Mental imagery

skedaddle

Barefooters
Sep 3, 2011
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Do any of you folk use mental imagery to help push through tough parts of a run?

I do it all the time, usually images of Wile E Coyote strapped to various A.C.M.E contraptions, my favourite for up hills being a giant magnet pulling me along.

I'm a visual person by nature and this kind of comes naturally to me. I know others rely on verse or landmarks.

Would love to here if anyone has such strategies so i can safely rule out that i'm not completely loosing the plot.;)
 
Haha, I may try visualising a tiger behind me when I start slowing down tomorrow
 
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Lungs choking on fire. Taste of blood. Hearting pounding. Side stabbing. Head throbbing. Blinded by sweat. Skin abrading. Joints smashing. Chafing chafing. Searing sun. Smothering humidity.

Must run faster to get to the end! :D
 
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It is probably different depending on how much one cares about the finishing time. I think I alternate between being zoned into nature, and then total into myself and the rhythm of my movement. I probably am more auditory than visual.


I also like to zone out, one of the best feelings is loosing a sense of time on a long run. It doesn't happen to me often but it's a great feeling when it does.
 
Ran 19 miles or so on thursday to the Avebury stone circle and made a point of touching one of the stones to finish.
Strangely on todays run the image of that stone came back to me and i felt strong. I'm not really into magical powers of spiritual matters but I did feel a sense of history and found myself drawing from a very ancient well.
 
When I am doing a long run I just get in tune with my suroundings enjoying nature and all but when I am doing a more intense run everything changes.
Like today I was doing of a 6 miles tempo run and about the last mile I got tired and wanted to slow down but instead I picture myself in a race and told myself that there is no quitting in the middle of the race and to my surprice I did finish my run feeling strong. Yay me!!!
 
When it occurs to me to think about "wilting," often I just look up to the sky then see similar to avatar; The Spirit is more than just physical body -- time is an illusion, we all exist in the Spirit Realm and is (comparatively) infinite to this little rock hurtling through the cosmos. Feel drawn, and "float" for a while through the run. When operating from spirit, it's effortless. :) <3
 
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When it occurs to me to think about "wilting," often I just look up to the sky then see similar to avatar; The Spirit is more than just physical body -- time is an illusion, we all exist in the Spirit Realm and is (comparatively) infinite to this little rock hurtling through the cosmos. Feel drawn, and "float" for a while through the run. When operating from spirit, it's effortless. :) <3


I'm not a spiritual person, but i do enjoy quantum conundrums and paradoxes.
One place i like to visit in my head is an imaginary front seat on Voyager as it roams the gas giants, and icy moons, flirting with comets as it heads off into interstellar space and the unknown. It's very peaceful out there and wondrous place if you can still your mind and relinquish worldly matters for a few moments and wonder.
And i think that's the secret, running empties you mentally so your imagination is free to play.
 
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Do any of you folk use mental imagery to help push through tough parts of a run?

Yes, when it comes to racing mental imagery helps a lot. When your pushing yourself hard in a race its a big mental game. When I'm just out for a run on my own I usually don't need anything to help me through, I just don't push past my comfort zone then I guess.

I like your Voyager fantasy skedaddle! However while I'm running I need the opposite. When I race, I need high intensity / high energy type of motivation, peace and calm is for when I'm laying in bed.

This goes back many years ago but back when I was in high school one of my favorite movies was The Predator with Arnold. And a lot of those 5k courses where in the woods. I picture Arnold at the top of the next hill yelling "get to the chopper!" while the Predator was chasing us down lol. Boy that really takes me back.

In recent times I do think of motivating things at races, sometimes one of my current favorite shows - which I happen to also play some of the soundtracts too while I race as part of my playlist. I know I'm a total dork, but it helps. Its actually Japanese anime too, I really dont watch anything on tv anymore but once in a great while I may find an anime I enjoy (not talking about kiddie shows like pokemon or bey blade or anything like that, most I watch are teen+ or MA rated). Anyhow, this one show really appealed to me like no other, I was just drawn into it for some reason. Its a dark fantasy anime, where Yoma (shape shifting monsters of incredible speed and power that take on human appearance) live with humans and secretly hunt and eat them. At some point humans figured out how to create human/yoma hybrids that had the strength and speed of the yoma, and could see their true form when they were disguised as humans. The story, Claymore, is about these warriors struggle. If anyone is anime curious lol, I might recommend it. The action and intensity really appealed to me, and during a race nothing is more motivational as feeling like your whole life is on the line much as these warriors feel in the show. I feel like some of my own struggles resemble that of the protagonist, and do relate to my running and other challenges in life. But again, I realize I'm a bit of a dork. but hey whatever helps us right?

220px-ClaymoreCoverTankobon1.jpg

Cover art of Claymore Volume 1 (showing Clare, the protagonist of the series) for reference.
 
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I sometimes visualize getting to the next bend in the trail or to the top of the current hill.

Mostly, though, I like to just be right where I am to the very best of my ability.

I remember when I was a new runner back in the early 80's (and running 10 miles in an hour) I'd chant to myself "Strong and relaxed, strong and relaxed..." These days I'm settling for "relaxed."
 
Ran 19 miles or so on thursday to the Avebury stone circle and made a point of touching one of the stones to finish.
Strangely on todays run the image of that stone came back to me and i felt strong. I'm not really into magical powers of spiritual matters but I did feel a sense of history and found myself drawing from a very ancient well.


When swimming laps I often imagine that as my arm goes in I'm reaching for the very best cookie I've ever eaten; does that count as spiritual?