Worksheet: Mental Training for Running

By: Stephen Ungerleider, PhD
From: Mental Training for Peak Performance: Top Athletes Reveal The Mind Exercises They Use To Excel

Review these mental training techniques before your next run. Youll want to customize these tools to meet your own goals and needs and take note of what images or techniques work best for you.

Use affirmations and self-talk. Practice these during training as well as racing. Tell yourself during a tough race or workout, I can do this. Don t allow negative thoughts such as That other competitor looks fitter than I do or I don t think I can make up the time I need. If you have a bad start or miss a step, tell yourself, Stay calm; put it behind you. Choose a cue word or phrase such as You can do it to use in tough spots during the race.

Breathe right. Practice full breathing regularly. Before your race, you may want to listen to a specific piece of music to practice relaxed, comfortable breathing. You might want to pair an image, such as crossing the finish line of the race, with your breathing routine.

Meditate. Meditation during a race or training will help you shut out the outside world and concentrate on your own race. You might choose a mantra such as You can do it to repeat before and during the race to help you concentrate and stay relaxed.

Relax. After hard workouts, practice progressive relaxation to relax your muscles. Establish your own relaxation routine with an audiotape. Practice a mini relaxation session, perhaps taking deep breaths or counting backward from 10 to calm yourself or relax overly tense muscles. Practice relaxing during workouts so you can call up the relaxation response during races, if needed.

Practice imagery and visualization. For imagery practice, watch film clips of races. You can tape race coverage from television or buy a tape on running techniques (look in sporting goods stores and in ads in running magazines).

Consider your opponents. Steve Placencia, two-time Olympian in the 10,000 meters and a fine road runner for nearly 2 decades, visualizes the whole field. He wants to know all the credentials of everyone in the field. Then he can visualize the start, the race, the finishand know well in advance his place in the pack and anticipate a great finish. Also, anticipate traffic jams in advance. All the great racers will tell you that the best plans for a winning race include a mental practice session, such as seeing yourself in a pack of sardines, vulnerable to a push, a shove, and perhaps a fall. Prepare mentally for running in crowded conditions without feeling trapped.

Visualize technique. Road running is an art as well as a science. In your mind, watch yourself during a race, slow down your visualization, and correct any mistakes you see. Carefully study your style, your running form, how you start the race, and how you finish and make corrections, both in your mental image and while youre training and racing.

Build a victory image. Some of the great road races in the country the Peachtree in Atlanta; the Falmouth on Cape Cod; the Butte to Butte in Eugene, Oregon; and the notorious Bay-to-Breakers in San Franciscohave wonderful memories and images attached to them. These are images of great competitors, wonderful costumes, outrageous outfits, and beautiful days under very blue skies. Pick your favorite race from the past, remember the feelings of exuberance and energy as you started, feel the energy of your legs and the rhythmic thumping of your heart, and remember your strong finish. This is the victory image you should take with you wherever you go for your next race.

Use visual motor behavior rehearsal (VMBR). Visualize yourself in a race; focus on enhancing your technique and analyzing and mentally correcting errors. If you lose a pace every time you grab a drink of water, practice the routine in your mind until you can do it smoothly. If you aren't giving your maximum effort during finishes, watch yourself again and again giving it your all. While training, practice the corrected behavior. Before races, imagine all the details of the race and how you will meet challenges that might arise. Imagine yourself dealing with running in a pack, coping with hot weather, a loud crowd, a misstep. Practice switching back and forth between a relaxed phase and a ready-to-win state of mind (see page 65 for specific steps).

Have a prerace routine. Anticipate, prepare for, and minimize as many distractions as possible. At the race site, check out the surroundings, the crowd, the weather, and the noise. Look around to see who your competitors are. Thirty minutes before race time, move into your PTEZ, or perfect timing and energy zone. Practice relaxed breathing. Visualize yourself running the course, surging with the leaders, leaving the pack, and finishing strongly. Tell yourself that you will do well in this race. Do any prerace rituals that make you more comfortable, such as double-knotting your shoelaces, adjusting your clothing, or jogging in place.

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Reprinted from: Mental Training for Peak Performance: Top Athletes Reveal The Mind Exercises They Use To Excel © 2005 by Stephen Ungerleider, PhD. Permission granted by Rodale, Inc., Emmaus, PA 18098.

© 2006 Rodale Inc.
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