The CragBaby

Today as I went out for one of my 1/2 marathon training runs I started to think about the power of thought. This is a common contemplation as I truly believe I haven’t been able to hit a 12a redpoint yet due to my inability to push through the mental block of feeling tired. I noticed that the mental block isn’t due to the fear of the fall, but really is that I
a) think I am too tired and take the fall or
b) really am tired but refuse to take a good rest and rather just try to push to the top.

If I am too tired and genuinely take the fall is fine. However, if I am falling because I haven’t taken a rest is a problem. I often catch myself not taking these rests as I feel like I am not recovering while resting due to the point that I am still exerting energy and can only shake one arm at a time. The silly part is if I take a fall, I can rest briefly and hop back on and finish the route.

I was thinking about this today as I was running because I hit a similar mental block when I am doing a solo run. I have a horrible habit of walking during these solo runs because I feel tired, mentally want to stop because I am bored and due to the point that there isn’t anyone pushing me. Today I did a little mental test where instead of letting myself walk when I hit this block, I would slow my pace down to a walk pace but still be “jogging” and just focus on catching my breath and clearing my head (similar to what I would be doing while resting on a climb). The conclusion was that this slower pace completely helped me recover and I was able to finish off the run quite easily.

Even though rests on a climb aren’t always available like the opportunity to slow down during a run, it still compares in the sense that I need to realize that these rests are actually helping me recover though I am still exerting energy.

These mental blocks are noticeable in my hobbies and I wouldn’t be surprised at all if the same mental block is affecting other areas of my life. Perhaps I can slowly implement it to all areas of my life by beginning with my runs.

This entry was posted on Saturday, March 31st, 2007 at 6:42 pm and is filed under climbing, misc, running. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.