Mastery: The Ultimate Pursuit For Ultrarunners

By Neal Palles,
CTS Ultrarunning Expert Coach,
MA in Applied Sports Psychology
Colorado Psychotherapy and Sport Performance

What happens when you focus on mastery instead of focusing on a specific goal? Michael Gervais, a leading Sport Psychologist, presented this concept in one of his podcasts: “The masters aren’t focused on goals. They are focused at getting better at their craft and who they are as a person.” As you reflect on your ultrarunning journey, some athletes may find that pursuing mastery can liberate you from the event-to-event pattern of goal setting.

Simply put, instead of focusing on an outcome, like a medal or a specific time, the masters redirect and commit their focus on getting better at their craft and getting better at who they are as a person. They dive in and commit to continuous learning. They commit to the long-haul journey. It’s a path that is sometimes uncertain, uncomfortable, occasionally (or often) painful, and a path of disciplined patience with no set ending.

Too often, a specific goal pushes us around. We get lost and get sucked into the minutia of check marks. The thought of ‘not being on task’ or hitting every mark gets in the way of the actual doing. And it’s all too common for athletes to experience a serious letdown after reaching that goal.

To seek mastery, to get better at a task or self, you must practice deliberately. You must also be open to feedback. You can’t let the fear of feedback or what other people think or say rattle you. Simply do the work consistently, challenge yourself more and more, and pick the feedback that’s helpful and keep going.

Get immersed in the process

Sure, you can make it a goal to check off: ‘I practiced today.’ But the masters are not even thinking that. They simply know they must practice to get better and they make the space for it. They explore the edges, get curious, and ask questions. They’re engaged and immersed in the process.

The masters also know that they must have an open ‘growth’ mindset to learn and challenge themselves. They know that failing will happen, that failing will provide feedback, and that they’re going to learn something. The process may not feel great at times, but you’re learn and you move ahead.

Masters know when to pivot. If you keep using a hammer when you really need a saw, stop and switch to the saw. Pivoting is freedom. It allows you to explore multiple avenues instead of the single track.

We miss opportunities when we don’t seek support

Masters ask for help. They ask for feedback. When we don’t seek support, we’re missing out on opportunity. This is why coaching and or therapy can be so powerful. Whether from professionals, friends, family, or training partners, don’t underestimate the power of connection and relatedness. Relatedness enhances motivation and fuels momentum.

When motivation is enhanced by mastery it’s intrinsic, it’s internalized. It’s driven by your internal neurochemical reward system, you do it for the sake of doing it, and it’s fun. Mastery also enhances efficacy and confidence, and when you’re more confident you’re likely do the thing you’re doing more often. It’s a positive feedback loop.

Mastery is not perfection

The power in all of this is that we’re wired for mastery. Look at little kids learning to walk, talk, or feed themselves. We have built in mechanisms to strive for mastery. But it’s also important to recognize that mastery does not mean perfection. It simply means striving to get better at the task. 

Here is the challenge for you:

What if in the next race or event you have, instead of focusing on a specific finishing time, you put your energy and focus into mastering the task. Mastering the race. Ask yourself what does that look like? What would you be doing? How would your training look before the race? What does mastery feel like on race day? Will you accept support and feedback? Can you be open to the pain of failing in certain aspects? Can you be patient, keep striving, and keep moving forward?

These can be big questions for athletes. If you’d like to engage in a deeper conversation about this subject, contact me to schedule a free consultation.