How does one prepare for the Ultimate Human Race?
This question has vexed me since I signed up for the Comrades ultramarathon last fall. The road race, this year going uphill from Durban to Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, is the largest ultramarathon in the world. Started in 1921 as a way to honor those who died serving in World War I, the race is full of tradition and mystique, with participants describing the race as “epic” and “life-changing.”
And the race itself is brutal. A distance of about 87 kilometers (about 54 miles), it has a nonnegotiable 12-hour deadline. Once the final gun goes off, the finish line is blocked and runners are not allowed to pass through. My goal is to run a marathon on each continent, and when the opportunity came up to run in South Africa, I leapt, but I was uncertain that I could do this.I needed to get fit — and not just physically.
When it comes to a serious endurance challenge, you have to train your mind to gain fortitude and resiliency, just as you might train your legs to run long distances. But how?
Train your mind
I spoke with Jennifer Lager, a McLean psychologist who works with the Center for Athletic Performance Enhancement. She said a key part of mental training is being able to picture yourself doing whatever activity you’re attempting. The technique is called visualization, and it’s meant to help you mentally take on all the challenges you will encounter.
“The better you target where you know you may have problems and do some visualization about working through those successfully, and the more vivid you make your visualization in terms of using all your senses,” the more effective the visualization will be, Lager said.
Written by By Mike Plunkett
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