In the first half of last year, I wrote here on this Hypnosis for Running blog about an injury I suffered which scuppered my plans to run London marathon last Spring.
I wrote about the effect upon me and received some wonderful supportive messages. Among the comments people wrote in the blog entry here, was a comment from a lady stating the following:
“I have been reading your blogs with interest and also with a certain scepticism! I have never run marathons but always enjoyed running by myself a few times a week – it was my therapy. I haven’t run for 3 years now and I still miss it so much. I have a back condition which apparently will not heal (but is not bad enough to warrant surgery). The medical advice I received is that I should not run. I am now very jealous of anyone who speaks to me about running and always have a thought at the back of my mind which says “it won’t last, you’ll be injured soon”! I have not been able to recreate the feeling that I get from running through any other exercise but love the idea of being able to recreate those feelings through hypnosis. I do admire and believe in your positive attitude to healing and yet I also wonder if you are being realistic. I haven’t given up the hope that I might be able to run again but after 3 years of different consultations/physio/osteo/chiro/acupuncture and a huge bill to pay – I still have no clear plan for recovery… so I guess I’m saying we can’t all keep running forever and we need to find other ways to get the feelings and benefits running gives us?”
One way of responding, would have been to say “you are right, time to call it a day, let’s explore elsewhere…” However, this is what I wrote:
“Firstly, I think healthy scepticism is essential. I am utterly healthily sceptical about all of this stuff – and that is the reason I examine the evidence as much as I can with all that I write and talk about here these days (as much as is possible).
Secondly then with regards to your comment “I also wonder if you are being realistic” – realistic about what? About being able to recover from a stress fracture in my medial metatarsal? Something which hundreds of thousands of people recover from on a very regular basis? I think it is absolutely being realistic to expect to recover from that and to go on and run well when I am not even 40 years old yet.
I am founded in reality – I know my limits and I know what does and does not come to me naturally, but I also know that my own level of belief effects and influences by physical ability; as it does for most people.
Many people do run forever and for many, learning to run within their capability is a real skill… But heck, many of the best running blogs I read each week (Hal Higdon’s for example) are written by guys who have been running for decades and decades.
I don’t just run for the feelings I derive from it – I find that self-hypnosis and other forms of exercise do also give me that. Maybe the loss you felt for stopping running is colouring your perspective here?
Really sorry to read of your injury and I hope you recover and find what you are looking for. Great hearing from you. Best wishes, Adam.”
Additionally, my perception of myself and my relationship with running is such that I was never going to give up running. I was never going to quit running. I reacted to those comments as I do to similar comments – with some determination. At the end of last year, I ran the Bournemouth marathon in a time that was my second slowest while I was ill and on an incredibly hot day. I am now back to six days a week running and building strength as I motor forwards and aim for a PB at one of this year’s scheduled marathons I am training for.
The perception that we have of ourselves as a runner influences and effects how we respond to injuries, comments received, poor performances and training issues. It also effects our ongoing running performance as it colours our thoughts, feelings and beliefs. This is more succinctly referred to in the field of sports psychology as our self-concept.
My own self-concept was very apparent when I ran Bournemouth marathon at the end of last year; I was passed in the final mile by a chap that I have known for 10 years and who was running his first marathon. As he passed me he said “I thought you ran marathons much faster than this Adam” – he meant nothing by it, he smiled genuinely and wanted the best for me. I could have responded by believing that “he thinks I am a slow runner, he is right, I am not the runner I was” or “he does not know my situation, but I shall be back next year and will run this marathon even faster.” My self-concept is such that I smile and get more determined to show people what I am capable of; that then drives me in a positive way. I also happen to truly believe that I should be proud of how I ran that day, and I am.
Probably the best reference to this self-concept that I have encountered is in the book Psychological Training for Competitive Sport by Chris Liebetrau (1982), though there are numerous other references you can track down. It is useful for runners to be able to have an idea of their own self-concept in order to be able to know if their responses to challenges are serving them well.
The first thing to do is to heighten your awareness of your own self-concept and you can do this quite simply with the following steps: Analyse Your Self Concept:
Step A: On a piece of paper (or on a notebook page) divide the page into 3 columns of equal size. Title the columns ‘stimulus’, ‘internal dialogue and beliefs’ then ‘emotions and behaviours.’
Step B: Write down the stimulus – that is the situation or scenario that you had to face.
