Sunday, October 23, 2005

Approaches to peak performance

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Running up the trail in the morning’s soft light and sweet dew I found my mind wandering into spaces I thought only possible in yoga. I was all alone amidst the intriguing browns and brilliant greens of the forest yet began to feel this amazing sense of connection with everything around me. My feet moved effortlessly over the trail’s soft flooring as I easily sauntered up hills, my muscles functioning in unison like a brilliant symphonic harmony. For over an hour my movements flowed over the landscape of what felt like heaven on earth until that dreadful moment when I was, without warning, popped back into grim reality. I stumbled on a root I had never before seen and my thoughts turned to anger as my gracious state slipped away just as easily as it had appeared. If only…if only I could nurture this state on every run, in every race…then, then I could win myself a first, a second or even a third place finish.




Many of us can identify with this magical state of mind at some stage in our running careers. In fact, the “peak experience” or “runner’s high” as they are commonly referred are not uncommon. It is true too that we could probably turn out better performances if we were able to nurture these states on a longer-term basis. But how practical is this in ultra running? Not too practical given the inordinate amount of time required of the 50 and 100 mile runs, the unexpected occurrences like falls and going off route and the sheer boredom from the lack of anything to truly do except engage in perpetual forward motion. That said, there are some runners who are able to endure a state of complete focus no matter what the situation. Mihalyhi Csikszentmihayi who made famous the concept of “flow” is adamant that learning to focus is the key to improving performance. Knowing the inherent difficulty of this act in ultra running, I propose that performance improvement is more complex than simply the act of focusing on an object. If we look to Eastern philosophies, especially those of Buddhism, we can certainly learn more about this process. However, I think that neither Eastern philosophy nor Western psychology alone can provide a full perspective on performance enhancement, or the process of fostering human potential, as it is commonly referred. In fact, I will go as far as saying that the “peak performance” is marred with “ordinariness”. This ordinariness has a twist, however – a very compelling twist.

The first mistake we tend to make is to believe that we are not capable of performing. This article is about the mental side of ultra running, not about the physical aspects. For that there are books, magazines, trainers and clubs. The starting place is therefore to understand the difference between a peak performance and a peak experience. Continue to think of the latter as some mysticalplace to where we are transported when mind, body and soul appear to be completely in sync. It feels amazing but the state is just that – a state, and one that is most temporary in nature. We don’t learn its attributes nor do we learn how to handle the stressors that can pop us out of this mindset. Focusing on an object, whether this is a point in our bodies or in the environment can lead to a peak experience. A feeling of bliss or joy is the reward at the end of the process.

Peak performance, on the other hand, is a frame of mind we can attain and sustain. The key is in learning how to handle life’s stressors, and in learning to enjoy the process en route to our goals. As compared to the peak experience, it is not an end state we hope to arrive at. Rather, the joy associated with peak performance is realized through a process of developing moment-by-moment awareness. Again, in the East they call this bliss. In the West we call it a well-adjusted personality. However simple it sounds, it may be the most challenging aspect of human nature – one that can make the act of focusing and peak experiences seem like simpler options.

To better understand the differences between peak performance and peak experiences, it is important to understand the chaotic and complex nature of our minds. In a recent edition of Scientific American Mind, author Christof Koch explains how images are formulated in the brain;


The brain is an amazingly dynamic organ. Millions of neurons in all corners of our gray matter send out an endless stream of signals. Many of the neurons appear to fire spontaneously, without any recognizable triggers. Any mental activity is accompanied by a ceaseless crescendo and diminuendo of background processing.

And yet it is very difficult to focus our attention on a single object for any extended period. Our awareness jumps constantly from one input to another.


Within this chaos and complexity, we are constantly accepting, rejecting and categorizing information from the external world. Much of this process occurs outside of our own levels of awareness. Whether referred to as our unconscious mind or other concepts, the information rests somewhere within ourselves. It is a gradual, multisourced weaving and building process calling upon our bodies, emotional sensing abilities, intuition and other sources that bring it into our “zone of awareness“. Think of how the runner in the vignette at the start of this article is attuned to the small details on their run. In a peak experience our senses are heightened. We notice very ordinary events or objects with greater intensity than in our everyday state of mind. This is an example of information traveling from our normal state of consciousness into awareness. In a peak experience or performance, our thoughts are slowed down and we are able to focus our attention or awareness on single objects for extended periods. The question is how can we arrive at this state of awareness in light of the chaotic and complex default state of our minds.

