions. 

This makes it difficult for the coach who is leading the training session to provide the ideal level of individual support to all of the runners. This is where the role of coaching assistants becomes vital – they can be the ‘eyes and ears’ of the coach and help to ensure that each runner is being supported as they work towards their goals. 

Interestingly, the advent of COVID-19 will probably result in smaller sized groups at running club training sessions, which could make it easier for the coach to provide support to each runner.”

Utilising the extensive knowledge already in clubs

“I also feel that there is a huge wealth of relevant knowledge and experience that exists within running clubs that could be utilised more frequently. 

Athletes come from such a broad range of backgrounds and it might well be that some members of a running club come from a sport science or sport medicine background.  We should be utilising this knowledge and expertise to create awareness, educate and provide support to runners.  This could also be an effective mechanism for creating a culture of flourishing.”

One of the great aspects of the Fast Running Performance Project is the use of social learning theory by the coaches.

Both Tom Craggs and Robbie Britton are big believers in the athletes all bringing their experience and knowledge to the table. “Lloyd is a brilliant example of this,” said Britton. “His sports psychology knowledge has really helped other runners and also opened up the discussion within the group at times.”

Allison Benton’s AB Training group on the south coast is a good example of a strong community of runners. Photo: Phil Westlake (@westlake1953)

The power of community

Networks and the social aspect of running can play a big part in helping athletes to thrive. So the situation most runners have found themselves in recently, where they’ve been forced to train alone, has impacted many. As Lloyd says, “it is not surprising that the current inability to meet up with other runners physically has the potential to affect people in a multitude of ways. 

If you think about it within the context of a continuum, social isolation will affect some runners considerably from a psychological perspective but there will be other runners who have an experience of positive and negative emotions that vary from day to day. 

Equally, we shouldn’t forget that some runners enjoy going out and running on their own and might actually relish the opportunity for solitude.”  

But the long term club member points out that the situation has brought about some surprising and innovative new ways for runners to feel socially connected.

Virtual challenges

“It has been fascinating to see the emergence of various 5k and 10k time trials during this period of isolation and I feel that this is a great way of ensuring that runners continue to feel part of a network. 

It can also create some competitive rivalry and good camaraderie amongst runners. 

I have also been hugely impressed with all of the various initiatives at Clapham Chasers including yoga mornings, which has really brought running colleagues together and helped to create a strong sense of community.”

In this together

Talking about the use of technology for social connectivity, Lloyd also emphasises the importance of ‘checking in’ your running colleagues.

“We can schedule regular catch ups with running colleagues to discuss and share thoughts about current training but there is also an opportunity for all of us to simply text, message or call a running colleague to check in and see how they are doing. 

Because if you don’t hear from a running colleague that doesn’t necessarily mean that they are fine and coping perfectly during these challenging times.” That’s a simple thing that we can all do with our running friends. 

Another obvious effect of the pandemic is the number of people who’ve picked up running again, as their form of daily exercise.

Getting outside for your daily exercise allowance

As well as having more time for exercise, are there psychological drivers for this?

“The mental and physical well-being benefits that have been reported within mainstream media would have contributed to more people taking up running,” said Lloyd. The continued growth of recent years might have another boom coming.

Lloyd also references parkrun as evidence for this: “there was an independent survey conducted in 2018 which highlighted that 69% of registered parkrunners reported improvements to their mental health and 79% reported improvements to their happiness. 

These findings support other scientific evidence, which has repeatedly demonstrated that running can promote improved mental health and positive emotions such as happiness.”

Lloyd racing on the streets of London. Photo: Provided by athlete

Creating strong memories

And as for what Lloyd himself has gained from running, he says, “a memory that will always remain with me was when I crossed the finish line at Amsterdam Marathon in 2016. 

It was my first ever marathon and I had only been running for two years.  I had never in my wildest dreams envisaged that I could complete a marathon so that was a huge moment for me and changed my perspective on what I could achieve as a runner.”

After that first marathon Lloyd went on to run 3:18:03 at the 2019 Chester Marathon as part of the Fast Running Performance Project.

For just £30 per month athletes are provided with a Final Surge plan for each day of the week, coaching advice from Robbie Britton and Tom Craggs, as well as access to the unique Fast Running Performance community. If you would like more information on joining the project, click here. 

