Sharpen your mental game in 3 easy steps

A good race training program will prepare you physically to get to the start line of your next race. By race day, the hard work is in the bank, and you are ready to go.  Once you step up to the start line, the real challenge is executing the mental part of the event - a critical piece that most programs fail to cover.  Whether it be in a race or at the office, wrapping your mind around goals and tasks is as important as the work you put into complete them.

In running, we spend the majority of our time focusing on preparing our body for a race – and for good reason. I argue that standing at the start line with a 26.2 mile long road in front of you is as mentally challenging as it is physically, and the real challenge on race day has less to do with your body, but more with your mind.

Whether it is the start line of a race, or the beginning of a new fiscal year at work, we are often challenged with wrapping our minds around the sheer size of the tasks ahead of us. At times, trying to figure out how I could hit a sales goal was simply overwhelming.  In hindsight, I was burning a lot of emotional energy before I even got the year started.  That’s where I’ve been able to apply some of the basic lessons of running – specifically endurance running – to everyday life.  How can we better manage seemingly gargantuan tasks?  Here are three tried-and-true methods of mental preparation I’ve learned over the years:

1. Break down your goal into smaller, familiar parts. Whether time or distance, a big number is overwhelming. You can wear yourself out just thinking about it. I’m a big football fan, and I like to break things up into quarters. What do I need to accomplish in the 1st,, 2nd, an 3rd quarters to be in position to win the 4th? Breaking a large goal into manageable, measurable tasks delivers incremental wins, confidence, and mental clarity.
2. Visualize your progress, and remove mental traps. Reaching the half-way point of an 18-mile run on a treadmill isn’t that much fun when you realize you have 9 more miles to go. I often use the mental image of climbing a mountain – up and down. Replacing thoughts of fatigue and pain that I could be associating with later miles are replaced with images of descending down a mountain, and that helps power me through. In my last marathon, I visualized myself as a jet flying over the ocean – fully fueled, fast, and gliding toward the destination.   When my body was begging me to stop, my mind was focused on an entirely different image.
3. Synchronize body and mind.   Don’t worry – I’m not talking about some crazy metaphysical experience here. Rather, I’ve learned to simply focus on breathing. Breathing is a release valve and trigger for our nervous system. Think in terms of our natural fight or flight reactions, and how we often have to take a deep breath to get things under control. A few moments of breathing will help offset our normal physiological reactions. Using our mind to help control our body will allow us use our valuable energy to focus on the task at hand. Whether it is a few moments of clarity before a race, or a big sales presentation, a focused mind and body is a winning combination.

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