Mentally preparing for a marathon can provide many benefits such as better performance and experience of the race itself. At the same time, it will make you better able to cope with challenges that may arise along the way through a good internal dialogue. This article will give you three concrete tips on how to prepare yourself mentally for a marathon.
Sometimes it can feel extra heavy to get started with training. The threshold is often even greater when it comes to slightly larger races, such as a marathon. Maybe you haven't run a marathon before? Then it can feel even more difficult to carry out. But - it is never impossible.
It is clear that it takes some form of physical training to enable the body to cope with running a longer distance. That said, our brain can be a barrier in itself, and if you have a mentality that you'll never make it and don't believe in yourself, it will be all the more difficult to achieve - as our psyche affects our ability to perform.
With the help of three concrete tips, you can train your psyche to cope with challenges before and during a marathon.
We all have mental health, and we are not immune to how negative thoughts and various events affect us. The first step is to become aware of this, and then explore what gives you energy.
There is an interactive influence between your mood, your thoughts and your energy - which in the language of psychology is called mood congruence. Research shows that if you feel down, it is also easier for you to think negatively about yourself and the situation you are in. So if you experience negative thoughts and feelings, this will in turn affect your energy level and your motivation.
You will literally feel weighed down and drained of energy by being overshadowed by negative thoughts. Therefore, in the first instance, find out what gives you strength, so that you can get in this mood when you run.
Not sure how to figure this out? For some, it can help with coaching or a conversation with a psychologist, either on video or in a clinic.
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In order to maintain the mood that gives you plus strength and to have a good inner dialogue throughout a marathon, it can be useful to plan in detail which challenges you may face along the way, and how you will deal with them, for example:
Such possible scenarios are good to have thought through in advance, so that you are better prepared to handle them, and so that the disappointment will not be so great if you have to cancel the race. It may also be a good idea to set both sub-goals and main goals - and if you don't manage the main goal, you might be able to manage some of the sub-goals, which can contribute to a sense of mastery.
The last tip is to practice - both on having a good internal dialogue and on handling various challenges or scenarios that may arise along the way or during the training beforehand.
By practicing handling adversity, you are also more likely to be able to maintain the ideal race mood on race day. Here you can, for example, try out competitive elements in your training to practice nervousness or practice getting out of a negative inner dialogue when you start to feel tired.
An encouraging conversation with the body can also be useful if the inner dialogue is negative and you feel tired, and can lead to you feeling lighter both physically and mentally. For example, repeat to yourself:
