Do you ever feel like you are holding yourself back by the mental aspect of running letting you down in a race?
If so, you’re not alone! No matter how good a runner you are, it’s likely that you spend a lot of time convincing yourself that you’re not as good as you actually are. This is part of human nature.
Today’s guest gives us some pointers on overcoming mental obstacles and getting ourselves to where we want and need to be in our running and in other areas of our lives.
That guest is Scott Welle, a best-selling author, peak performance strategist, marathon runner, and founder of Outperform the Norm. He has a degree in Sport Psychology and is fascinated by what goes on in the brain while our bodies are out pounding the pavement.
Some of the topics that you’ll hear about include
- The differences in the mindset of casual runners and those who enjoy peak performance.
- The importance of holding yourself back sometimes, and when this is appropriate.
- Why humans tend to downplay their abilities.
- How to recuperate mentally after you’ve suffered an injury or other obstacle.
- The importance of intrinsic, vs extrinsic, motivation.
- How people can put their lives into better balance.
Questions Scott is asked:
2:50: Can you tell us about your background?
6:15: Why is it important to you to run one marathon per year with your brother?
9:00 What is different about being a competitive and just having fun enjoying the marathon with your brother?
12:10: Would you say that you can’t physically and emotionally push yourself as hard on a weekly basis as you could if you raced on a less frequent basis?
15:05: Do you have advice for those who tend not to hold back?
16:45: What differences do you see between pro athletes and casual runners in terms of how they approach training and racing?
25:00: Why do runners downplay their abilities?
29:00: Do you have any advice for people looking for inspiration?
35:00: Can you explain the spark analogy from your website?
38:50: Why do we tend to push ourselves into discomfort?
47:00: Can you describe Outperform the Norm?
49:40: Do you find that people tend to excel in one area in your life and struggle in others?
54:10: How can people pull their lives into balance?
Quotes by Scott:
“Cross country is the only sport I ever quit in my life. I said, this running thing is not for me at all.”
“I have complete tunnel vision when I’m running.”
“It’s okay to push yourself, but remind yourself of the end goal.”
“There are strong differences between people who achieve high levels of performance and the average everyday person. You condition the mind the way you condition the body.”
“You have 50,000 thoughts per day, and 80% of those are negative…. We’re conditioned to see the glass half-empty.”
“You’re a runner when you start telling yourself you’re a runner.”
“The greatest skill anyone can have is self-awareness.”
“Extrinsic motivation can be great for a period of time…. Intrinsic motivation is being driven by progress and the pursuit of improvement.”
“Inherently, we are afraid of change; very few people want to get comfortable being uncomfortable.”
“Think about where you can channel your energy and motivation after a big race.”
“Don’t make the vital few the vital many. Be good in the few most important areas.”
“Have an attitude of gratitude…. The highest performers have the highest levels of gratitude.”
Take a Listen on Your Next Run
Links and resources:
Last week’s episode with Matt Kadey
9 Reasons You Should Take Time Off
Rocky Balboa- It aint how hard you hit video
Thank you so much for tuning in. Remember you can always email me tina@runnersconnect.net if you have any suggestions, feedback, or guests you would like to hear from.
Can I ask you a HUGE favor please? Would you be able to review the podcast on iTunes to help Run to the Top move up the rankings…..so we can bring on more of those running celebrities and influencers?
It can be confusing. Here is a video for the computer https://www.youtube.com/embed/XdWeIF6gu3Y?vq=hd1080
As for the iPhone…..
- Go onto the podcast app
- Search for the Runners Connect podcast in the search bar (bottom right)
- Select the podcast
- There will be 3 tabs, the middle one says Reviews, click that
- It will say “Write a Review”
Thank you SO much!
Next week, we will be talking to Matt Long, a New York firefighter who was literally sucked under a bus and who went on to run the New York Marathon. He’s truly an inspiration, and you won’t want to miss it!
