Mindfulness and Endurance Training

Recently, I was able to participate in and complete a Full Ironman triathlon. That is a 140.6 miles multi-discipline sporting event, consisting of a 2.4 miles open water swim, a 112-mile road bike ride, and to finish a 26.2 miles marathon-length run. One has 17 hours to complete this endeavor. To be honest, I really enjoyed it.

Ultimately, it all comes down to training, having trained for nine months for this particular event.

When you are on a training bike ride for several hours, have a few more hours to go, and you know you have to run after it, potentially in the heat, you really have to keep your mind in check and make sure that your mind doesn’t race ahead of your body’s current activity. It’d be futile to start thinking, ‘Oh dear, I have three more hours left on this bike ride, and after that, another 1-hour run, and it will be even hotter.’ Then, you would start dreading it, and your mind would keep telling yourself you’re already tired.

Instead, I found myself reminding myself to stay in the moment. For example, “I am currently at mile 31 of the bike, and this is where I am.” Enjoying the moment and staying in the moment. Connecting your mind with your body; and not letting the mind race ahead. 

Also, in sports, unfortunately, injuries often happen toward the end of an event. Usually, I believe, because the mind races ahead and is already finished with the event, paying less attention to the body’s current situation and activity, losing situational awareness.

One can take each mile, one mile at a time, mentally. And then, when you are finished with your training ride and run or swim, you feel this incredible sense of satisfaction. You have pushed your body, perhaps, to a new limit and feel stronger. Of course, there were many times when I was utterly exhausted after a long weekend training ride and run. But that makes it all the sweeter when after a few times, that distance does not exhaust you anymore, and you’ve become stronger, mentally and physically. You can do even longer distances in your subsequent upcoming training sessions. 

Overall, endurance training is also an outstanding mental and physical balance to all the other tasks we often have during the week. So, I can highly recommend it if you want to tip your toe into that world. Starting small, with baby steps, and gradually increasing whatever you’re training in. It will bring you great satisfaction, partly because you realize how much you can safely push your body and mind to work in concert. 

So, what we practice on the Yoga mat, coordinating our breath with the movements of our body and mind, can be tested and put to trial on the training trails. 

Go for it. Give it a try! Take yourself to new mental and physical limits and belief in yourself and your capabilities. Tap into your inner strength to reach potential new outer strengths. And remember to enjoy the journey, staying in the moment, one mile, one breath at a time.