Psychological Hurdles

A reader, buck4dave, has  posed a really good question that raises the issue of psychological hurdles that we all face in our quest to improve our running & our fitness.  He specifically asked if it's 'normal' to dislike turning around on a run and retracing one's steps.   This type of route is commonly known as an "out & back" course.

There is a dichotomy with "out & back" courses.  I mean, the easiest way to fix a mileage for a training run (or a race for that matter) is to divide your desired distance in a half; run that far out then turn around and run back.  Simple right?  Except for one small matter:  In the 30 years since I started running, I've never met a runner who said they liked to run "out & back" courses.  It's especially true of me!

I am in training for a marathon that is scheduled for October.  So, I am gradually increasing the length of my training runs.  It would be easy for me to just run a bit further for each incremental increase, then turn around and run back.  But, I despise "out & back" courses.  So I spend the time to plot "loop" courses or "modified loop" courses or even "point-to-point" courses.  Usually  I run "modified loops"  because I live at the end of cul-de-sac (of sorts) with only one way in and one way out.  The "modified loop" allows me to start and end at home.  Sometimes, just for fun, we (my training partners & I) will run a "point-to-point" for variety or to run along the lake on a hot day, or to run with the wind when it's cold.

What is it about "out & backs"?   For me, I just don't like turning around.  That's it.  On my recent trip to California, where the traffic is heavy and I'm not very comfortable with big city traffic, I ran an "out & back" every day.   To help me cope, I crossed the street at the turnaround.  This really helped because the street was wide and it felt less like a turnaround, plus I didn't have to retrace my steps exactly.  It's surprising how different the view was.  As I increased the length of my run, I got brave and added a trip around the block!  Still, I felt compelled later to experiment and modify my route a bit in the last mile just to get off my original route.

This thing with "out & backs" is just one of any number of psychological hurdles that plague runners.  Buck4dave also mentioned the difficulty of adding distance and how he felt tired at the end of his usual run and therefore found it difficult to add mileage. ( He has since lengthened his course by adding a side trip to it. - Way to go!)

My brother & training partner is in agreement with me on this subject.  We both like to lengthen our runs by adding extra distance at the beginning of our runs.   It must be purely psychological.  I mean the distance is the same!  For me, I want to get the added distance over with and get back into my comfort zone.  It's another reason I like to run the same course.  I like to know how far have left to go.  This is especially important to me when I'm running long distances that will be a stretch.   If I'm running a short distance it doesn't matter very much because it will seem brief anyway.   Adding mileage, especially new milestones, can be a difficult mentally as physically.  This is why I increase my mileage in relatively small increment.  It's an easier hurdle for me to deal with .

I have two other methods that I use to overcome mental hurdles that I encounter.  First, I as I have mentioned before, it is hard to beat having a training partner.  I think my brother and another training partner of ours would both agree that a training partner has helped each of go farther and faster.  We start together and usually chat a bit which helps pass some time and provide mutual support.  Nearly always, we separate after awhile as we find what's a comfy pace on that particular day.   If you finish first or last you'll get congratulated at the end and get some more moral support.  Also, there have been many days I've been pushed to run harder than I would have had I run alone.  

Another technique I use is visualization.  I often imagine, repeatedly, doing the thing I need to do.  This is one reason I like to map out my courses before I run rather than after I run them.   beta.mapmyrun.com/ actually does a  'fly over' so you can see the course.   I've also been known to drive or bike the course before hand to get familiar with course.  But most of all it builds my confidence.  I really believe that biking my section of the Key Bank Vermont City Marathon contributed to the success I had.   Just knowing where the hills were helped me with pacing.  

All these things help.  I still have to do the training but it seems easier with the right preparation.  Physical and mental.    I like to say all I have to do is put on my shoes and head out the door.  It's true, if I'm prepared.