It is one week out from the first race of the season, California Ironman 70.3. This large scale WTC event takes place in Oceanside, San Diego, routing the 2,000+ lucky racers along the Pacific Ocean Coast and through Camp Pendleton Navy Base (otherwise not open to public). This will be my fourth year racing at Oceanside but my first year with more specific half ironman fitness. Every year is a new experience but two aspects seem to remain constants: the ocean water is salty and crossing the finish line is forever gratifying (I can already taste and feel both…).
In my lead up to this race as well as in preparation for my season and half ironman racing goals, I was encouraged to revisit the mental aspects of my training and plunge a little deeper into this crucial and equally important component of racing and performance. It took little persuasion for me to delve in.
However, when you have not been doing something (aka: relaxation therapy, visualization, etc) on a conscious level with time set aside to specifically focus, it can be a minor hurdle to begin the process and to even know what is the first step. It’s so easy to procrastinate and find other things to do in place of mediation and writing out thoughts, feelings, sensations and experiences. All this stuff requires a presence, an “in the moment” mentality and deep look inside stirring around for all that needs attention. Who wants it? But, as I have recently noted, crawling through this tunnel towards the dim light at the other end is an interesting journey and warrants much more regular attention. Plus, they say it gets easier with practice and much less daunting.
Of late, my favorite reference for mental preparation and conditioning is Bobby McGee’s “Magical Running” (www.bobbymcgee.org) Even though it mainly focuses on the running experience, it can be applied to any sport, most easily triathlon. It takes the form of a progressive workbook dedicated to the magical experience (spiritual, emotional, mental and physical) of running and performance execution. Bobby emphasizes the process with little to no emphasis on the outcome or results. He teaches us to prepare the mind and thus the body for an ideal performance state prior to any training session or race.
The Chapter that gripped my attention, being seven days away from a race, is “Visualized Running, Seeing Yourself Run and Race Successfully.” Very simply put, visualization is to “see” how you achieve dream levels of sport by imagining the performance through the use of all your senses.
Bobby quotes some wonderful excerpts from top-level athletes. One in particular made the hair on my arms stand straight up. Bruce Fordyve, 9-time winner of the Comrades marathon (South Africa), shares, “So, two weeks before race day, I saw myself on 45th Cutting (a steep 5 mile hill to finish). I planned to strike there and get away from any pursuers. In my mind I pictured, heard and smelt the car exhaust fumes, the crusty sweat of my cheeks, sore stiff legs. I could hear the hysterical yelling from the crowds lining the narrow corridor that remained for the runners. I visualized what was required. What I imagined was an almost imperceptible but smooth increase in pace, the faltering of my pursuers and the gradual realization that I had stretched and then snapped the umbilical chord between myself and the rest of the field. On race day, an eerie déjà vu swept over me. I had been there before, it was happening just as I had planned it.”
Clearly Bruce had played this movie many times before in his mind. He planned for the feeling, sight, sounds, taste and touch of each move. He credits much of his victories to his mental preparation and successful visual cues and sensations.
Bobby outlines the key points for visualization:
· Visualize in the past tense. Believe you have already achieved the performance.
· Focus on action and process, not outcome. Flow, efficiency, balance, coordination, effortless, relaxed, rhythmical, etc.
· Form a routine to practice visualization (x minutes / week).
· Aim high and be realistic.
· Visualize in real time. If visualizing a mile, take the time to visualize every step of the mile. It may take x minutes to complete the exercise depending on how fast you want to run the mile.
· Always “see” success. Expect the best, prepare for the worst.
· Visualize from your true vantage point: inside yourself. Be the participant, not the spectator.
When I have successfully used visualization before past races, using all my senses has proven to be a very effective way to ensure that come race day, the experience is familiar. And don’t we all like familiar? Smell, taste, touch, sight and sound are equally influencing our minds and physiological response to potentially high stress circumstances. The smell of suntan lotion on the athletes in transition, the taste of my sports drink, the feel of the water temperature or light morning breeze, the sight of spectators, officials and athletes during the last lap of the run, the sound of the announcer’s encouraging voice coming through transition. If you play this movie over and over, come race day, you’ve seen it before through a positive, successful and familiar lens.