Step C: Write down your thoughts, beliefs and any internal dialogue (your cognitions) that occurred when the stimulus was present.
Step D: Now describe your responses in terms of your emotions and behaviours to challenges you have faced during your time as a runner. This could include performances, comments from people, training issues, problems, injuries etc. With the example I gave previously, when I was passed by the first time marathoner, I could have felt anger, or frustration, or alternatively determination and focus on getting faster as was the case. I could have felt happiness that someone else was doing so well!
Do this for about 20 moments from your running career to date (both racing and training) and this will give you an idea of your own self-concept and will indicate if it is something you need to improve or if you can leave it as it is currently.
If the analysis suggests that you would benefit from more positive reinforcement of your self-concept, then the following process is based upon Liebetrau’s recommended exercise, though tweaked slightly here and used in conjunction with self-hypnosis to amplify it’s effects. Simply follow these simple steps:
Before you start with this session, write down on a piece of paper a description of the person, the runner that you aspire to be (your ideal self, so to speak). Then write down a description of the person you consider yourself to be now as a result of having analysed your self-concept (as per the previous section of this article). Things to consider including within these descriptions are your running achievements and goals, your motivations, your ongoing training habits, your fitness levels, your running ability, your personal strengths – and you’ll end up with an ‘ideal versus real’ set of descriptions. With the ideal, still make sure it is attainable and realistic (is it really the case that you are going to be the first human to run a sub 2-hour marathon?).
With these two descriptions drawn up, get into a comfortable, seated position with your arms and legs uncrossed, in an attentive posture and in a place you’ll be undisturbed for the duration of the session, then follow these steps:
Step One: Induce hypnosis.
You can do so by any means you desire or know of. You can use the process in my Science of Self-Hypnosis book, use the free audio at my main website to practice or have a look at the following articles as and when you need them; they are basic processes to help you establish the hypnotic mindset:
Heavy Arm Self-Hypnosis Induction Method.
Using Eye Fixation for Self-Hypnosis.
The Chiasson Self-Hypnosis Method.
Hand to Face Self-Hypnosis Induction.
Using Magnetic Hands for Self-Hypnosis.
The Coin Drop Self-Hypnosis Induction.
Once you have induced hypnosis, move on to step two.
Step Two: Imagine a typical day that includes your running training and preparation. Within the day playing out in your imagination, imagine that the real you and the ideal you are following each other around, going about the day’s business.
As they conduct themselves in that typical day, notice the key differences in attitude, application and watch to see what attributes are the most notably different between the two.
Run through a full day, noting the key differences between the two selves, then move on to the next step.
Step Three: Now imagine both selves at a running event, perhaps a key event that you are training towards. This could be a race, or a key training session.
Notice how the ideal self (at some point) surpasses the real self and goes on to achieve the performance you desire as a runner.
Once you have done this in full and as vividly as possible, then move on to the next step.
Step Four: In your mind, refer back to the previous exercise (analysing your self-concept) and have a think about some of the challenges you have faced as a runner. Imagine how your ideal self would have dealt with some of the challenges you noted in the analysis exercise (in the first part of this article).
When you have got a detailed idea of the ideal self’s responses, then move on to the next step.
Step Five: Having done that, now mentally rehearse training for and competing in your next event, in the shoes of your ideal self. No longer watching what the ideal self would do, instead, actually being the ideal self. Note the actions that you take, the attitudes you hold, the beliefs you have, the way you communicate to yourself, the approach you have, your reactions and responses to diversity.
Once you have run through that fully and vividly as possible, in the shoes of your ideal self, then move on to the next step.
Step Six: Tell yourself that you are becoming more and more like the ideal self.
Imagine the two selves in front of you and then see them merging and morphing into one. Convince yourself that you are developing as a runner and doing all you can to make the ideal runner within you a reality. Then once you have completed that, move on to the final step.
Step Seven: Exit hypnosis. Take a couple of energising breaths, wiggle your fingers and toes. If you have my book on the subject, use the exit protocol by counting from one to five, otherwise, open your eyes and reorient yourself accordingly.
Now when out in the world, start to behave as if you are that ideal self. Start to train and run as your ideal self would. Then continue to practice and practice this self-hypnosis session to bring those two selves closer to each other in reality.
Enjoy that, and enjoy your ongoing New Year running!
References:
Liebetrau, C (1982) Psychological Training for Competitive Sport. Haun Educational Publishers.
