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For certain situations a "managing" mindset makes sense (this depends on a combination of factors including things like an athlete's experience at a given distance, an athlete's objectives, and the competition) . That said, there is much to be gained by abandoning a control-oriented demeanor and approaching races freely; by going out and truly racing the day. Personally, I have come to believe that breakthrough performances almost always come when an athlete lets go of managing in favor of racing, something I recently experienced myself.

Whereas "managing the day" generally keeps things in control and takes you to places you have been before, "racing the day" allows you to explore uncharted territories. It is a risky proposition, where the cost (potential to blow up) is great, but in my opinion, the benefits even greater (crushing perceived limits). Against that backdrop, I wanted to reflect a bit on what I think is the most important thing to be aware of when it comes to racing. The ability to invite, anticipate with a positive state of mind, and then to endure suffering. I'll touch on each component briefly:

Inviting Suffering

Going harder than you have before in training (whether it be intensity, duration, or a combination of the two) likely means that you will feel something that you haven't felt before. While this has many names -- pain, muscular fatigue, cement legs -- they all fall under the umbrella of suffering. If you are going to breakthrough barriers, you are going to suffer. Let me explain. The perception of pain is a very complex process that centers around the relationship between the mind and body. Without going into the science, when the body is undergoing massive stress, the brain sends signals that say "back off" or "stop." These signals manifest in extreme discomfort, and in the simplest of terms, pain. This has served a great evolutionary purpose as pain quite literally protects us from hurting ourselves.

But here's the thing; all kinds of research has shown that the brain sends pain signals well in advance of the point that we may actually put ourselves in danger. Basically, on a scale of 1 to 10 (with 1 being sitting on the couch and 10 being complete bodily shutdown) the brain may activate extreme pain at a 7, when the body can actually tolerate a 9 or even a 9.5. The implications of this may be hard to stomach, but they are actually quite simple. If you want to get everything you can out of your body, it is going to hurt a lot. If you want to breakthrough your barriers (which are in place not just because of fitness limiters, but also pain tolerance limiters) you are going to have to suffer more than you ever have before. If you want to PR, you kind of have to want to, or at least be willing to, endure a lot of pain.

Anticipating Suffering with a Positive State of Mind

We just established that suffering is generally requisite to breakthrough performances. Once an athlete accepts this and internalizes the need to suffer, he or she can approach it in one of two ways: 1) fear it, dread it, stress about or 2) confront it, embrace it, look forward to it.

Option #1 not only leaves an athlete much more likely to check out when the suffering begins, but it also can sabotage their race before it even starts. Any additional stress in the lead-up to an event is bad because it inhibits the body's ability to perform on race day. It follows that if an athlete is dreading the suffering that is ahead, the additional weight on their chest and stress will have all kinds of negative effects; from poor sleep to causing extra heartbeats in the 24 hours before a race.

Option #2 does the opposite. If you are looking forward to something, when it comes on, you are going to soak it up. When was the last time you were looking forward to a meal at your favorite restaurant, and then when the food came, you decided not to eat or enjoy the meal? Although pain and suffering is different than a great bowl of pasta, the concept is the same. If you can wrap your mind around the fact that pain means you are giving it your all, and that it is something to be relished on race day, then you are far more likely to be in the moment, and maybe even enjoy it. It's not something you want to do too often (it has wearing physical and mental effects), but if you pick your spots (e.g., your biggest races) and structure training, tapering, and recovery around them, then an athlete should be ready to endure extreme pain, and rebound from the suffering just fine.

Enduring Suffering

There are no easy outs, and no one-size-fits-all solutions. When the pain comes on -- even if you invite it and anticipate it with a positive state of mind -- thousands of years of evolution will be screaming "flight" and you've got to "fight." Call upon your favorite songs, think about your most grueling workouts, and recite your most effective mantras. Have these types of things in your back-pocket and ready to go. You don't want to waste any energy searching for them. Whatever they may be, find the tools that work best for you, and put them into play when the time comes. These don't have to be philosophical or inspirational either. To be honest, sometimes the best mantras are as simple as a few words you wouldn't recite in front of young children. Whatever it takes to turn off and ignore the central governor (e.g., the mind).

Concluding Thoughts

Suffering is an implicit part of breakthrough performances. That said, this stuff is not to be taken lightly. An athlete can only suffer effectively if they are well prepared both physically and mentally. Think of suffering as icing on a cake that includes sound training, nutrition, recovery, and fueling. Without this foundation, suffering can be ineffective at best, and dangerous at worst. This is why, as I said in opening, for many athletes in certain situations, managing a race actually makes sense, and will lead to the best performances at that particular snapshot in time. That said, once an athlete is ready to truly race at a given distance, suffering is a part of the equation that cannot be overlooked.

Brad is a graduate student studying public health at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, a competitive amateur, and extremely passionate about all things multisport. You can reach him at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..