It's the day before your first marathon and you're wondering: What on earth have I gotten myself into, anyway?
Good question!
I hope you've done your training, whether with a running group, an online running coach, or careful attention to a Runner's World or Running Room-type training program.
Of course, there was the young woman I spoke with who had run 18 miles-over the course of a week, that is. Rosie, as I'll call her, was at the marathon, persuaded by her friend Nancy, a long-time runner. We talked about their different goals: Although I encouraged Nancy to run for time, if not companionship, I suggested that Rosie focus on how far she might get-whether running or walking. Her training certainly didn't suggest that she'd quite make it to the finishing line.
Marathons-and half-marathons-have become increasingly popular. Last year, nearly ½ a million completed a marathon in the U.S. Among other things, that means that some people will think: "If so many people are doing it, I can too." Which may well be true...if you train sufficiently.
But this isn't really an article about the physical elements of training; it's about the psychological aspects. What are you thinking? How well are you mentally prepared for this race? What are you saying to yourself? How do you maintain just the right amount of psychic energy for these 26.2 miles?
Inspired by a "Psych Team" that assisted runners at the start line of the New York City Marathon, I brought the idea to Toronto in 1999...and the Toronto Marathon Psyching Team was born. Although initially skeptical, the Race Director and Medical Director are now among its most enthusiastic supporters. They consider it "value added" to this marathon.
It's now twelve Toronto Marathons later. This (all volunteer) Team is about 40 members strong, comprising psychologists, sport psychologists, and other mental health professionals as well as some graduate students in these fields. And here's what the Psyching Team does at the Toronto Marathon:
• We host a booth at the Registration and Expo site on Friday and Saturday. Whether at the table itself or moving around amidst the crowd, our red "Psyching Team" caps and vests signal that here is a person who can help you figure out your race strategy, develop realistic and reasonable goals, decide how to counter that querulous negative voice when it shows up, and cope with distractions;
• This year, we've been invited to participate in an afternoon race preparation panel for the Runner's World Challenge;
• Saturday evening, we offer psyching up tips at the Pasta Dinner;
• And then, Sunday, the day of the race....Well, we're all over the place:
o Some of us travel to the start line on the Marathon buses, a good time to be talking about how this day is going to go;
o Many of us are at the start line, with last minute suggestions: how to deal with the lack of sleep, all that goal setting stuff, playful or realistic imagery, last minute training in diaphragmatic breathing...or just offering directions to the bag drop off and the port-a-potties;
o Some of us position ourselves at various strategic locations along the race course, either as "Psychs on Bikes" or "Psychs on Foot"-with strategies, cheers, opportunities to sort out physical from psychological aches, to get you through the so-called "wall" (if it shows up...which it shouldn't, if you've trained well and not started out too fast);
o We're in the medical vans, to help you make sense of what didn't go right;
o And we're at the finish line, whether cheering you in and walking you down or in the med. tent and massage tent, helping to deal with smaller or larger challenges. Sometimes, your eager but concerned family may need assistance at that point.
If you, now reading this blog, are a psychologist, sport psychologist, mental health practitioner or an advanced graduate student in one of these fields, and if the Psyching Team sounds interesting to you-well, there's a whole other aspect I've not mentioned yet: We offer extensive training in this role on the Saturday before the race. It's a great way to actually practice applied sport psychology! If you're interested, check out the webpage and then contact Dr. Peter Papadogiannis, the current Director of the Psyching Team for the Toronto Marathon @ peterpapa30@msn.com.
As for you who are about to embark on your first marathon, whether Toronto or another one: If you haven't yet, now would be a great time to write out a list of every possible reason you can think of that you're running this particular race. You've trained really hard and well. This upcoming performance moment is all yours.