The post Optimising your strengths as a runner appeared first on Fast Running.

An interest in psychology, combined with a love of running, led Lloyd Emeka to embark on an MSc in Applied Sport Psychology at St Mary’s University.

Emeka’s personal experiences and his desire to help others achieve growth have driven him to explore some interesting fields in sport psychology. This is the first of two articles showing a window into some aspects of Sports Psychology.

“I started running in 2014 and love all aspects of the sport – the training, race competitions, camaraderie and the spirit of community that never ceases to amaze me.” And Lloyd’s interest in psychology was something that had been building for many years, until circumstances led him to pursue it further. 

“With reflection, my interest in psychology was sparked by studying consumer behaviour during my MSc Marketing degree nearly twenty years ago.  It was a fascinating subject area and I was fortunate enough to continue applying various aspects of psychology during my marketing communications career. 

Changing direction

However, in recent years and also through experiencing a major life-changing event, I realised that I wanted to take my career in a different direction. Combining my love for sport with psychology seemed like a natural pathway to pursue and so far it has been a great experience.”

Lloyd is a member of Clapham Chasers Running & Triathlon club in South West London and part of the Fast Running Performance Project. His consistent training and hard work has paid off, shown by him hitting his key goals for the 5k, 10k half marathon and marathon over the last few years.

This structured approach to his running has also benefited his work and research.

As an athlete Lloyd feels “marathon running, as we all know, requires a huge amount of structure and discipline during the training cycle in the lead up to the target race.

As someone who is simultaneously juggling being self-employed and studying for a master’s degree, having the structure and self-discipline derived from marathon training has helped to improve my ability to effectively manage my time and resources.” 

Learning to improve his own mindset

Likewise, his research has also helped to improve his own running.

“Having the opportunity to study the psychological aspects of running in-depth has enhanced my running on a personal level through application of various skills and approaches. I have also recently been providing psychological support to junior athletes, which has been really rewarding and a fantastic learning experience.”

One of Lloyd’s particular areas of interest in sport psychology is post-traumatic growth.

“Post-traumatic growth is a relatively new theory that has emerged within the context of sport but actually you can trace its origins back to humanist theoreticians such as Viktor Frankl and Abraham Maslow, who demonstrated that it was possible for individuals to experience personal development and growth following the aftermath of a traumatic event.”

Adversity in running and life can come in many forms. Photo: Stephen Lee

Growth through adversity

Lloyd tells us that post-traumatic growth has traditionally been studied through the lens of sports injury. But, as he says, “there are many forms of adversity that runners might have experienced during their lives.” Lloyd is keen to look at the ways this can impact both life and running. 

“Some of the key findings from post-traumatic growth theory and research evidence suggest that athletes can find new meaning and purpose in their life, develop increased levels of empathy, form closer relationships and display greater levels of resilience.”

“These findings can also be applied within the context of running – experiencing adversity can enable runners to enhance their sense of perspective when a training session or race competition doesn’t quite go to plan but equally it can provide a runner with the resilience to push through stages of training or a race when they might be struggling physiologically.”

Focusing on the bigger picture

As Lloyd has found from his own experience in running, “it is a very humbling sport.  You can have a brilliant training session or race where everything just happens easily and you are literally in a flow state. 

In contrast, you have days where you know almost immediately that you are going to find the training session or race a struggle.  The learning that I have applied within this context is the importance of remaining focused on the big picture.

Having a disastrous training session or race doesn’t mean that you are no longer on track to achieve your goal.  I will always aim to learn from a negative experience and move on quickly.”

Photo: Provided by athlete

We don’t always need to tough it out

Having touched on the very topical area of resilience and its importance in running and in life, Lloyd emphasises that it isn’t something that needs to be displayed at all times.

“Resilience is an important skill to develop and nurture and can certainly help us to cope in challenging times such as what we are experiencing currently. However, it is also important for all runners to feel that they don’t need to demonstrate examples of resilience all the time. 

Being self-aware of less positive thoughts and feelings and sharing that with people in your support network does not make someone a less resilient person.”

For more information on coaching within the Fast Running Performance Project click here. 

Are you a fan of Fast Running? Then please support us and become a patreon. For as little as the price of a monthly magazine you can support Fast Running – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.

The post Growth through adversity appeared first on Fast Running.

