Mindset Practice: The Conversation with Pain
Objective:
To build emotional resilience by shifting from resisting discomfort to working with it.
Instructions:
1. Write a Letter to Your Pain (10 min)
- Find a quiet space and write a letter to your pain.
- Address it directly, like a conversation:
- “Dear Pain, I notice you show up when…”
- “I used to think you meant… but now I am learning that you…”
- “Here’s how I want us to work together moving forward…”
2. Training Session: “Lean into the Pain” Workout
- During a challenging interval session or long workout, use the strategies from the reading:
- Label the pain (“This feels heavy but not sharp”).
- Talk to it (“You’re here, but I can still move”).
- Find a focus (“Just make it to the next marker”).
- After the workout, journal what happened:
- How did your experience with discomfort change?
- Did labeling or reframing help?
- What did you learn about your personal pain response?
3. Reflect & Refine
- Re-read your letter to pain at the end of the week.
- Did your relationship with it change?
- What language or mindset shifts helped you most?
Final Thought:
Every endurance athlete will meet pain. The ones who perform their best are the ones who make peace with it. You don’t have to love pain, but you can learn to understand it—and when you do, it stops being a barrier and becomes a stepping stone.
