Dr James Gill
Is it your muscles or your mind holding you back from your PB? We can point towards the recent London Marathon world records to find an answer. We finally have a human who broke the under-two-hour marathon time. Sebastian Sawe’s achievement is a watershed moment for human physiology, as up until this year’s London Marathon, the sub-two-hour race wasn’t thought possible.
Not just very difficult. But something that was impossible for the human body to do. Now, that’s not to discount the amazing efforts of runners like Eliud Kipchoge who over the past few years have come astonishingly close to Sub 2, and who took the two-hour marathon from impossible to probable. I think, however, in future marathons, we’ll see more runners also break the two-hour milestone.
Why? Because this barrier wasn’t merely physiological, but psychological.
This is bizarrely one of the reasons why a Personal Best can spur an athlete forward. It allows recalibrating what is possible. In the depths of the final stages of an event, when it feels like you’ve nothing left, the right mental preparation gives you the tools to help you push through what can seem like a Herculean task.
Keeping going seems impossible because it is deeply uncomfortable. However, if you know that you have previously pushed beyond that barrier, you know as a certainty that you do in fact have reserves to keep going. Training to achieve the right mindset doesn’t make your goal any easier, but turns the seemingly impossible into a possible.
We see this at Dr Finlay’s when our clients achieve their goals, whether that is a 10km or an Ironman. Pain settles relatively quickly, and they realise, not only could they do it, but they may have had more to give. In our multidisciplinary team, Clinical Psychologist Dr Jared Watson works with patients to build an understanding of mental barriers and how to enable the mindset to tackle the considerable physical discomfort of personal challenges.
For myself, as a Doctor, I would love to have seen Sebastian Sawe’s blood test results after the London Marathon after running at an average of 13mph for 26.2 miles! I imagine these would have shown the absolute battle he had fought, run and won.
I believe this is why training needs variation. For the body and mind. Long runs, sprint runs, and tempo runs are all testing. All allowing you to improve your fitness, boost your goals, and understand your own psychology. Can you always find a push? Do you have a constant drive? Do you need a strategy to get through the mid-run slump? Understanding your head helps you to learn the true ability of your legs.