What does it take to perform as best as we can? And how do we help those we train to develop their resilience muscles as well as physical fitness?
In September 2022 I was inspired when the greatest marathon runner Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge broke his own world record in the Berlin Marathon in 2:01:09. Among the most exciting moments of sport spectating is when records are broken.
Among the most motivating challenges of endurance sport participation is pushing one’s own limits to break personal bests. As athletes, even those of us in older age-group categories, we ask ourselves, “What can this body do? What can these legs and lungs achieve that they have never been able to before? What are my limits? How fast or long can I go? Even when hitting a wall, how much further can we push and overcome? Which of our limits are actual and which are just perceived? What are the physical barriers and what are the psychological limiters?”
I know some things about the science of training the body to go faster and longer. Yet I want to learn more about ways to train the mind so turned to the recent deep dive by sports journalist Alex Hutchinson into the science and art of pushing to your limits.
Endure first explains the science of pacing, lactate threshold and the so-called “central governor” that Tim Noakes explained is not about failing muscles but our brain’s well-meaning protection to slow us down before reaching true failure. A highlight of the book is the stories of Ernest Shackleton and Robert Scott’s expeditions, John Landy’s breaking the 4 minute mile, Stéphane Misfud’s freediving record (11 minutes and 35 seconds), and other stories of athletes overriding instincts to slow down, slack off, give up. Hutchinson teaches techniques to access the reserves of energy we have when we think we are depleted (the reserve tank switch). Some of this is mental self-talk to replace negative thoughts, some is avoiding anxiety in other parts of life, and some is subconscious tricks like relaxing your jaw or simply smiling through pain which helps us feel happier and safer.
The middle section of Endure unpacks limits of performance achievement: pain, muscle, oxygen, heat, thirst and fuel. I learned about acclimatization processes and why a cold shower on the morning of a hot race helps, as can self-talk of replacing “I’m boiling” with “Keep pushing you are doing so well”. There is advice on arriving to training or races well fuelled, and advantages of training depleted to teach your body to burn fat. Hutchinson explains benefits of fuelling with different carbs, for example glucose and fructose, to maximise your body absorbing 90 grams rather than just 60 grams of carbohydrates per hour. Yet the highlight was the stories of amazing athletes who faced and overcome these limits. Hutchinson says that pain is a warning sign but not an absolute limit, and that medals go to athletes who are willing to suffer a bit more than others in the race. For example, Josh Cox commented about Comrades ultramarathon: “The one guarantee in an event like this is the pain … You have to welcome it – say ‘Here you are my friend’” (p.44).
Endure’s final section is on limit breakers – the kind of brain training to foster resilience that shakes off setbacks and adapts to the unexpected. This is why mindfulness can help soldiers and help them avoid developing PTSD. It is why anxiety and stressors of the day can detract from training but can also be an opportunity to practice pushing on when mentally fragged. Psychologist Michael Joyner similarly says best training is not about technology and science but the elemental challenge of pushing your body and mind in training, consistently, each day for years:
Run a lot of miles
Some faster than your race pace
Rest once in a while. (p.259)
My favourite chapter was on belief. The science of effort is underlined by the experiences of Red Bull and Nike athletes doing more than they imagined was possible. All athletes face micro decisions through a race – whether to speed up, slow down or maintain pace. As in other arenas of life, sometimes we need to go beyond even pacing and what others think is possible to break a record.
Cyclist Tim Johnson commented about expensive machinery, sensors and computer analysis: “You can do all this shit, but it all comes down to two guys on a bike, trying to beat each other” (p243). Johnson asserted that the real secret weapon is believing you have access to another gear.
Eliud Kipchoge, after finishing a 59:19 half marathon, stated: “The verdict was that I’m ready to attempt the unknown through faith by believing in myself … The difference only is thinking. You think it’s impossible. I think it’s possible” (p.206). In the lead up to his Breaking2 race he said, “I’m ready to attempt the unknown through faith by believing in myself” (p.273). Though not an official race, he ran 1:59:40 in Vienna in 2019 in the climax of Nike’s Breaking2 project. Such experiences of performing optimally in sport are helpful inspiration for personal athletic goals, but also useful for performance goals and building resilience in any other aspect of life and work, in or out of the military.
Hutchinson’s artful integration of sports science and inspiring stories is useful for any athlete seeking to break their next record, or for those seeking to cultivate performance in themselves or others in other spheres.
Notes:
Publisher details: London: HarperCollins, 2021.
ISBN: 9780008308186 (pbk)
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Australian Army, the Department of Defence or the Australian Government.
About the Author: Darren Cronshaw is a Chaplain in the Part-Time Army who has served at Army School of Transport, Puckapunyal, 1st Recruit Training Battalion, Kapooka and in 2023 on SERVOP-C at Defence Force School of Signals. For civilian work he pastors Auburn Baptist Church and teaches leadership and research methods with Australian College of Ministries (Sydney College of Divinity).