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Non-attachment: the key to running well with less stress

Letting go of the need for perfection will help you enjoy your training and perform better

We’ve all experienced the stress-busting effects of a good run, but when you’re training for a goal race, there’s potential that running can add stress to your life, rather than eliminate it. So how do you work toward a goal without it detracting from your mental health? The key is non-attachment: having running goals, but accepting that not everything is within your control as you work to achieve them.

Molly Seidel used non-attachment in her build-up to the New York City Marathon. Photo: Justin Britton

The importance of mental flexibility in training

When you’re training for a goal race, there will always be things that happen that are out of your control. Lost training days to sickness, family commitments and injuries are inevitable, and letting go of the need to have “the perfect buildup” will allow you to be more flexible with your training and subsequently, less stressed. Olympic bronze medallist Molly Seidel exemplified this perfectly with her training leading up to the New York City Marathon. In a press conference after the race, she revealed that only a couple of weeks before the marathon, she fractured two ribs. With the support of her coaches, physios and doctors, she still managed to get herself to the start line, place fourth in the race and set an American course record.

In an interview with Chris Chavez for the Citius Mag podcast, Seidel explained that she was even prouder of her performance in New York than her bronze-medal run at the Olympics, because she learned that even if things go wrong, she can still perform well on race day — perfection is not necessary. “The lesson that I took away from this build is that everything can go to hell in a handbasket, and somehow we can still put something really cool together by just going at it and working as hard as we can with what we had,” she said.

That’s the basic idea behind non-attachment: things can go wrong, but because you don’t have a white-knuckle grip on your training, you’re able to readjust and do what you can within the circumstances. Maybe a few missed training days or bad weather on race day will mean you won’t grab a shiny new PB, but you can still run a race you can be proud of. Seidel didn’t end up on the podium in New York, but she still managed to turn in a strong performance, because she let go of the need for perfection.

What to do when things go wrong on race day

So before you start your next training block, make a plan and do your best to stick to it, but before you even start, accept the fact that things likely won’t go exactly to plan. This will allow you to enjoy your training more and be proud of yourself, regardless of the outcome.

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