Evidently, learning object-based focusing is one pathway in and one way to improve our running performance. Practice, practice and more practice is the only way we learn to quiet the incessant categorization or fanatical neuronal wanderings of our mind. Focus on footsteps, a heartbeat, a spot on the horizon or on the trail ahead; listen to music, count repetitively. Practice outside of running. Practice inside of running. Just practice. But be warned, if it isn’t a nasty fall or lack of trail markers leading you far off course that interrupts your focus, your mind will flood with thoughts of stopping when pain and boredom nastily sneak up on you at your most vulnerable moment. I’ve talked with runners who have convinced themselves to drop out at the 95 mile mark in a 100 mile race. Every runner subsequently talks of the pain of not finishing in the days following an event. Again, only by living through these experiences do we learn that “we” are somehow stronger than our minds. We also learn that some parts of our mind are like gutless creatures that seek comfort when faced with hard mental challenges. But those who do use focusing in ultra running, and use it successfully, have also come to understand that that part of the mind that tries to control us will also diminish in strength if we refuse to pacify it and give into its whims. What runners using this approach have come to understand is the transient nature of thoughts and/or emotions, an Eastern concept leading to a very interesting question: If we are focusing on an object and able to run through the whimperings of our mind, does it follow that we have reached a happy state of being? Eastern philosophy describes a state of joy or bliss that lies at the end of the focusing process.

Before I address this question, I will make an argument for moving beyond object-based focusing as a performance enhancement technique. A new initiative through the Mind and Life Institute has been launched over the past several years involving the Dalai Lama, several key Western philosophers, psychologists and neurologists. One of the main findings points to similarities in neuronal responses between people experiencing positive emotions in anticipation of reaching a goal and people experiencing feelings of bliss associated with mindfulness meditation. Mindfulness differs from object-based focusing in both technique and state. Attention is broadened to as many mental and physical events as possible as they occur, instead of being restricted to only one object. As an alternative to the temporary suppression of our drives as with object-based focusing, mindfulness leads to a state of tranquility or bliss by helping us to recognize the impermanent nature of all phenomena. In terms of ultra running, this can be interpreted to mean the recognition that all states of mind, whether frustration, pain, sadness or happiness, are temporary. This appears to be the same result as with the act of object-based focusing. But there is a difference, however, in how it is achieved. In mindful awareness, we learn the transient nature of events as they occur from moment to moment. In object-based focusing, we only learn this lesson once we reach the mystical state that lies at the end of the process. Neither approach is any easier than the other. In fact, nurturing mindful awareness may be just as difficult and time consuming as nurturing a state of object-based focus. Mindful awareness is however, more sustainable over the long term, hence the associated use of the term “peak performance” versus “peak experience”. Ironically, if we follow all the tenets of Eastern philosophy, it is written that learning the art of object-based focusing is rather like “step 1” on the path to permanent tranquility or bliss. Step 2 is mindful awareness. This knowledge might be integral to the process of its learning. In other words, learn to focus on objects first before learning to expand awareness to events that occur from moment to moment.

The issue of the ordinariness of performing is also relevant. It is precisely mindful awareness that is illustrative of the triviality in fostering our potential as humans. Using this method, we are not hoping to reach a state of magical bliss by tuning out all stimuli around us. Rather, we incorporate everything into our awareness with the addition of learning to accept and let-go of emotional attachment to events and objects. During runs, this might mean chatting with others of similar pacing (when our breath can hold up), being completely aware of approaching runners, roots on the trail, route markers, our breathing, our posture, the weather, the trees, the plants etc. etc. We are aware but this is where the thought stops. We do not continue to formulate a “judgment” such as “the plant is beautiful” or “I’m scared the runner behind me will pass me and win”. We just keep on running. In other words, we are experiencing the very ordinary act of trail running.

