There's no doubt about it, marathon swimming hurts. And while I personally have never participated in the various other endurance sports, such as running, triathlon, etc, I know from talking with other athletes that these sports hurt as well.

Consider this:  many world records in marathon swimming are held by women.  Take Catalina Channel in California, for example.  Penny Lee Dean holds the record for the fastest mainland to Catalina crossing, over twenty minutes and just under 5% faster than the fastest male. Karen Burton holds the record for the fastest Catalina to mainland crossing, again over twenty minutes and just under 5% faster than the men's record-holder. While there are multiple factors that contribute to women's talent for marathon swimming, such as a natural tendency to be more buoyant than men and high levels of endurance, the fact that women have higher pain tolerances than men is no small factor in their performance in marathon swimming and other endurance sports.

One could argue that the most important skill in endurance sports is mental toughness.  No matter how fit or fast an athlete is, there will come a time when the athlete experiences extreme pain or discomfort.  Without a strong mental game, many athletes pull out, only to find themselves lamenting later that, physically, they could have continued, if only their brain had not failed them. For some, mental toughness comes more naturally, and for others, it does not.  No matter the case, training in mental toughness can improve performance.

Jen Schumacher, a marathon swimmer and sports psychology consultant out of Los Angeles, California, recommends following a comprehensive mental training program that incorporates visualizing key moments in a race, positive self-talk, and external cues or symbols to remind yourself to keep self-talk positive during a race.  “I keep a rubber band around my wrist and every time I catch my mind wandering, I look at the rubber band, say the word 'catch,' and refocus on my stroke.”

It is important to remember that there are different types of pain or discomfort.  One of the most important things for an athlete to learn is the difference between “good” and “bad” pain.  Some pain is indicative of fatigue, while some pain is indicative of a bigger problem. One of the hardest moments of  my open water racing career was pulling out of USMS 25K Open Water Nationals this year at the 5k mark for a deltoid muscle strain. I had hit my taper just right and was hanging tight in the front pack with the three top male competitors, and in spite of the deltoid strain, felt amazing.  While I raced I began to play a dangerous mental game of “maybe I can make it one more loop.” Ultimately, sound reasoning kicked in and I realized that one more loop was not worth the possibility of a season or career-ending injury.  I watched longingly as my fellow competitors rounded the buoy and continued on without me. It took over a month for the injury to heal enough to begin training again, and it undoubtedly would have taken longer if I had pushed myself more.

Follow your mental training regimen to prepare yourself for a race mentally just like you would to prepare yourself physically. Be ready for the “uncontrollables,” and on race day, try to roll with the punches.  Race often, and debrief yourself after wards.  There is a lot of learning to do just by studying  your mental state during a race and identifying opportunities for improvement. Do not push yourself to the point of injury, and be cognizant of other situations that put you in danger, such as hypothermia, safety hazards, etc.  No race is worth severely injuring yourself or putting your life on the line for.

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Mallory Mead is a sponsored carb BOOM! athlete who's aiming to complete Ocean's Seven, the swimming equivalent of the Seven Summits.  Her website is at www.mallorymead.com.

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