I’d like to share a true story with you and what I’ve learnt from it.
I was teaching at a private school in Lanzarote, and was also part of the sports department. Naturally we were expected to represent the school in as many sports competitions as possible. I was actually one of the trainers of the girls’ football team and was getting back into running.
Back row, second from left, next to our dear departed Mike who I miss deeply. Jack, Head of Sports Dpt on the right.
Lanzarote had its XV Mile Run Night Race in 2003 in which I participated and represented the school I was working at. It was in the capital of the island, Arrecife and there were a heck of a lot of runners participating in this race. I had not ran any competitions and so was not familiar with the experience of competitive running. I remember thinking, “It’s only a mile. Get it over and done with then go home.”
I had the most terrible pre-race nerves with my stomach turning and I felt like I was going to be sick. So many runners! My mind was set-up for dread and the fear of not doing well. Also there was that added pressure of the director of the school watching, the other sports staff, teachers, parents, students…
The gun shot to start the race and away I went with those nerves and ran at a pace right from the very start that was way beyond my comfort zone. I made it to the end but suffered terribly. I could hardly hold myself up and it took a while to recover and look like the fit sports teacher that I believed were the expectations others would have of myself in my mind. I rapidly made my excuses to leave and went home thinking there’s no point in hanging around for the results. I negatively and defeatedly told myself I ran terribly and that I never win anything, so what’s the point.
Whilst returning home my mobile was ringing and the name of thedirector of the school I was working appeared on the screen. I didn’t pick-up the call. I was not in the mood. Then the phone rang again and it was the Head of Sports Department, Jack. I stopped the car, picked-up the call and heard Jack yelling, “Where the hell are you? You’re supposed to be up on the podium!”
“Yeah, right,” I said in disbelief, after all I had never won a sports award in my life.
“You’ve won second place in your category! There’s a whopping big cup waiting for you to come up to collect right now!” Jack continued.
The cup I won but didn’t collect. A constant reminder on my shelf.
I felt like shit. I had actually won something for the first time and because of my negative self-belief I wasn’t even there to collect it. In the end Jack sent up his 6 year old daughter to collect it on my behalf. I really felt like I had thrown away a beautiful moment.
The Moral of this Story
I know now that I am not the same person as I was then and would now approach this race with a totally different mindset and race plan.
I’ve learnt that the mind acts on what is familiar, for example, in my case, ‘I never win anything’ and so I unconsciously acted out in a way to justify it (by telling myself I ran badly and going home). I had no positive vision, just a very defeatist attitude.
Now if I was able to:
. believe in myself,
. visualise myself running well,
. use better words in my head,
. and change the feeling of fear for excitement,
the whole experience would have run more smoothly, I would have paced myself better at the start and finish, I would have been a content finisher and an absolutely delighted second-place (if not first-place) winner on the podium. All of which I fully deserved if I HAD BELIEVED IN MYSELF.
There’s certainly more to sport achievement than just training the body. A large part is training the mind and re-wiring it to respond to ideas which may not be so familiar. This is important because your THOUGHTS lead to FEELINGS which leads to your ACTIONS. If we consciously observe our thoughts in a given situation, for example during a pre-race and they are negative, for example the thought “those runners look more fitter than me. I’ll never be able to keep up with them” this then enduces feelings of dread, anxiety, discomfort, fear, which results in a run full of discomfort, a lack of flow, lack of co-ordination, body tension, and no determination to win the race.
Now here’s a trick to put into practice. Turn that thought around to “I feel fit and ready, I’ll make it to the end with a good run. I’ll give it my best shot”. The mind doesn’t even care what is the truth but it responds to this message with feelings of hope, drive, enthusiasm and up for the challenge. What was fear can be turned into excitement to be challenged. The run will be a much better experience if you can maintain this mindset. It takes perseverance to change habitual thought patterns that are not productive and requires regular and repetitive practice but with this practice improvements will be gained in all aspects of life.
Here’s to the cup on top of the shelf as a constant reminder to believe in myself.
Dedicated to Mike Wheeler, a positive motivator, who had me in stitches with laughter, and a totally great person. You gave so much to so many during your time here.