How I Improved My Running By Reading 'Mindset' by Carol Dweck

The book 'Mindset, The New Psychology of Success, How We Can Learn To Fulfill Our Potential,' was a great read because it gave me a deeper insight on the theory of fixed mindset and growth mindset. For more detail on her research, please check out my post, 'Six Valuable Running Lessons I Learned from Bounce by Matthew Syed.'

I thought that the chapter on fixed mindset versus growth mindset coaches would be the most valuable, but the chapter that really opened my eyes was Chapter 8: Changing Mindsets.

Sometimes I Am Scared of the Unfamiliar

Dweck shares some anecdotes of children that are "paralyzed by setbacks." These young children have a fixed mindset and, "when things go wrong, they feel powerless and incapable."

In the Video 'Teaching Growth Mindsets,' http://youtu.be/OhLJPhxuvGM, Dr. Christine Carter and Kelly Coorigan talk about parenting with the growth mindset versus the fixed mindset. This conversation applies directly to how I want to think about my running.

I think that research on children is valuable for my running, because I usually encounter my obstacles when I am at the end of a race or during a high mileage week in my training. I will be tired, thirsty, low on carbohydrates, and my emotions can spiral out of control as easily as a two year old's do if I do not know how to put myself into the right mindset with the right attitude. When I am comfortable, I can easily use a growth mindset to make life's decisions, but when I feel stressed, it seems like the little voice inside my head adopts a fixed mindset.

Do you ever feel paralyzed when faced with a setback in a race? How do you get yourself back on track?


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