by Mizuno Athlete Craig Leon
Have you ever gone out for a run or workout and felt like you were floating? How about the time when you felt like you could “run forever”. As runners, we characterize these experiences as the “runner’s high”. The feeling is empowering, even intoxicating. But as many of us know, capturing this magic on race day can be an arduous task. But what if there were certain triggers that could help you gravitate towards that perfect stride, the one where you reach that flow-experience?
Part of my graduate school research was on Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s psychological theory of “flow”, which can be characterized as the state of concentration or complete absorption with the activity at hand. The metaphor of flow is used to describe the sense of effortless action it takes to perform at one’s absolute best. In order to reach the place where optimal performance is possible, there needs to be a healthy balance between the challenge at hand and your personal skill level (see chart). This requires devising a training and racing plan around realistic goals.
Additionally, Csikszentmihalyi identifies 7 components of the flow-experience:
- Completely involved in what we are doing – focused, concentrated.
- A sense of ecstasy – of being outside everyday reality.
- Great inner clarity – knowing what needs to be done, and how well we are doing.
- Knowing that the activity is doable – that our skills are adequate to the task.
- A sense of serenity – no worries about oneself, and a feeling of growing beyond the boundaries of the ego.
- Timelessness – thoroughly focused on the present, hours seem to pass by in minutes.
- Intrinsic motivation – whatever produces flow becomes its own reward.
So what does all of this mean? And how in the world can a theory by a guy whose name I can’t pronounce help me run faster? Well, if you understand what can trigger these components of flow, then finding that perfect race may not be as hard it people say it is.
Last summer, my coach (Ian Dobson) and I both took sports-focused character assessment tests. The results identified some of our major strengths and weaknesses, highlighted our motivators and anti-motivators, and also provided some guidance on best strategies and techniques for training and racing. You can take a look at some of my assessment results here.
You can’t expect to reach that flow-experience if you never understand what either helps or hinders that process. For me, I know that routine, structure, music, and having several well-thought-out and thought-through race plans are triggers to potentially experiencing flow during while racing.
I’m also a very logical, analytical person, so I like to quell any doubts by looking back through my training log, focusing on some of the key workouts/races that I completed during my training cycle. This practice reassures me that I’ve put in the work and that I’m ready to go.
I think we can all agree that a relaxed muscle is a fast muscle. So before your next big race, spend some time thinking about what factors will lead to you finding that flow.
Craig’s mantra is “Ohio rasied, Oregon refined.” This long distance runner for the Mizuno race team has risen from the ranks of college walk-on, to top ten finisher at the Boston Marathon. Boasting a marathon PR of 2:13:52, this former Ohio University Bobcat currently trains under former Olympian Ian Dobson and Team Run Eugene.