The Tao of Running by Gary Dudney

Author:Gary Dudney [Dudney, Gary]
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
ISBN: 9781782554066
Publisher: Meyer & Meyer Sport
Published: 2016-05-02T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

The Wisdom of Chilling Out

One of the great ironies of the sport of running is that the better, smoother, more efficient performance comes not from piling on more effort or more tension, but from being able to relax even as the intensity of the running ratchets up. Even sprinters have to learn to relax during their short, enormously explosive events. They have to distinguish running hard and creating more tension from running efficiently by relaxing and avoiding generating tension.

The Racing Mindset

Relaxing is such a key component of performing well that it should be a mindset that you return to over and over again while you are racing. Tension causes your muscles to tighten up, and then you have to actually work against yourself to overcome the tightness. A loose, relaxed body is more efficient, requires less energy to operate, and is better able to move through the range of motion that you are demanding of it.

Race situations just flat out promote tension. The anticipation before the race begins is nerve wracking and enervating. You can feel that carefully husbanded and stored energy that will be crucial during the race draining from your body. At the start you’re ready to burst, and like everyone else, you fire off the line and run the first couple of miles way too fast. Once you really begin to register the effort of the run, your reaction is to tighten up with worry and anxiety that comes with knowing what is ahead. When the fatigue really sets in and you begin to struggle, the anxiety can turn to panic. Are you going to record a really poor performance after training so hard? Are you going to fail completely and drop out? Are you going to finish behind runners you usually beat? The panicking results in more anxiety which leads to greater tension which makes it harder and harder to run efficiently, and you spiral downward. You don’t enjoy the race much, and when you do finish, you are left feeling unsatisfied and disappointed that you didn’t do better.

But just as all the processes that produced this result are mostly in the realm of your mind, the processes that can improve the results are mostly in your mind as well. For every tension-inducing situation, you need to actively counter with techniques and thoughts that will keep you relaxed. A relaxed state of mind will lead to a relaxed body. Prior to the race, you need to create some inner calm. Go through the routine of your preparations and warm up with focus on those activities, not on the coming race. Before the start, find a quiet place, breathe deeply, and force yourself to relax. Shake out the tension and relax your muscles from head to toe, starting at the top and working down. Tell yourself you are trained, you are rested, and you are ready. The outcome will take care of itself. Your job is to stay as relaxed as possible throughout the event.

When the gun goes off, don’t burst off the line and sprint for a mile.

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