Mental Training to Improve Your Running

Vicky T

One of my former running coaches used to say that the preparation in getting to the starting line is 90% physical and 10% mental but once you are at the starting line, it’s 90% mental and 10% physical. Although I may adjust the percentages slightly, I have learned over time that there is great truth to that statement. Mental training is the key to success and is generally a missing component in training plans. In fact, studies have shown that when they ask athletes how important mental training is to their competitive successes, they’ll tell you it’s as important as their physical and technical training. Ask the same athletes how much time they devote to mental training and most will admit that they spend little or no time on mental training.

Mental Strength

Sometimes the mind strays towards thoughts of uncertainty. This may include doubts about your preparation, preoccupation with aches and pains and a general uncertainty about a pending race day. These thoughts can then develop into overall feelings of self-doubt, fear, anxiety and pressure. This can sometimes even snowball into the manifestation of physical symptoms such as elevated heart rate, blood pressure, and sweating – all a hindrance to peak performance.

Mental strength is about avoiding or changing these negative thought patterns and maintaining your confidence, at all times. Confidence is the belief in your unwavering ability to succeed, that you can perform at your highest level and achieve your every goal. Confidence helps in two ways. One is that you may have the physical ability to run a sub (fill in the blank) hour marathon, but if you don’t have confidence in that ability, you won’t be able to use it to its fullest extent. The other way is that a strong resilient confidence will affect every other mental factor. If you lack confidence, you will have negative self- talk saying things like, “I know I’m gonna hit the wall at mile 20” or “I didn’t get in enough training”. You will feel nervous before races because you won’t believe that you will be successful. Negative emotions and anxiety will also affect your focus. They won’t allow you to focus on the job at hand and the achievement of your goals. On the other hand, positive emotions help you relax and energize. You can focus on the things you need to do to perform your best.

Mental strength is also about being resilient when faced with any unexpected obstacles or setbacks. Everyone has low points in a race, even the professionals. What separates those that succeed from those that don’t, is the ability to let the negative emotions go, focus on modifications to get past the setback and continue with the execution of the race plan.

Tools to Improve Your Mental Game

There are many ways to improve confidence and there are plenty of sports psychology consultants to assist you, however I’ve include a couple of my favorite tools below.

1. Recall a previous accomplishment or a training success. This technique involves trying to remember a time in the past where you took a risk, met your goal and had a proud feeling of accomplishment. Revel in the accomplishment, relive the victory. I personally like to do this by celebrating small victories and adding them up before a big race. This can also be done before you go to sleep as you lay in bed by reviewing the successes of the day, no matter how trivial. This will foster a positive attitude and improve the belief in you.
2. Have a mantra and repeat it often. Reciting a mantra is a way to practice positive self-talk. Having multiple mantras is helpful since they can be applied to different situations as they arise. In the February 2011 issue of Runner’s World there is a segment dedicated to the creation and use of mantras (see "The Magic of Mantras"). It recommends that mantras be short, positive, energetic and embed instructions.
3. Visualize the finish line. Visualization provides a pre-programmed, positive mental path for you to follow during competition to enhance your mental toughness and focus. It is the use of mental images to become familiar with and re-visit race courses, race plans/strategies, etc. This is done by using all your senses to create total picture of an action or event, e.g., ascending a tough hill, pushing ahead while fatigued or my personal favorite – crossing the finish line!

The good news is that building a mental strength doesn’t take too much time but it is a building process, just like your running fitness. A greater confidence will lead to success which in turn will reinforce your confidence and lead to more success.

I wish you many successes in both your physical AND your mental training preparations.

Vicky T.