I have had the opportunity to coach a lot of athletes in their endurance endeavors and most agree that, generally, any race over 45 minutes or so becomes as much of a mental challenge as it is a physical challenge. One thing I have found that really helps my clients getting ready for their race/event is creating a vision statement for their race. Here’s how to do it for your next event.
Get something to write with or get an audio recorder…take a deep breath, sit back, get comfortable, and relax…
Start writing or recording about your perfect event – fill in the blank here…(Boston qualifying Marathon – or whatever race you are training for), from the time that you wake up on the morning of the race (insert date here), until you cross the finish line.
Write in first person, and write about how you feel when you first wake up, about what you had for breakfast, about what you are wearing.
Write about how you feel at the start line, and the sensations and feelings that you are having during your ideal race.
Write about your nutrition, and how it powered you during the race, or the sweetness of the cool water at each water station.
Write about how you are charging towards the finish line, with people screaming and cheering for you as you finish the race, shattering your PR and/or achieving your goal!
This written vision should be as vivid as possible. Bring in all your senses – what you are hearing, feeling, seeing, tasting, and smelling? The more vivid, multisensory and detailed you are with your vision, the more your mind will look to create the same vision during race day. Remember, you are writing about your perfect race day – create it however you would like to see your day go.
After you are done with your vision, find a relaxed comfortable space and review your vision at least once a day for the two weeks prior to your event. The more you practice your vision, the stronger the neuroconnections will be in your brain about that perfect race, and the more likely it will be for you to manifest your perfect race.
As the race day nears, of course you want to make sure your training, both physically and mentally, is as dialed-in as possible. But already knowing the race and having created a vision statement will ensure that your mind is as strong as your body!