How to trick your mind to be invulnerable
Apply this 4 scientific based advices to achieve any of your goals.
One thing I have learned completing an Iron Man triathlon or climbing a 7000 m peak is that a strong will is not what you think it is.
Break your journey into smaller portion
You are running, you are exhausted. Your body is telling you to stop, but you are still far away from completing your race. What can you do ?
Instead of considering the whole distance from the beginning, break your run into small, achievable targets. In Theory of Goal Setting and Task Motivation, Locke and Latham demonstrated that specific near-term goals improve performance compared to vague or distant goals. Furthermore, breaking tasks into smaller steps reduces mental strain, as the brain can better handle small challenges than overwhelming ones.
In short, don’t focus on your remaining distance, but instead on clear visual markers.
During the Iron Man race, I was already drained starting the cycling part because of the previous 3.8 km of swimming. I did not think of what was left to complete, but instead focused on the next refueling point. As I got more and more tired, I broke this into even smaller steps until at the very end, I would focus from next lap, to next lamppost, to next step.
Mental dissociation
Completing an Iron Man triathlon is as much about effort planning as it is about physical training. Timing when to consume your energy gels or bars is absolutely crucial. These are the fuel your body needs to keep going, and much like a car, if you neglect to refuel, you simply won’t be able to continue.
The reason I mention this is that, at some point, there is room for mental calculations. Figuring out exactly how many minutes remain until your next gel, how many you’ve already consumed, or how many are left before switching to another type of food may seem trivial now.
I can guarantee you that after 10 hours of continuous effort, when your entire body is begging you to stop, this simple math will give you something else to focus on — and that’s exactly the goal here.
In their research on attention focus during physical exertion, Hutchinson and Tenenbaum explain how diverting attention away from physical sensations can reduce the perceived effort of an activity. By focusing on external stimuli or engaging in unrelated mental tasks, you can distract yourself from discomfort or fatigue. As a result, dissociation techniques like this can enhance both endurance and performance by minimizing the subjective experience of effort.
However if math aren’t your thing, it can be something else. I’m doing this because I suck at it, which means it takes me longer to figure out the answer. The point is shifting your mind from focusing on the pain or fatigue so you are able to move forward.
Visualize success
What if I tell you that you could make almost as much progress as someone else training every day, without breaking a sweat ?
In A Voyage into the Visualization of Athletic Performances, researchers explore the role of visualization in enhancing athletic performance. This involves mentally imagining oneself achieving a goal as well as executing a flawless technique. As a result, athletes report increase in confidence, motivation, muscle memory and coordination as visualization activates neural patterns similar to those used in physical execution, strengthening the mind-body connection.
In this study, Dr. Blaslatto evaluated the improvement in free throw performance among three groups of basketball players over 30 days. One group abstained from practicing entirely, another practiced free throws for 30 minutes daily, and the last group focused solely on visualizing successful shots. The results showed that the non-practicing group experienced no improvement, while the group engaged in physical practice improved by 24%, and the visualization group achieved a 23% improvement.
A month before the Iron Man, I went cycling on the bike course. This wasn’t so much for the training itself but more to get a sense of what I would be facing. It gave me confidence as I was then able to visualize every step of the course.
You can’t imagine how many times I pictured myself crossing this finish line while I was training for it. This probably did not help my technique but definitely boost my motivation to complete 226 kilometres during that day.
Smile
My god, I’m hating myself for this last part. It does sound like the next hollow cliche from any Tiktok influencer, doesn’t it ?
How about some more science to relieve me from this guilt ? The article from Psychology of Sport and Exercise titled “The effects of smiling and frowning upon running economy and perceived effort”, investigates how facial expressions influence athletic performance. The study found that smiling during running does improves running economy. Additionally, participants reported a lower perception of effort when smiling, suggesting it can make physical activity feel easier.
My goal when starting this mad Iron Man challenge wasn’t even to complete it. Just participating would have been enough for me. I’m far from being an athlete, so performance wasn’t really the focus. Instead, I concentrated on the immense privilege I had to be there that day. Even through the difficulties of the race, I tried to savor every moment.
Joking with the staff, chatting with the participants, and feeling the support of the crowd — all of this helped just as much as my careful preparation did on that day.
We all go through difficult times. Keeping your mind focus on the present and finding joy in the little details might be the best answer to carry on.
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