Mental Toughness- Interview with Sports Psychologist Robert Weinberg

Mental toughness is being able to perform up to your ability. Dr. Weinberg lists 4 pillars of mental toughness.

1. Pressure- Being able to cope with adversity. Embracing the pressure. Having a "bring it on" attitude.

2. Motivation- Having a desire to perform. Persistance in what you are doing. Getting back up if you are knocked down. Goal setting is crucial. Goal setters are typically high in motivation. Setting long and short term goals is important.

3. Belief in Self- "I can do it."

4. Focus/concentration- Being totally focused on what you are doing. Being able to deal with distractions both in the sport and in your personal life.

I Love My Treadmill

I really do love my treadmill. I've heard it called the dreadmill and many runners say how boring it is to run on the treadmill, but I prefer to be on the treadmill over outside most of the time. I trained for my first half-marathon on a treadmill and felt I was ready even though I only ran outside for a few weeks prior to the race. So what are the pros of running on a treadmill?

Safety
Running on the road, in the dark, or on snow/ice obviously can be dangerous. I know a runner who was hit and killed by a truck 1 year ago who only lived a few minutes from me and ran on the same bike path that I use. I drive by where she was hit and it is scary. I used to run in upstate NY in the snow but I've sprained my ankle once and it took months to get back to normal. I will also admit that in the summer when the humidity is oppressive I prefer the treadmill in the cool basement. (I know I'm kind of wimpy.)

Injury Prevention/Rehab
Today's treadmills are awesome on your knees. I rehabed on my treadmill after a knee injury. The pounding on pavement run after run can take its toll.


Speed Workouts and Hills
The treadmill really can improve speed and hill workouts. I'm not experienced enough to tell how fast I'm really going outside but on the treadmill I program the speed. The same is true of hills, I can program the incline and make it last as long as I want.

Boredom
All running can be boring and that is why people use distraction. On the treadmill I feel I have more options and have done up to 12 miles on one. I watch movies, old television shows, listen to music, etc. There are many more options on the treadmill than outside. I do enjoy outdoor scenery also but after a few miles a tree is a tree.

Other benefits
All your needs are nearby. Limitless water and energy gels, etc. I've been on a long run outside and miscalculated my water and energy needs. The last few miles were torture. Another benefit is having a bathroom (instead of a bush) nearby.

No Excuses
Before I owned a treadmill I skipped runs due to the weather. It's too hot, too cold, too snowy, too rainy, blah, blah blah. But now I have no excuses (ok almost none ;) )

Treadmill Training for Winter Fitness | Active.com

Treadmill Training for Winter Fitness | Active.com