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Listen To Your Body, And Other Mental Health Tips For Marathoners

In case you still want advice for the marathon (or you're looking for advice to pass along to your hot friends still running), here's a video from the Boston marathon medical team psychologist Jeff Brown:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCO3cfQd4J0&context=C414b386ADvjVQa1PpcFNhTt-bDYBgzIwnsTJwwxMe29ANK84e8BI=

And here are three top tips from Dr. Brown:

1. Leave the negative self talk in your hotel room. The marathon is about good preparation, focus and the joy of running---negative thinking only leads runners down the wrong path and burdens the mental energies needed later.

2. Stay mentally focused on the reason you are running. As the miles move along, enjoy the confidence of being that much closer to your goal.

3. Use dissociation wisely and sparingly. Dissociation occurs when we shift our thinking from pain to something else. If you experience pain, listen to your body. Runner's who use dissociation often hit a wall sooner.

(Thanks to Martha Bebinger for passing this along.)

This program aired on April 16, 2012. The audio for this program is not available.

Headshot of Rachel Zimmerman

Rachel Zimmerman Reporter
Rachel Zimmerman previously reported on health and the intersection of health and business for WBUR. She is working on a memoir about rebuilding her family after her husband’s suicide. 

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