Flipping the Mental Switch - Part 1
This week, I’m sharing Aron Johnson’s unique experience at Rocky Raccoon 100 in her words because it’s a great example of what’s possible for you in a 100.
Aron has been running ultras since at least 2003 and has four 100-mile finishes before this race, the last being Rocky Raccoon 100 in 2020.
I’m presenting her race in two parts because she has two fantastic examples of “flipping a mental switch.”
In February 2023, I went into Rocky Raccoon 100 actually pretty confident I was going to finish…under 30 hours.
The course is five 20-mile loops. The cutoff for a Western States ticket is 30 hours, the actual race cutoff is 32 hours.
I was confident I didn’t need the extra two hours. “It’s a nice safety net, but I’m gonna get under 30 hours.”
Even though there were a number of things I expected to go wrong physically.
Because of a tendon injury, I’d basically been doing all cross training. I was able to get some really good treadmill miles right before the race, so I was feeling confident the tendon was in a good spot but wasn’t sure how long it would stay. I figured I’d feel it at some point but it wouldn’t impact my finish.
It’s crazy now, looking back on it, that I’d done about 90% cross training due to injuries since the second or third week of August - almost six months. But it worked out well at Javelina 100 four months earlier with less running, so I was fully confident I could finish.
On race morning, right from the start, the race didn’t go the way I expected.
My legs didn’t hurt the way they do if you don’t have enough training, so in that respect, I wasn’t worried. But I felt heavy and stiff.
It’s a 20-mile loop and at 20 miles things change for me, so I was still confident.
“I’m going to get this first loop done and it’s going to be great. It’s going to be wonderful.”
But it got worse.
I had six or seven expected injuries and physical issues, like my stomach. And most of what I expected to go wrong didn’t.
No specific problems or injuries. Just a general, “I can’t move faster - why can’t I move fast today?”
Still, my time on the first loop was what I wanted and I thought, “The second loop will be roughly the same and it’ll feel better.”
But it was significantly slower and felt worse.
On the second loop, I thought about 30 hours. It became clear “This might not be a day to get your Western States ticket.” My pace was significantly slower than expected and what I would have needed for that WS ticket.
This wasn’t going to be the day I thought I was going to have.
I’d pictured myself finishing under 30 hours and had all these visions of the future. My old self would have spent time mourning what could and should have been.
And I was going to have to fight a lot longer than I wanted. I’d rather be a lot more miles in before that happens.
Pre-coaching me would have dwelled on, “This doesn’t feel good…I still have so many miles left…I’ve barely started.”
But two things stick with me frequently from all the stuff we’ve talked about in coaching. One is sticking to facts and the other is questioning “How is this serving me right now - is this helping me right now?” Those made the difference.
I accepted that, “Ok, so your day’s going to be harder than you thought, what is your day going to be NOW?”
And the switch flipped.
I didn’t think about the WS ticket again. It was just, “Ok, but you can still finish.”
I asked myself, “How can this day be a good day even if you feel like crap?”
The weather was a beautiful, my best friend was running with me, and I wasn’t injured.
I went from negative…to what the day could still be. This was a major change my pre-coaching brain wouldn’t have done.
And the most exciting thing was - it was easy and natural - it didn’t have to force it.
I’m getting better at catching my brain in moments where it’s trying to trick me and I can work through it but it typically feels like my subconscious brain is saying things my conscious brain has to counteract.
This was the first time I felt like my subconscious was fighting that fight for me. I didn’t have to actively sit there and tell myself, “Ok, switch your thinking.” It just happened.
I accepted, “That day isn’t going to happen - what’s your day now,” and went forward.
It happened so naturally because we talk about it a lot in coaching as we go over races and life…that repetitive talking it over with somebody objective. It’s one thing to know what you should do, it’s another to actually get it done and it’s so helpful to talk it through.
And I find it more beneficial to talk through things like that with Susan than doing it in my own head by myself every time. The repetition and back and forth has made it ingrained and natural.
I do have to practice it on my own and check in. The accountability aspect is helpful.
And it’s been really helpful to be more aware of how my brain’s working. It doesn’t mean negative thoughts don’t come in, it’s being aware of why and what my options are to deal with it. That it’s not necessarily a bad thing, it has good intentions.
There’s always continuous improvement. I feel better generally when I discuss and get some things out. It forces me to be cognizant of what my brain’s doing and not get complacent, because it’s easy to let life take over.
And…it just feels better.
[Stay tuned for Part 2]
