Sometimes I get a negative thought going on inside my head. That leads to more negativity and before too long, I am ready to just give up and surrender to this world that is suddenly collapsing around me. I used to think this was just a normal pattern, that it would go away after a while and that I would just have to let it play the course until the negative feelings were done. However, I have had an about face on this recently. It has come about because of my running habit.
You see when I run, I ALWAYS have something to complain about and feel too negative about. This morning it was really cold and I was not dressed appropriately. I am not ready to transition to “winter” running in Southern California. So I had some negative feelings about the cold weather and the less light I would have during the day coming this weekend. My knee started to hurt, so I could complain about that too. I had a small rock in my shoe, that was annoying and I forgot to set my watch right. I was hungry and tired and I ate too many damn Almond Joy’s last night. I just had a lot to complain about. I could allow those negative thoughts to spiral me downwards until I was just ready to give up.
However, I have learned that negative thinking and running do not mix – at all. You just simply cannot be negative and run. You just have to have a positive mindset, or forget it. When your mind is positive, you run faster, farther, smoother and have less problems along the way. When you are heading into the negativity tunnel, everything goes wrong, everything hurts and whatever you ate the day before feels like lead in your legs. So I picked up a hint from a fellow runner. She said that whenever a negative thought comes and it decides to take root and fester, just think – “I will have another thought please.” Pick something different to think about, something better and more positive.
Sound ridiculous? That you can improve your performance just by changing what you think about? Well believe it. It works, amazingly well and I suspect that this is true for more than just running. Next time you have a negative thought invade your consciousness, instead of dwelling on it, just say – I would like to have another thought please. Then pick a positive and uplifting thought and dwell on that instead. Perhaps even have some positive and uplifting things to think about armed and ready to go for when you need it.
I have seen this dramatically alter my running performance, my work performance, and my attitude in general about many things that I am working on. Give it a shot and see how it works.
Guy Reams