This may not be a super popular blog post, but one of which I felt I had to write.

Growing up, I struggled tremendously with acne – my face was a blotchy mess, and I truly felt disgusting upon catching a glimpse of myself in a mirror. I turned to makeup as a way in which to hide, and out of all the products I could have chosen, I opted for the thickest of the thick – camouflage makeup – normally used to cover up tattoos. I was so desperate to hide, that the heavier the coverage, the better.

Is struggling with acne really the worst thing that can happen? No. But throughout my teenage years, YES, yes it was. Now this may seem self-centred, shallow and full of vanity, but it was all in a desperate bid to feel better about myself, and to feel accepted by those around me. If simply getting up 30 minutes earlier every morning was going to help me achieve these outcomes, then of course I was going to do it.

Fortunately, after years of trying a variety of acne remedies, I was able to find a solution, and have rarely struggled with my skin since which is AMAZING, however I still find myself applying a layer of makeup every single day. Okay, so… why?

Putting on a mask of confidence

Ultimately, I’ve found that it’s like putting on a mask that instantly gives me the confidence I’ve been searching for to then go about my day – to work, train, race, meet people, whilst feeling okay, if not better, about myself. My makeup is by no means perfect, but it’s enough to fulfil the, “look good, feel good, play good mentality” as expressed by US soccer player Ali Krieger.

This is so important when I have a tough training session or challenging race ahead. It’s like a way of telling myself, “Ok, I AM ready! I CAN do this!” It also doubles up as a distraction on race day and has definitely become part of the routine – a helpful strategy in which to apply focus and detract from any unhelpful race nerves.

To be competing at any high level requires a degree of self-confidence, commitment and dedication that no amount of makeup could ever contend with, but I do feel it plays a part in empowerment.

Photo: Jodi Hanagan

Turns out, makeup application has been going on for longer than we think, and for similar reasons. Egyptians applied makeup as they believed it was directly correlated with self-worth, whilst Native Americans applied it spiritually before battle, believing they would gain “supernatural powers”, helping them to feel more resilient and confident pre-battle. (Black Belt Beauty, 2019).

Moreover, numerous studies have shown that how someone feels about their appearance can have a significant effect on the execution of subsequent tasks and activities. For me personally, it’s game-changing – it simply makes me feel BETTER. As one of the best teachers I ever had taught me – “Lippy on, smile on.” Do the thing that empowers you; the thing that makes you happy, and it’ll help you to bring your best to every day.

Look good, feel good, walk fast

I see beautiful men and women standing on start lines at major championships every year – Europeans, Worlds, Olympics – they present themselves in different and specific ways for a reason – be it through wearing makeup or donning a new hairstyle.

At the recent 2018 Commonwealth Games, there was a hairdressers based within the athlete village, and further places to go and get your nails painted, your kit altered and fitted, etc. The amount of people I witnessed, both male and female, who pre-race, wandered up to have their hair cut, braided, and tied up in specific ways – it was clear to see they had a motive.

Does it provide those finishing touches that makes an athlete feel completely prepared for what lies ahead? It isn’t for everyone, but I assume that for some, yes, it really does. It can simply make the difference between entering competition feeling ready and powerful, or feeling flat and less confident.

Racing against myself

I travelled off-island to the UK last year to compete in the England Athletics Senior Championships. Low and behold, the following morning – race day – I went to get my makeup out of my bag and it wasn’t there. I’d left it in the Isle of Man! It sounds so silly, but my heart sank. What was I going to do without my mask of “confidence”?!

Whilst initially gutted, I simply had to suck it up, and get on a train to Sportcity. You kinda hope that no one will notice, but I was met with questions of, “Why do you look so tired?” and, “No eyeliner today?”

Ultimately, I knew I was there to do one thing – R A C E – be it with makeup or without, and in all honesty, no amount of makeup can emulate the empowerment that comes from knowing the amount of hard work that has been invested and dedicated to race hard. This was not the end of the world, and in a rational sense, who cares what I look like, other than me?!

It was pouring down with rain (is it ever not raining in Manchester?) so perhaps it was a blessing in disguise, and I fortunately went on to have one of my best races of 2019. Point proven – I didn’t always need makeup, but that doesn’t take away from how having it on helps me to feel increasingly energised and positive.

