Your Mind Is Part of the Training with Neal Palles — Becoming Ultra

Neal Palles knows the mental side of endurance sport from a few different angles. He's an ultrarunning coach, licensed clinical social worker, Certified Mental Performance Consultant, longtime runner, and former Outward Bound instructor. neal-palles

In this conversation, Scott and Neal dig into what mental performance actually looks like for ultrarunners especially when the race stops going according to plan.

They talk about learning through failure, why outcome goals can sometimes get in the way of execution, staying present when you're deep into an ultra, and how to recognize when your thoughts are starting to push you around.

Neal also gets into imposter phenomenon, comparison on social media, and the idea that you don't necessarily need to eliminate negative thoughts. Instead, you can learn to notice them, create some space from them, and get back to the next thing you can control. neal-palles

And yes, they also settle an important ultra question: Coke or Tailwind at mile 80.

Chapters

00:00 – Meet Neal Palles
02:00 – From Outward Bound to ultrarunning
10:00 – Learning through failure
13:00 – What mental performance actually means
20:30 – When fitness and race execution don't match
25:20 – Be present, open up and do what matters
30:45 – Imposter phenomenon in ultrarunning
32:45 – What to do when your brain tells you to quit
34:40 – Social media and comparison
37:00 – Quick hitters and favorite races

Connect with Neal

Instagram: @the.trail.mindset and @nealpalles
Website: thetrailmindset.com
Coaching: trainright.com/coaches/neal-palles

Upcoming project

Neal will be offering a Four Session Program called Mental Skills for Ultra in the fall or early winter.