“You face a lot of fatigue mentally and physically, and it gets very, very challenging,” says Joe Taravella, PhD, a clinical psychologist with offices in Manhattan, Staten Island, and New Jersey. And he should know. Dr. Taravella is also a marathoner who’s set to run the ING New York City Marathon on November 3. “You want to remember that we control our mind, it does not control us,” Dr. Taravella says. Easy to do now. Waaaay trickier when you can barely breathe at mile 20. Which is why we asked him to spill his psychologist-approved secrets to winning the mindgame that is running, and help you proudly finish your next race. Here are his five simple strategies for making your mind work for you when your legs just want to quit:
- Set really short-term goals. Just like you gradually increase your mileage during training, it pays to set small goals during the race. “As you go up a big hill in Central Park, focus on the next tree that’s pretty close by,” says Dr. Taravella. “When you get to it, you can think, ‘Okay, I got that one down, now what’s the next marker for me? Is it a sign? A lamppost?’ Before you know it, you’ve conquered that hill.” Keep reading with Well+GoodNYC’s 5 Mental Strategies All Runners Need To Know.
