By: Katie Kellner, member of the Craftsbury GRP Run Team

What is meditation? 

There are many ways to improve running performance beyond simply going out for a run. Mental practice can be just as important as physical practice when it comes to getting through tough workouts, racing strong, and managing nerves. Mindfulness meditation is an especially effective technique for developing mental strength in running.

During meditation, you practice focusing on the present moment and gently pushing away thoughts about the past or future. There are two main techniques that are commonly used when meditating: Awareness of Breath (AOB) and Noting. AOB is a focus on your breath or a particular body sensation to keep you present. Noting happens when you consciously notice your mind starting to drift and you bring the focus back to your breath. 

Studies have shown that the brain physically changes from consistent meditative practice. Meditation can significantly decrease activity in the Default Mode Network (DMN) which is the brain circuitry primarily active during passive mind-wandering. Hyperactivity of the DMN has been linked to conditions such as anxiety and depression, but also may hinder sport performance. 

How can meditating benefit my running? 

• Running in the present moment

When you practice meditation, you practice focusing on thoughts relevant only to the present moment. During a hard workout, it is common to have the thought, "How will I possibly be able to hold this pace and feel this strain for X more miles?" Whenever thoughts about not being able to finish cross your mind, you can rely on your meditative practice. Instead of concerning yourself with the future, you can think, "Am I okay in this present moment?" Most often, you will be. Refocusing your mind on the breath avoids thoughts about how you may feel later in the workout. The more you practice meditating outside of running, the easier it will be to slip into these thought patterns during strenuous exercise.

• Reducing nerves

While some amounts of nervous energy can be beneficial, experiencing too much pre-race/ workout anxiety can compromise performance. One part of the nervous system – known as the autonomic nervous system – helps to regulate anxiety.

There are two parts of the autonomic nervous system: the parasympathetic, which calms you down, and the sympathetic, which revs you up.

When you feel stressed or nervous, the sympathetic system kicks in, flooding your body with stress hormones that increase your heart rate and respiration. One of the most powerful ways to deactivate this sympathetic response is AOB, since breathing is controlled by the autonomic nervous system. By keeping your focus entirely on your breath, you'll be able to reduce the amount of stress hormones that enter your bloodstream and calm pre-race/ workout anxiety.

• Avoiding thoughts that may be counter-productive to your performance

Whether training or racing, we've all experienced moments of internal chatter racing around our minds. Sometimes these thoughts are anxieties about the future or worries about the past. Other times they are self-doubts about ability level. No one is immune to occasionally thinking "I'm not good enough", "I'm not capable", and "I didn't prepare enough".

If you’ve practiced Noting thoughts though, you will be better able to refocus on the breath and allow these thoughts to metabolize while you get back to the task at hand.

Meditation is not for every runner. But given the mounting evidence of its benefits - and low cost - it may be another tool to experiment with to improve your performance.