Shrink rap

In a last ditch attempt to to get into my brother’s head – and mess with it – yesterday I met with sports psychologist, university professor, former hockey goalie and head “Psych on a Bike” for the Goodlife Toronto Marathon, Dr. Peter Papadogiannis.

“So tell me,” I asked. “What can I say to my brother before the race that will really screw him up.”

Peter’s face was blank.

“You know,” I continued. “What exact words can I use that will totally psych him out, make him flounder, doubt himself, worry.”

Still nothing.

Did he not understand? Didn’t this guy have a PhD? I tried a different tactic.

“So I have this friend…” I told him. “She’s trying to beat down her younger brother. In your experience as a psychologist, what would you say is the most damaging thing she could say to him before the big event?”

Finally he spoke.

“One of the worst things someone can do in training or at a race, is worry about things that are outside of their control.”

huh?

“For example, come race day, they shouldn’t worry about what their competition is doing…. the best athletes have great SELF awareness.”

And then I got it. Peter was telling me to forget about my brother and focus on myself. To focus on how I feel before the race and during it — am I relaxed? Is my stride right? What’s going on with my body right now?

Sheesh can I get a round of —  BO-RING?

But I guess if he wasn’t going to help me with a little loving sabotage I’d take his “let’s play fair” advice.

To start with, Peter says I need to have more than one goal. For example, one shouldn’t just say, “I’d like to finish no more than 37 minutes after my brother”.

Oops.

According to Peter, only having a single, outcome-driven goal is a recipe for disappointment.  Instead, I should have at least two different outcome goals; an ultimate goal, and a back-up “I’m good with that” goal. He says “process goals” are also important – i.e.  “I will run all the way up the hill without walking”.

For me, this is how it shakes down.

Ultimate goal: Anything 1:55:00 and under
I’m good with that goal: Anything under 2:00:00
Process goals: Feel strong at 15Km, walk only at water stops, keep my lipstick fresh…always.

Peter’s next piece of advice? Break the race into segments, each with its own plan and inspirational  image – a jaguar or some such, which embodies the goal. Once each segment is over, Peter suggests you park it and move on. Or, in Peter’s more eloquent terms, if one segment is crap, “put it on a piece of toilet paper and flush it down”.

I’ve chosen to break my race into five segments:

First 5km: Effortless. Relaxed.
Symbol:  A gazelle on the Serengeti

Second 5km: Fast. Easy
Symbol: The cheetah chasing that gazelle on the Serengeti

Third 5km: Steady. Focused.
Symbol:  The hyena waiting for that cheetah’s scraps

Fourth 5km: Efficient. Effective.
Symbol: The Framsta storage system from Ikea

Last 1.1km: Strong finish
Symbol:   That new flavour of purple Listerine from Shoppers Drugmart (man, that stuff has a kick).

Come race day, Peter says it’s important that I focus on my body, concentrating on my breathing, my next stride and when it will allow me to push.  The stuff not to think about?  What my brother is doing, what the running group might say, what I can afford at Walmart now that rollbacks are over. That stuff is apparently NOT helpful.

And when it starts to hurt?  Peter suggests deliberate disassociation; thinking of anything but that “I need a hospital and I need it now” pain.

So does that mean I can start thinking about what my brother is doing?

But I should stop. There is, after all, a chance my brother may be reading this for the skinny on my tactics…unless someone put Draino on his wheat-a-bix, that  is. Wait. What??

Sportstats will hold the answers tomorrow.

If you like my blog,  drop me a line and I’ll add you to my mailing list to let you know when updates are on the site. Don’t worry, your e-mail address will be safe with me and my best Nigerian banker friends.