Are you a fan of Fast Running? Then please support us and become a patron. For as little as the price of a monthly magazine you can support Fast Running – and it only takes a minute. Thank you

The post “Lippy on, smile on” – The power of makeup in sport appeared first on Fast Running.

Talent obviously plays a role when it comes to sport but what sets talented people apart?

I’m sure most runners have heard about “the zone” but what really is this? I’m also sure I’m not the only runner who has been asked “what do you think about when you run?” most of the time I can’t give an answer, or I just brush it off with the answer “nothing, I just zone out”.

What really got me thinking is when I then got asked “How do you think about nothing and what do you mean, zone out”. Maybe zoning out is “the zone”, the state when we are not concerned about ourselves or our surroundings, in fact the state that we just don’t think!

What got me thinking even more is the thought that I am perhaps just weird, as running 40 laps of an 800-metre reservoir for a Sunday long run sounds terribly boring and even a little insane but somehow, it’s over before I know it.

I have lost count of how many times someone has told me they waved to me when I passed them on a run and I ‘ignored them’. More often than not I am completely unaware of passing someone whilst on a run or passing a car I know. 

Why is this?

Sports psychologists often refer to elite sportspeople as someone who thinks differently to their competitors which then sets them apart.

However, psychologist Dr. Beecham put’s it differently suggesting ‘the reality is not that they think differently, they simply don’t think. There is an absence of thought, cognition and emotion’. It’s as if the unconscious mind moves faster than the conscious mind forcing us to run in “the zone”.

RELATED: You can’t do it all on your own, the importance of good support

The mind is controlling the body, almost as if the brain is the computer system and your belief system is your software. So, you could be gifted and you could be in great shape, but if the way that your mind is functioning is counter to that, you’ll never realise your physical potential.

How do we get in “the zone”?

I think the healthier your mindset the more likely you are going to be able to go into “the zone”. Whilst I experience it on a lot of my runs it is still something I am yet to consistently experience in races.

This is probably because my conscious mind takes over, not giving my unconscious mind a chance to take control. 

When we aren’t in “the zone” and our conscious mind is in control and we are thinking, this is when we need to think differently. Thinking of doing things differently to the average person is necessary to be better than average. We live in a culture and society where we are obsessed with ‘better’ no matter what area of life we are referring to.

The problem with ‘better’ is it is only about the future, not about the now. Performance and everything you do is in the present moment. Whatever situation you are in, even if it’s not an ideal situation you can still make the best of it.

Comparison is the thief of joy

In one of my previous blogs I talked about how comparing yourself to others can be detrimental as it takes you away from your current self. The comparison game also applies to comparing your current self to your previous self and future self.

I know I have underperformed on several occasions because I have been thinking about the things I still needed to do to build myself; the miles, the speed work, the weights etc. that I still needed to do to get faster, when I should’ve been thinking “this is me now, this is now, so let’s do this”. This way of thinking means my conscious mind is more active, disabling my unconscious mind to take charge thus preventing me from going into “the zone”. 

It is impossible to be “ready” or perfectly prepared for every race you stand on the start line for, especially with marathon running.

You can only peak and be ready a couple times throughout the year. Instead of trying to perfect everything, sometimes it is better to think about optimizing everything which will then in return get you closer to perfection.

If we strive for perfection all the time and constantly compare, it will drive us insane. If you consistently do your best in the present, overtime you will develop and ultimately get better and get closer to perfection. 

Photo credit: Porthcawl 10km

Don’t play the comparison game

Hopefully we can all say we are in a better place than our previous self but sometimes things happen along the way that can set you back. For example, you might be slower now than last year, but this doesn’t necessarily mean you are not a better athlete now. This is why we should not use the comparison game.

Perhaps you have had an injury or illness that has set you back or perhaps you have tried a new training method which you haven’t yet adapted to, or you have tried and realised it isn’t the right method for you. There are always going to be barriers along the way, we are human, we are dynamic and we are always changing.

Even the best athletes will go from having a lot of confidence to having little. Instead of comparing or thinking we aren’t good enough we should ask ourselves “How do I get back?” or “How do I improve?”. It goes back to looking at the bigger picture and reminding ourselves that everyone has a bad day, or even a bad month or year. 

The training diary

This then brings me on to the importance of keeping a training diary and also setting goals. Keeping up to date on my training logs has not been my strongest point over the years, however it is something I have realised is so important to optimise myself.

