What is external dissociation? It is the technical term for my secret weapon during races and training. Shortly before my first half marathon in April, I came across this article on Active.com about breaking down the mental marathon.
After the 1996 London Marathon, researchers asked non-elite runners (those like me!) about their thought processes. They were able to group these processes into four different categories, based around four terms:
Internal: What is going on inside the body - thoughts, feelings, mental tricks, etc.
External: What is going on outside the body - fellow runners, spectators, splits/times, etc.
Association: Focusing on factors related to the race, such as your fellow runners, bodily sensations, etc.
Dissociation: Distracting oneself from factors related to the race, such as by thinking about the scenery or solving math puzzles mentally
Grouped together, the researchers found that runners’ thought processes fell into internal association, external association, internal dissociation, and external dissociation.
Why does this matter? Well, it turns out that choosing to have certain thought processes has a significant impact on when runners hit the proverbial “wall”, as well as their perceived exertion and fatigue. Runners who mostly focused on internal dissociation often hit the wall, because they were so disconnected from their bodies and the race and ignored signs to slow down and hydrate. Runners who used internal association, or thought about how their bodies were feeling, also hit the wall often.
The runners who were the most successful in avoiding the wall and minimizing fatigue mostly focused on external factors, such as those during the race with association (spectators, water stops, mile markers, etc.) and those outside of the race with dissociation (mental games, scenery, other distracting thoughts).
I rely on external dissociation during my training runs. During the week, this takes the form of reading a magazine and watching the news while on the treadmill. Doing so always makes the time fly by; when I don’t have a magazine or a screen to watch, I get bored and my perceived exertion is greater. For my long runs, this counts as observing factors about the trail and the run which I can then write about in the blog. When it came to race time, I focused heavily on inspiration as gathered from the scenery around me - the smell of the flowers, the style of the houses, and more. I use external association in small doses, too. I kept tabs on my pace every mile as a way to prevent me from hitting the wall. I did not focus on myself, but I did consider my fellow runners - how they were feeling, what they were wearing, how soon I could pick them off. If I had focused on how I was feeling, I guarantee I would not have felt as great. If you’re running at race pace, how can you possibly feel 100% well? By directing your thoughts elsewhere!
Fellow runners: if you have not considered controlling your thought processes as a means to achieve a PR, try some of the techniques above. Separate out your thought processes and only allow the ones into your head that will help your time. It will make your training runs and races much less painful and more enjoyable. Then, let me know how it goes!
Jill - I like your ideas.
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