The Psychology of Suffering — Preparing for Endurance Events

Some call it “hitting a wall”, others call it “low point,” and some call it, “embracing the suck”. Either way, everyendurance athlete will reach a point of suffering that feels insurmountable eventually, whether you’re atriathlete grinding up the last hills of anironman, or you’re acyclist trying to convince your quads that you have more to give when thefinish line is miles away. And while physical preparation can help you delay or avoid a truly race-ending situation, it takesmental training to get through moments of deep suffering.

What isMental Toughness? 

Suffering is an inevitable part of life and of athletic experience, even effectingelite athletes who participate in theolympics. And for many, the suffering that we willingly put ourselves through duringendurance sports and onrace day better primes our brains for the non-optional suffering in other areas of our life — meaning, thanks to other lower-stakes challenges you’ve had to overcome, you will have a greater sense of confidence in your ability to persevere regardless of what life throws at you. 

How we respond to suffering in sports is something that we can fortunately prepare for through a variety of methods. Key areas to focus on are maintaining focus, composure, and determination in the face of extreme physical discomfort and stress, and maintaining neutrality or even positivity regardless of circumstances. 

Training Your Brain

You mental state is the single greatest determiner of how much pain you can tolerate, how long you can tolerate it for, and what you perceive to be your limits. Here are five tried and true methods taken fromsports psychologists for dialing in yourmental strategy so you can push through tough moments and emerge stronger when it comes to yourendurance performance.

1. Consciously acknowledge the discomfort and difficulty of the task at hand rather than trying to ignore it or deny it. By accepting suffering as an inevitable part of the process, you can better channel your mental energy into coping with it rather than fighting against it. 
2. Set reasonable expectations. If you go into a long,endurance event with the idea that it will only be minimally painful, you are very likely to become disappointed — and quickly too! Begin events by telling yourself that there will be painful moments, but that you are prepared to deal with them. 
3. Remember that everything is temporary. While we wish the highs could last forever, they don’t. But, on the positive side, neither do the lows! The worst part of any event is only a small blip in time in the grand scheme of things. 
4. If all else fails, fake it till you make it by trying to channelpositive emotions. Smiling, singing along to your favorite tunes, cheering on other racers, and striking up a conversation with similarly paced competitors out on the course can take your brain from “I live in the pain cave now,” to “this isn’t so bad.” 
5. Put yourself in a good headspace and banishnegative thoughts by pairing guided meditation with your physical training. There are many online resources for free or inexpensive classes that you can add on to the end of workouts, listen to as you drift off to sleep at night, or channel on the way to the start line. 

Of course, all of this is easier said than done, but developing a level ofmental toughness that allows you to increase yourpain tolerance and improve yourmental health will also serve you well in other areas of life where you’re required to sit with discomfort or even distress. It’s through seeking suffering rather than avoiding it, that you can train the mind just as much as you train the body and become more resilient.