It can be a great tool to figure things out such as what works for you, what doesn’t work and can also be a reminder of the good work you have done and a reminder of why you are doing what you are doing. I try to record as much as possible in my training diary including mileage, workouts, paces, recovery, how I felt, the weather, occasionally my weight and any other factors that I feel necessary including sleep and hydration (two things I am trying to improve on so are often a written weekly goal).

Goal setting should be one of your goals

Goals are another important part of being an athlete. Training your mind is just as important as the physical aspect of running, and doing so can begin with goal setting. They help to keep us focused and driven by giving a sense of direction and meaning.

It’s important to set short, medium, and long-term goals so that we have direction and measures to follow and motivate us. It’s essential that when setting goals, they are SMART meaning- specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time- based.

RELATED: How to be SMART about setting your goals 

I have found goal setting a lot easier to do since working with my coach. My coach knows what is realistic but also challenging and the fact that I trust him and we share the same goals helps to maintain the accountability and the belief that they are possible. 

No matter what level you run at, it is possible to go into “the zone”. Don’t let your conscious thoughts get in the way. Enjoy what you are doing and instead of trying to think your way through your running route, allow your subconscious to be your guide. 

Are you a fan of Fast Running? Then please support us and become a patron. For as little as the price of a monthly magazine you can support Fast Running – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.

The post Getting in the zone appeared first on Fast Running.

How quickly does time fly by? I left you guys last month with excitement and passion about my cross country season to date, with the desire to have a final run out at the English National Cross Country Championships held in Leeds.

Well since last month’s blog, the motivation and the drive to continually drag myself out and pound mile after mile, day in day out, rapidly deteriorated and I came to the realisation that I had maybe started the winter season with a little (ok, maybe way too much) enthusiasm about cross country running!

In the beginning, keenness of the muddy stuff was high and I’ve been happy with the progression made, competing well in international competitions and getting truly stuck into some ‘big girl’ blocks of training. But come the week of the national championships, I crashed and I burned.

I know my coach’s opinion will differ greatly from mine, but my training has just been below par these last couple of weeks with the constant feeling of flatness and sluggishness, and it became clear to me that I needed to bring this cross country season to an end.

Now it would be so easy for me to be untruthful at this point and sugar coat the rough patch that I’ve encountered in training these last couple of weeks. I could also keep it simple and tell you I just plainly decided not to race. However, I believe it’s worth sharing the truthful and hopefully relatable reason, that I was suffering plainly from exhaustion.

The winter can be a dark place

During winter you can really bury yourself into a hole and I feel I went to that place a fair few times these last couple of weeks.

My body has never experienced the training load that I have put myself through this season and I feel over the last two weeks everything just caught up with me. My body has just crashed leaving all at a sudden standstill.

There has been a form of imbalance somewhere along the lines these last couple of weeks and I truly have not been feeling the same since my performance at the Northern Championships last month, feeling like it has taken an eternity to recover from.

Somewhere along the way, there has been a lack of ‘something’ within my routine, maybe a neglect in fuelling and dietary requirements in relation to training load or even maybe just a lack of rest and recovery. If you can imagine training as a set of scales, what comes to mind is maybe the training load has outweighed the intake of nutrition or vitamins and minerals alongside the rate of recovery.

I remember being on the phone to my mum coming home from work one evening explaining to her how “I feel like a withered plant, I’m missing something like a nutrient or vitamin or something”.

At this moment I’m not sure what the underlying reason was towards the feelings of fatigue and flatness, other than that it could just purely be a combination of heavy sessions, shabby refuelling, extra shifts at work with little time in between for investment into self massage or therapy, and not to mention the female hormonal side of things with a delayed menstrual cycle to add to the emotional side of things this month.

Patience is key

What I’m learning along the way is how patience is key and that everything is temporary, especially in sports, nothing in the sporting world is static. The performance slumps of course will come and go, it is just about taking the bad days with the good and knowing that there are far more good days coming in the future.

It is however just unfortunate that it takes almost two weeks to get an appointment with my local GP just for some blood tests. I really wish there was a more accessible system in place to the non-funded athletes to have equal treatment when it comes to health and wellbeing check-ups; including seasonal blood tests, specifically for the female athletes, to monitor our iron levels, magnesium, vitamin D and the endless list to be able to stay fit and healthy for a well functioning athletic body, mind and wellbeing.

