Coach Bobby McGee Sez:

On Getting Out of Your Head

Being interested in why the mind may prevent = endurance athletes from accessing their full physical potential for all these = years has led to certain “conversations” with athletes starting off at = a level that assumes the athlete has an understanding of the mechanisms = that underlie the point being made.

This is a BAD assumption. All too often I = will have worked with an athlete for some time & in that time both the athlete = & I have grown in our understanding of the psychology & of how this understanding pertains to the athlete specifically. Thus when I work = with a new athlete, especially a particularly talented &/or successful one, I = unfairly assume they “know” what I am talking about; either they unconsciously do what I propose already & need no conscious = understanding of the material, or the matter sits squarely in their blind spot & = they do not even know that they don’t know what is holding them = back.

All this preface has been put in place in = order to have a discussion about why “being in your head” is not such = a good thing for the endurance athlete.

Some points worth considering:

·         Problems created on a certain = level, i.e. by the athlete themselves, cannot be solved on that same level & = need a different perspective, (from Einstein). Most likely this perspective = needs to come from outside the individual, but a very skilled athlete can figure = that an assessment of the situation from a different angle is needed

·         What an athlete thinks, = especially when highly fatigued is often flawed because of the subjective nature of interpretation of how they feel

·         Confusion regarding internal = dialogue – believing that they really are what they are = thinking

Now a paragraph of conjecture: taking a = phrase from Oriah Mountain Dreamer, “Why am I so seldom the person that I = am” & adding to that the 3 selves that so often befuddle our efforts to = be the best we can be:

1.       Who I think I am

2.       Who I would like to be

3.       = Who others see me as

In endurance sports I believe it is essential = to have on board a few knowledgeable individuals, whom you trust implicitly = & who personally know & take an interest in your performance. By going = within & listening with as little interruption from the egoic mind as = possible, & discovering what you really believe about your ability, = (especially within the specific moments in training & racing that are often so definitive). Then offer these insights to these skilled & trusted = observers for evaluation, so that the 3 selves move as close as possible to = each other.

Self confidence & self-belief are = crucial. Then a clear understanding that objectivity about your ability is perhaps not = the best mindset – a slight over estimation (but still realistic) of your = ability is a good way to set your expectations.

Let’s get a bit more = specific:

Being “in your head” is akin to = having your head up your $#*%, a teacher of mine once told the class. He was = from India, the course was quite advanced & he justifiably did not want = to waste time dealing with personal issues while the issue at stake was the = wellbeing of others that we were being trained to work with. But his point is well = made – going to that dark place during tough training or a race gives = us tunnel vision, i.e. we have blinders on & lose our access to = peripheral information that might easily solve our current problem. We lose sight = of the big picture & we become self-destructively subjective. Going inward also negates the great power that we have in these exercises of racing & training – they are voluntary! We can = stop at any time we want! Knowing this removes the life-or-death quality = from the exercise. Yes, sport is life, sport feeds our need for combat in = times of peace & we attach a great deal of (ego?) value to our performance. = We measure ourselves & our self-worth according to our performance as = it relates to our expectations. It truly is challenging to race without our = egos invested & to be truly detached from outcome & fully focused on process. We do however need to become skilled in setting that desired = outcome out there as a means to drive us & then focus exclusively on the = process that second by second will get us to that desired outcome.

Consider that the body is primarily a safety = device designed & operated in such a way as to protect our vital organs, = like brain & heart. When we compete & the sole purpose is not to make = a living, but to feed a need to be self-actualized then the = rationalization process becomes interesting to say the least! The body does not want to = be pushed beyond safe limits & current thinking seems to indicate that = our ability to override what the body’s homeostatic systems believe to = be safe is the way to greater performances. There also seems to be evidence = that, as Maslow stated, performance will always be subjugate to more basic = needs, like being able to breathe, or not overheat, etc.

In endurance events it really becomes an = exercise in accurate awareness of the signaling from our physiology & the = objective determination of what behavior this requires of us to stay alive & = the need to be outside our heads on the field of play doing what needs to be done = to succeed at the game based on our predetermined expectations.

THERE WILL ALWAYS BE THE BATTLE BETWEEN THE = VARIOUS COMPONENTS OF US THAT COMPRISE PERFORMANCE & SAFETY. Somewhere in = all this we have to factor in the needs of the ego & realize that if we have = really assessed well what we might be capable of, that we are involved in an = epic & exquisitely worthwhile struggle with ourselves in search of = nothing less than self mastery in this small sector of self that comprises = performance participation in endurance events.

Then of course we can always just go out = & have fun playing hard!

Yeesh

Debi Bernardes

USAT Level 2 Coach

USAC Level 3 Coach

8385 Tomahawk Drive

King George, VA 22485

(540) 775-4952