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5 Ways To Mentally Prepare For A Race

Turning up the difficulty on your training can increase your lung capacity and leg strength; implementing diet plans can make sure you’re shedding extra weight and running like a well-oiled machine; but when it come down to race day, the biggest battle can be in the mind.

What can we do to steel our mind against the mental obstacles of our next long-distance race and overcome these mental barriers?

1.      Visualisation: It’s common for people to undertake a new workout regime, follow it through for a number of sessions, feeling light as air and full of positivity, only to let one bad session derail their momentum completely. It’s important to maintain the ‘I can do it’ attitude. Formulating a picture of success on race day is key to success – visualising how you will overcome any obstacles will mean you will be prepared for any eventuality.

2.      Find Your Optimal Zone: some runners like to be seated lotus-leaf in a zen like state of calmness before a race, whilst others are headbutting trees and screaming at the top of their lungs in an attempt to psych themselves up. It’s important to find your own optimal zone, no matter where it lies on the spectrum.

3.      Let Go Of Negative Thoughts: We all have negative thoughts; it’s holding on to those negative thoughts that do us damage. Knowing that their negative thoughts are harmless is an important strategy for a runner going into a race as they can accept their negativity, and let it go.

4.      Early Bird: The hours before a race starts can be the most stressful time for a runner. Encompass relaxation techniques into your morning routine as well as using this time for positive visualisation.

5.      Enjoy The Moment: Don’t focus on the end result in terms of trying to impress anyone or let anyone down (including yourself). Instead, focus on the positives of why you’re there. Use the joy of running events as your main motivation, and importantly, have fun.

 

 

8th February 2018, 12:57
Page updated 8th Feb 2018, 12:58
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