Just a couple of weeks prior to boarding the plane for the Commonwealths last March, I remember going through this exact phase, low energy and sluggishness which results confirmed it was low Vitamin D.

I’m presuming that it is just a repeat case of this and nothing that my forthcoming warm weather training camp cannot resolve! Every day I learn something new in this sport and it’s teaching me that the best advice you should ever take on is from yourself and realising that listening to your body has to be critical in becoming a successful athlete. Become a bamboo tree, you can bend but don’t break!

Sports psychology

I decided that I wanted to share my own personal experiences and thoughts on sports psychology because I have found it to be a really positive tool. I’ve invested in it over the last year and it has helped me a great deal with many things, not just with athletics but with everyday life too.

It also seems very fitting to mention and sits well with the experience of a few rough bumps these last couple of weeks.

As an athlete, it is in our blood to want to better ourselves with every performance and every training session. I constantly try to seek ways to improve and overcome day to day challenges or obstacles that could occur, not just within athletics but with everyday working life too.

Since I started working my coach Andy Henderson, he has taught me a great deal in a short space of time, but the main thing he has helped me with is to take the time out to invest in myself a little more than I have ever done before.

Being consistent in my performances over the years and steadily chipping away at my 800m times year on year shows the natural physical progression, but with the strength and depth that we have in this sport today, physically it’s just not going to cut it. As well as a strong body you equally need to train your mind.

So these little outlets that I have been trying to invest in this last year are what I like to call my ‘one percenters’. They could be the smallest of things you choose to do, but as long it’s having a positive impact on what you do it’s a form of growth and progression.

There are many misconceptions when it comes to psychology and I hold my hands up to admit that I had many at the start when having the first couple of sessions.

I was adamant and so sure that this would not work for me and after the first session, honestly, I did not think that I’d be setting foot back in the room with my psychologist, Kelly Holmes. But I am still working closely with her today, and I cannot thank her enough for the time and guidance she has given me over the last 18 months.

Why a sports psychologist?

There were a number of reasons for which I decided to meet with a sports psychologist. The first one was because of Andy, my newly appointed coach at the time.

At first when he suggested that I should arrange a meeting with Kelly, I thought to myself, “Well this is a great start, my new coach must think I’m a bit nutty already and we have only just joined forces”.

But I am so thankful that I took his advice on board. There were many valid reasons and events that had happened in a short space of time at that point, and at the time I was probably unaware of how it could have affected me emotionally if I did not start my sessions with Kelly.

So one of the valid reasons at the time included the transition to a new coach. It was a fresh start for me moving to Andy. I felt I needed a change with my athletics, a new routine and I knew that if I wanted to improve and progress in this sport I would have to pack up and change coaches.

I moved to Andy in September 2018 and it didn’t take long to get into the routine and start making the changes I needed to move forward, the transition was so quick and it could not have gone smoother.

With this decision came a parting between me and my old coach who had guided and supported me for the last nine years. It is just a shame that it couldn’t have ended a little more civil on his behalf and I hope one day it’s realised that it was for the best.

Another reason was been suddenly removed from the funding system after one year when I was told that I not showing signs of improvement. I was told I was not on track or aligned to the British Athletics Endurance’s “line of progression” and that I was not on schedule to make it to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

As you can imagine, this was a hard letter to read. However, it was also important that I did not let the opinions of others distract me from my own targets and goals in athletics.

Another factor was not originally being selected to represent England at the Commonwealth Games, even though there was a space available on the 800m team and I had the criteria to compete.

This was a really important one for me actually and remember being at a really low point after I found out that Team England had decided not to book a place for me on the flight to Australia.

I was at work on the day of team announcement and remember I kept sneaking into the staff room to check my phone to see if I had any missed calls or messages. I had a missed call, and even a voicemail left and I was so excited to listen to it. It turned out to be disappointing news. I had not made the team (going back out and serving the public that afternoon was a laborious task to say the least).

I was almost certain I had done enough within the season to make the team and when it was announced, I just remember the sinking feeling I had in my gut which left me questioning myself, my ability and my future.

