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- THE4KEYS ] TO MENTAL TOUGHNESS The military teaches these precepts to - m a k e its warriors S E T BETTER Army Strong. GOALS. Take a lesson. 82 BACKPACKER 03.2014 PROFILES IN ENDURANCE HEATHER "AN ISH" ANDERSON PACIFIC CREST TRAIL (UNSUPPORTED) IN GDJ1J2 DAYS HOURS MINUTES �"ALL RIGHT," Heather Anderson said to herself, "the record isn't going to break itself." And with that-underslept and defi­ nitely not a morning person-Anderson broke camp a t 5 a.m., switched on her headlamp, and began her next 40-mile day. T h i s daily morning verbalization was just one o f her t o o l s , and from pre-dawn to post-dusk, the 2,663-mile PCT gave her ample chances to use them a l l . W h e n she d i d n ' t m a k e it as far as s h e planned: "I had to a l l o w myself grace. It is what it is a t this moment a n d y o u can't change the past." When she was hurting: "Pain i s going to be part o f this journey and I don't want to Make sure every goal 2 is specific, measur- able, action-oriented, realistic, and time- bound, says Stephen Gonzalez, a sport psychologist and - Army contractor. MONITOR YOUR Make contingency SELF-TALK. plans for a variety of scenarios. waste mental or physical energy trying to avoid it or being a f r a i d of it. I f you have the ability to accept p a i n for what it is, then it ceases to have power." When she took a wrong turn at a con­ fusing junction i n Oregon: "I was very angry while I was h i k i n g . Then I r e a l i z e d it doesn't matter. Getting upset is a waste o f energy, and energy is a commodity." When confronted with a n obstacle in the trail, like a snowfield or fast-moving river: "You have to shut off that p a r t of your b r a i n t h a t allows for doubt. You can't think about falling. Trust that you're capa­ ble o f m a k i n g it, and if you f a l l , trust that you can stop yourself." These lessons were the exceptions. Most of t h e time, simply being o u t in some o f the West's b e s t wilderness was enough to keep her going. "During the day, once I was up and hiking, I didn't need any exter­ nal motivation," she says. T h e PCT took care of that. HEATHER "ANISH" ANDERSON'S GAME FACE Your internal mono- 3 logue can be helpful or discouraging. Find out by asking yourself: Are my thoughts purpose- ful, productive, and - giving m e a chance CONTROL THE of success? If not, CONTROLLABLES. change the dialogue.