Do you have to constantly work on your mental toughness? I do. I find myself having to give pep talks (to myself) throughout a tough WOD. I play little scenarios in my head, pretending that I have to get just that much further, work just that much harder to survive whatever I’m imagining happening.
Luckily for me (or maybe not so lucky, not sure), I have a very active & vivid imagination. Always have. I can scare myself with ease, and the hubs thinks it’s hilarious to put this to the test.
How does this help with my CrossFit workouts? Well, most often if there is running involved in the WOD, I’m ready to give up halfway through. I just hate running that much. So I pretend that I’m in some sort of dangerous situation and I have to keep running to get to safety. Most of the scenarios play out that way… I have to run/jump/lift to survive. If anything like this ever happens, I’ll be TOTALLY prepared... riiight.
Or I get my inspiration from watching the fire breathers on the CrossFit.com site. I think to myself, those athletes got to where they are by pushing through even when they felt like quitting. And if they can do it, I can do it too. Now, I realize I will never be an elite athlete (not in this lifetime, pal), but I can test my limits and improve each time I step up to the plate and begin my workout.
Some days, it takes all the will I can muster just to start the warm-up. If I can get the warm-up started, then it’s like a chain reaction – warm-up to WOD to completion. I have too much stubbornness in me to go half-ass on a workout I know I can complete. Yes, I scale and I probably will for a long while, but by God, I will complete whatever I plan to accomplish that day (save for illness/injury).
I’m getting close to the end of my 90 day challenge. My body is definitely screaming for some rest, but seeing the light at the end of the tunnel is enough motivation to push on through to the end. I’m in the last 0.5 mile of a 5K and I’m so, so happy it’s almost time to hit the stopwatch.
(Great article from againfaster.com about pushing yourself to the limit.)
Weekly Monster Mash – 12/21/24
1 day ago
2 comments:
I definitely play mind games to get myself through the WODs and especially through a run. I do anything I can not to think about actually running or else I will start to focus on how sore and how tired I am feeling.
I love watching the guys on CrossFit.com, they are such an inspiration.
Good post on the mind games. I've started using an 8 year-old to time my WODs while the rest of the class does their thing. I pace around for about 10 minutes while he keeps nagging, "are you gonna start soon?" Every time I before I begin a WOD I have to convince myself that I need to start. And getting through a run, I scream at myself inside my head, "Go faster. Go faster. You're not going fast enough."
Talking to yourself is healthy. And keep up the great work. Congrats on a huge CFT PR!
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