Looking back now, this was a turning point for me. I eventually did receive a late call-up to the team for the Commonwealth Games and I had a point to make in Australia. I was true to myself when I said I was not going there to just make up numbers and my performance on the Gold Coast turned out to be the highlight of my career so far.

Going back to the subject of sports psychology, while I was in Australia, I used particular techniques and preparations that really helped.

This was the first event working alongside Kelly where I was able to put to the techniques into practice. I couldn’t wait to get back home to explain and share my experiences with her.

Turning negativity into positivity

So initially there were a few factors and events that solidified my reasoning to go ahead and meet with Kelly. Then there was also another event that happened further into my season which she has also worked very closely with me on.

It was one that I have been very vocal about – not making the European Championships last summer. It was devastating for me, I will not go into too much detail as like I said, I have displayed my piece on this at the time of the matter.

But the reasoning behind it was specific comments and insults directed to me which was hard to hear and read and again, questioned my own potential and future within the sport.

“Hasn’t got it mentally to do it at the top end of the sport” along with “Don’t think she has the mentality of a medallist”. I mean, that is enough to make any athlete question their existence in the sport, especially when directed from the Head of British Athletics Endurance.

What hope and future does the next generation have when these are the comments and thoughts being presented to today’s sports men and women (and believe me, from messages of support I have received over the last year, I am by no means the first athlete to have this said to and probably not the last).

Kelly has been brilliant in helping me turn negativity into positivity and using it as an advantage for myself. This will be an ongoing process as it is something that I am still trying to manage.

In this situation, a particular quote, that I was moved by and really found relatable, was one from the ‘Gold Medal Strategies; Business Lessons from America’s Miracle Team Book’, and it goes: “The world is full of experts who have been proven wrong. If you want to find someone to doubt you, or locate a cynic, the search won’t take too long or be difficult. Believe in yourself, even if you are the only one who believes in you”.

Actually obsessed with #thechampionsmind by @goldmedalmind Helping, learning and applying things on and off the athletic track #strongbodystrongmind pic.twitter.com/rvIlr97MWp

— Alexandra Bell (@alexbell92) March 4, 2019

Looking back now on the time spent with Kelly I am so happy that I listened to Andy and gave these sessions a try, even though I did not think it was for me until after the third session!

But it was more a case of trying to find the 1-2% in aiding my performance and just being patient with seeing the results. Anything that I could find to invest in to help improve my performances I was prepared to try.

If you need somebody to talk to, a place to go in order to clear your head, you’re in need of a reset, working on new targets or goals, finding coping strategies, or simply just someone to have a good old natter with, I really do recommend giving it a go.

Before I took the time to invest in sports psychology, I used to think that to improve in this sport it was all just physical, but I have learnt that regardless of much you train your body, you will get nowhere if you don’t invest that same amount of time and effort into the mind too.

What I have learnt is you have got to want to do it. That was my problem in the first couple of sessions, because I had no interest in it. I chose not to want to involve myself and be open, but something eventually clicked with me. This was my time and I was going to invest in it wisely.

Final thoughts this month

As I am sending this blog across to Fast Running, I’m preparing and packing to travel to Puerto Pollensa, Majorca, where we will set up base for a couple of weeks to train. I feel that this trip has come at the perfect time in my season and cannot wait to soak up some well deserved vitamin D.

I know they say that you should “stay out of the sun, as it drains you” but there’s no greater feeling in the world than to feel the warmth on your bones. So during my time on this island, I’ll seek to recharge, reset and refocus in preparation for the season to come.

I’m sure after a couple of solid weeks away to put in the groundwork, I will be ready to get back to Leeds so I can then gear up for more specific work and fine-tuning.

So although a slow, gritty month for me, it has been a time for recovery, growth and reflection and if anyone else is getting to that point of their winter season where things are slowing down and the body is starting to ache and tire, remember… you are like a bamboo tree, be bendy by all means but do not break!

Find the route of the issue, be sensible but most importantly, be happy! Catch you guys soon.

Alexandra Bell features in the ‘Fast 10: class of 2019’ and over the course of the year will share her running journey. You can follow Alexandra on Twitter and on Instagram, while further information about the ‘class of 2019’ can be found here.

Are you a fan of Fast Running? Then please support us. For as little as the price of a monthly magazine you can support Fast Running – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.

The post “As well as a strong body you equally need to train your mind” appeared first on Fast Running.