How to build mental strength for endurance sports, from ultra running to mountaineering and ocean rowing
- You are not born mentally strong, but develop grit over time and you can increase that strength like any other muscle with practice
How far you can run, how fast you can row, how many mountain peaks you can summit or kilometres you can swim should be the sum total of your physical attributes and fitness. And yet, it is not.
The unquantifiable quality of mental strength, or grit, is undeniably a component in endurance sports, and the longer you go, the more important it becomes.
To make a muscle stronger, you have to repeatedly put it under stress and push it to its maximum capacity. The same goes for the mind. You do not wake up mentally strong, you become mentally strong. And here are some of the exercises and practices you can include in your routine to develop your mental resilience.
Always finish what you set out to do
Quitting is a habit. If you practice completing your training, even when you want to quit, you will find it easier to finish your race or challenge even when your body screams to drop out.
Marie McNaughton, New Zealand ultra runner, said you always need to finish your session, no matter what. If you have a 30km training run, then you make sure you run 30km. If you have finished 28km, and you are shuffling along, barely running, push through the desire to stop and complete the distance, even if you are moving so slowly you are barely physically benefiting from the training. Making completing your goals a habit.