Training Your Mind (Part II): Mental Strategies from an Olympian & Coach

Did you miss Part I? Check out my first 5 mental strategies here.

6) Think With Purpose

Positive and productive self-talk is a habit must be developed in training before going to a race, because when the going gets tough and the doubts start to pop up, you need to be ready to fend them off. Thoughts like “Wow this is hard,” “The pace feels so fast,” “My legs hurt” and “I’m just not on my A-game today” can start to creep in. Maybe they are all true, but are they productive? No. Will they hurt your performance? Probably. 

Replace them with other more productive and helpful thoughts. Our brains don’t have the capacity to dial in on multiple thoughts at once, so intentionally thinking helpful words and phrases is the best way to deal with negativity. Some examples would be “I am prepared,” I trained for this,” “I am tough,” “I am strong,” and “I’m hitting my paces.” Your race plan should include specific phrases you will repeat to yourself when the going gets tough. Because it’s going to get tough. 

7) Make a Race Plan

Pain is part of The Plan

Your potential is outside your comfort zone

Do you want to finish strong? Then start easy! If I could only give one piece of race advice it would be to expect the energy and adrenaline in the starting corral, and resist that energy.

Do not start too fast.

Based on your training, you should know what is a realistic starting pace for your event. Decide how long you need to stay at that pace before allowing yourself to go faster. Discipline early on protects your ability to have a strong finish. The bigger the race, the more tempting it can be to dream of a magical day when you feel like you’re flying and have a huge breakthrough. But I can assure you that magic will not happen on race day. Big breakthroughs are indicated in training.

That being said, always envision yourself having the best possible race based on your preparation. Visualize yourself successfully navigating any obstacles or difficulties where you may have struggled in the past. Finally, and this is very important: Understand that there will be a point in the race when things get really really hard.

Good preparation (physical and mental) don’t make racing easy, they just allow you to run faster. Anticipate the moments that you know will be challenging. When they arise, remind yourself, this is exactly what I expected. Things are going according to plan. I am prepared for this moment!

8) It’s Okay to be Nervous

Forcing a smile on the start line!
photo by Peter Draugalis

Pre-race jitters are normal. As an athlete, my nervousness was associated with 2 issues: The first was the uncertainty of the race outcome, and the second was how much I knew the race was going to hurt. To deal with the uncertainty I would review my race plan. Although the race outcome was unknown, my race plan was already locked in so I would focus on specifically what I would do at the start, where I would position myself, how I would respond to my competitors and if applicable what pace or splits I would target. 

Regarding the second issue (the pain!): The plan was always to get the most out of myself. The plan was to hurt. I knew to expect nervousness and learned to manage those uncomfortable emotions with a variety of strategies including watching funny and cute videos (of my nephew), playing slow mindless games on my phone (Threes) and smiling as big as possible on purpose even when I didn’t feel like it.

9) Expect to Succeed

Race day is Pay Day! Get excited! I love my clients’ race days. I love tracking their progress online and waiting to hear their feedback. You know why? Because they generally run great and it’s really fun to be part of someone’s success. 

When you have done the work in training and set some solid goals for yourself, you need to expect to run well. I tell my clients: it’s going to be good, or great. Yes the race will be tough but you are prepared for that. Focus on your race plan. Go out there an execute to the best of your ability. Have fun, and find out what you’re capable of.