Some people call them crazy. Some say they're selfish. But distance runners and endurance athletes say they are just doing what comes naturally. Not only can their bodies handle the physical demands of their chosen sport, but they've trained their minds to accept it.
"The first 50 miles are all physical. The second 50 are all mental," says ultra runner Stephanie Ehret who's run and won her share of 50-plus mile races. Tackling the distance has never been a problem for her physically. "As a runner, the longer the race is, the better I get, and the stronger I feel," she says. Mentally, she pushes through because her desire to compete and complete long distance runs is strong.

Her husband, Peter Bakwin, is the same way. "I love running," he says. "I don't really look at it as training. It's just what I do, how I spend my free time." Like most runners, getting out four or more times a week is just part of their lifestyle. Unlike most runners, Stephanie and Peter approach the sport as a way to enhance their lives mentally and spiritually, as well as physically.

"The physical and mental components are completely linked," says Peter. "You really can't separate them out in the experience." Peter talks about his long runs as being filled with joy; "the surroundings seem exquisitely beautiful and touch my heart with such delicacy. Then there is elation and running seems effortless. Energy enters my body from somewhere else and I am in the moment."

"It's the peacefulness when you're out in nature," Stephanie adds. "There is something about being in motion and feeling my own heart beating and the sweat running down my face. It makes me feel more alive, more human, which in turn makes me feel more connected to other people." It also helps her erase judgments. The longer she runs, the more worn down she gets physically, which in turn allows her mind to accept new ideas. "That's when judgments fall away. Blaming and criticism and self doubt and self images and all that crap that blocks us from connecting with people in the world disappears."

It's that kind of focus that helps these two ultra runners go the distance. Their mental approach to running helps them maintain their goals on and off the road. And while 50 or 100 mile races are not for everyone, every runner usually has a mental roadblock to overcome. Getting through the brain blocks that can cripple an otherwise great run or race can be challenging, but not impossible, as long as you train for cognitive as well as physical endurance.

"Most people under-perform in races," says sports psychologist and Olympic running coach Bobby McGee. In fact, he says, only nine percent of athletes perform up to their potential. Why? Because they haven't completed the mental component of race training. Not only are they fearful of being too uncomfortable during the race, they're fearful of falling short of their race goal and as a result, they psych themselves out of a good performance, says McGee.

"Only nine percent of people perform as well in races as they do in training." The reason, he says, is they haven't mentally prepared to live up to their expectations on race day. "There's a weight of expectation. People become attached to a certain outcome in a race. They run with a brick in their back pocket and end up putting too much stress on themselves."

Distance runner, triathlete and head coach of Fast Forward Sports Scott Fliegelman has a motto: "When you're pre-recorded for success, just press play." In other words, when you've trained your body and your mind for a race, you've pre-recorded all the elements you will need to succeed on race day. "In my three months up to the race, I record the necessary music I need for race day and it lessens the anxiety because I don't have to do anything magical or miraculous on the day."

That "music" can include positive self-talk, a well-defined goal, visualization, and acceptance of pain. "Find comfort in discomfort," says Fliegelman. "During a race, if we're pushing ourselves, we're going to feel a level of discomfort." It might be in the legs, it might be in the lungs. Either way, when athletes accept the pain and even embrace it, Fliegelman says they will run to the best of their ability.

"The less experienced runners are with discomfort, the more likely they will find a moderately comfortable pace on race day and just hope that it's the right pace. And, as often as not, they get to the finish line and say, 'I could have gone faster.'"

McGee says the first thing he does with his athletes is address the negative voice. "I have them look at the internal dialogue pre-race and pre-training." McGee has his runners take note of their thoughts during training to gauge their preparedness for a hard, speedy workout. Then he has them reflect on their thoughts just before a race. "And if there's a distinct disparity there, then we need to recognize that the way they're thinking of races is disempowering and we need to replace those thoughts with something positive so it becomes second nature." In other words, you gotta fake it 'til you make it. And believe it or not, it works.

Accepting discomfort and boredom during endurance runs are key elements Bakwin needs to finish a race. Pain and boredom, he says, "are usually accompanied by doubt. I doubt I can finish the run, much less perform well in the race. It seems a chore to put one foot in front of the other. When I get in my head and fuss about the miles and how I feel, then things can be very difficult." Once he converts the negative self-talk into performance affirmations, the run and the race take on a new meaning and experience for him. Rather than allowing his mind to focus on the physical pain, Bakwin forces himself to see the environment around him.

Similarly, Fliegelman says he focuses on the aid stations during an Ironman race. In fact, he doesn't even consider the running portion of an Ironman to be a marathon. "If you get off your bike and think I have to run a marathon, you might as well quit. If you think of it as the same run as the New York or Chicago or Boston Marathon, you couldn't do it because you're in so much agony. So I don't even use the word 'marathon.' Instead, I consider it to be 26 consecutive repeats from aid station to aid station."

Another important component to achieving a race goal is having more than one goal. "Most of us are racing the clock," Fliegelman says, "and I think it's dangerous to make adjustments to our pacing on the fly." Endurance sports deplete blood sugar, which affects the brain's ability to reason and stay focused. "As the race goes on, we get dumber and dumber so I think we need to have pre-scripted goals to rely on." For example, select one goal to race in perfect conditions. Select another goal dependent on weather and other conditions one cannot control. Perhaps you were up all night with your daughter who was sick with the flu, or you woke up with a headache. Having multiple race goals to compensate for uncontrollable events allows runners to have a positive outcome on race day. That way, race day isn't about all or nothing.

But the number one item needed to go the distance, no matter what that distance is, is desire: you have to want it and you have to agree to challenge yourself and accept the commitment, even on difficult days.

For Peter, the hardest part of any race "is dropping the entry into the mailbox. Once that's done, I feel committed."

"I've always felt like my secret weapon is my love of the sport," Stephanie says. "I also remind myself that the process is more important than the outcome, that racing is something I choose to and love to do. I remember that some of my most difficult races have been the most transformative and that many races I have won were quickly forgotten."

It's like the old adage: those things that are hardest won are often what we cherish most.

Mental Exercises

1. Positive self talk; ditch the doubter


2. Remind yourself of your original


3. Redefine success and have several


4. Visualize success


5. Practice mental focus


6. Find comfort in discomfort


7. Accept what you cannot control