I return now to the question of bliss or joy, which is found either at the end of the object-based focusing process or is experienced as part of mindful awareness. As bliss is a term more closely associated with Eastern meditation practices, I alternatively use the terms joy or happiness. So far, I’ve drawn these arguments from my Master’s paper where I looked at the dynamics of fostering human potential in ultra running. What I didn’t look at specifically were personality traits. An interesting question is whether top performing ultra runners, who use either focusing techniques or instinctively practice mindful awareness have a happier disposition marked by positive attitudes. I suggest that these runners tend toward a positive mindset. A concept exemplified in the understanding that the same area of our brain is stimulated when we experience joy associated with the anticipation of completing our goals and when we engage in the practice of mindful awareness. This could be interpreted to mean that we could at least improve our performance if we set and recognize small goals throughout a race. Many of the top performers I spoke with do in fact follow this route. I propose another possible interpretation. Although I hate to get on the “power of positive thinking” bandwagon, I do think this concept holds value. Perhaps what we need to do is look more closely at the dynamics of happiness as reflected in Csikszentmihalyi’s theories that intricately bind the concepts of focusing and enjoyment. If this is taken one step further, I suggest that happiness, or enjoyment, is more closely related to mindful awareness than Csikszentmihalyi’s object-based focusing theory. There appears to be a very subtle balance between becoming aware and stimulating our pleasure centers that can only be attained through a time-intensive learning process. This is the compelling twist. What I am advocating for is a well-adjusted personality that rests somewhere closer to a state of happiness rather than that of neutrality. True happiness, however, is not an easy endeavor. Nothing is worse than meeting a vamped-up happy person who is but a constituent of our growing Prozac nation or one who forces a happy state only when in the public eye.

In summary, I have presented several ideas on approaches to improving mental aspects of our performance in ultra running, drawing on both Eastern philosophy and Western psychology. These range from focusing in on an object to directing awareness to every event/object in every moment. In both cases, I suggest that a positive attitude needs to underlie these approaches. The overriding goal is to work towards a sustained or peak performance, not a temporary high found in a peak experience. What is certain, and what I have attempted to highlight in this article, is that any strategy reserved only for the confines of a sanctioned event, and not practiced in daily life will have limited success. For these reasons, I truly do believe that ultra running can be a great metaphor for life and a conduit for contemplative learning.

© 2005
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4 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Di, Wish I had read this prior to the Oct 16th Toronto marathon. I was object focused and hit my pace at the first K and kept it until the 21.1K mark. Then I pacified my mind which thought my IBand pain was back big time. The last half became one of ordinariness of preforming as I gave into my mind and enjoyed the scenery to get my thoughts away from my body pains....almost 24 minutes slower for the last 21.1Ks than the first. I will be ready for the next marathon!!! Merle

9:36 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hey Merle! Pain is a very good example of these theories and presents a unique angle. The work of Jon Kabat-Zinn is quite good here as he introduced mindfulness meditation to America and it is used in so many hospitals to help patients COPE with debilitating disease. That capitalized word is the key. As I understand it, we have to "go into" the pain - even while running. The key is not to ignore it, not to "judge" it (eg. this is an awful pain") and then to go on. For diseased patients, it doesn't necessarily heal them, but it can make life more comfortable. I've worked with clients to help them go into their physical pain and then we've done visualization exercises where we encapsulate the pain in a ball and make it smaller and larger, smaller and larger etc. It helps them feel that they can get a handle around it. Hope this adds some insight and congrats on Toronto! diane

7:38 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Diane, the points above will help me. At the 10 mile point today of a 16 miler I put your suggestion of challenging the part of my mind that normally cuts in with "I am struggling to keep this pace, I am tired, I can't catch up with the group ahead" ....the result was my best 16 mile tempo run time by 1 entire minute. Also as a bonus no I Band issues either! Keep the suggestions coming for us all. Great work. Merle

1:22 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Interesting musings on your blog. A couple of thoughts:

Running is just a tool. Running can help us develop our own set of awareness practices, and these carry over into life. Awareness is the key to spiritual advancement and awakening. I believe that if you look at awareness as leading to becoming a better runner you will short circuit the spiritual advancement process. True understanding will certainly require non-attachment to ends & goals. The object is simply to be. "Be here now" as Ram Das said.

So, I agree with your summary.

You seem to be saying that the end goal is a "well-adjusted personality". Virtually every spiritual tradition views the personality (ego identity) as the major barrier to understanding and spiritual awareness. The personality filters how we experience the world. In order to experience True Nature we have to deconstruct the ego identity and break free from the personality and super-ego. All the ancient spiritual practices are designed to do just that. I think extreme endurance running can also do this to some extent. When you are pushed to the absolute limit, cracks can form in the personality structure, allowing Truth to leak in. Remarkable experiences can ensure.

The psychological understanding of the personality (and how it develops), that has been worked out over the last century or so, has been integrated with the ancient understanding of True Nature by A. H. Almaas. A general understanding of his approach can be got from reading his book "Elements of Real in Man".

It is an interesting question whether an Enlightened person would be a better runner. But, also an irrelevant one.

"He who knows himself knows God" -- Mohammad

"The truth will set you free" -- Jesus

8:42 PM  

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