This Is Why It's So Important To Also Train Your Brain

By now you probably know that in order to become the strongest runner you are capable of becoming, you must train your brain. Your thoughts have to align with your goals. If you’re intimidated by workouts, don’t really believe you can reach that marathon time goal you set for yourself or still haven’t accepted the fact that you really are a runner, it’s time to dig a bit deeper and change those thought patterns.

During a recent trip to M N D F L—a meditation studio located in the East Village—I was reminded just how important it is to still and actively change my thought patterns. My beliefs about myself become my reality. If I think I can’t PR in a marathon at age 40, then guess what? I’m not going to PR.

It’s easy to tell myself I can achieve my goal, but it can be difficult to believe my own words. The times I have achieved the most in life and in running where the times when I was dedicating myself to cultivating a positive mindset while changing the way I see myself.

I stopped being stressed out by my running goals when I started to let go of the results and began to focus solely on the process. Part of that process was training my brain every single day.

That brain training spread into other areas of my life and I use it in my day to day life when I see a challenge in front of me that seems impossible.

What I do is so simple, you too can start doing it today. In fact, it’s so simple it almost seems silly to say it out loud.

When I have trouble believing I can do something, I close my eyes for moment and see myself completing the task at hand. In the months and days leading up to a race, I see every moment of the race weekend going smoothly from picking up my bib at the race expo to crossing the finish line with my goal time on the clock.

It’s never too early start visualizing your ideal race day. If you have a big goal you want to achieve start visualizing success today!

Read More:
Here’s Proof That Meditation Can Make You A Better Runner
Joan Samuelson Offers Tips For Training Your Brain For Race Day