The Visualization Chapter also covers the process of clearing or de-cluttering the mind to perform, a step that many people many overlook not realizing how distracted they are with “stuff” in the life – bills, responsibilities, duties, etc. Various techniques are used to clear the mind and find focus for the task at hand. For example, you may share with trusted individuals who will listen unconditionally and/or you may list very specific responsibilities that you need to get done in the future and promise yourself to return to this list as soon as the task at hand is accomplished. The result is gaining control of your thoughts and creating calmness and space to unveil the performance for which you are prepared.
As goal driven athletes, we typically have lots going on in our minds and only feel gratified by doing something (or many things). Clearing the mind is a skill that requires practice similar to pedaling a bike, swimming a stroke or running a step. Note to self…
So in my last seven days before the race, I’ll be visualizing a successful race in California, tapping into all my senses and becoming more and more familiar with the movie that will play next Sunday. Of course, defusing past experiences (in the event they were negative) and removing any resistances are essential steps in the visualization process. Recognizing that the past is over and letting go is absolutely necessary to move forward with new and positive thoughts. With this freedom, the mind is allowed and open to focus on the race, the goals and the pre-recorded movie about a successful performance.
I’ll finish by sharing one more quote by Bobby in an article he wrote on his Blog called, “Effective Mental Training”. He says, “Self confidence comes not from success, but from an intimate knowledge of your own ability and being able to access that ability whenever you choose to.” Re-read this quote a few times and it will settle in with your true self and a renewed perspective on how great you are as an athlete and individual.
Christine
www.christinefletcher.com
In my lead up to this race as well as in preparation for my season and half ironman racing goals, I was encouraged to revisit the mental aspects of my training and plunge a little deeper into this crucial and equally important component of racing and performance. It took little persuasion for me to delve in.
However, when you have not been doing something (aka: relaxation therapy, visualization, etc) on a conscious level with time set aside to specifically focus, it can be a minor hurdle to begin the process and to even know what is the first step. It’s so easy to procrastinate and find other things to do in place of mediation and writing out thoughts, feelings, sensations and experiences. All this stuff requires a presence, an “in the moment” mentality and deep look inside stirring around for all that needs attention. Who wants it? But, as I have recently noted, crawling through this tunnel towards the dim light at the other end is an interesting journey and warrants much more regular attention. Plus, they say it gets easier with practice and much less daunting.
Of late, my favorite reference for mental preparation and conditioning is Bobby McGee’s “Magical Running” (www.bobbymcgee.org) Even though it mainly focuses on the running experience, it can be applied to any sport, most easily triathlon. It takes the form of a progressive workbook dedicated to the magical experience (spiritual, emotional, mental and physical) of running and performance execution. Bobby emphasizes the process with little to no emphasis on the outcome or results. He teaches us to prepare the mind and thus the body for an ideal performance state prior to any training session or race.
The Chapter that gripped my attention, being seven days away from a race, is “Visualized Running, Seeing Yourself Run and Race Successfully.” Very simply put, visualization is to “see” how you achieve dream levels of sport by imagining the performance through the use of all your senses.
Bobby quotes some wonderful excerpts from top-level athletes. One in particular made the hair on my arms stand straight up. Bruce Fordyve, 9-time winner of the Comrades marathon (South Africa), shares, “So, two weeks before race day, I saw myself on 45th Cutting (a steep 5 mile hill to finish). I planned to strike there and get away from any pursuers. In my mind I pictured, heard and smelt the car exhaust fumes, the crusty sweat of my cheeks, sore stiff legs. I could hear the hysterical yelling from the crowds lining the narrow corridor that remained for the runners. I visualized what was required. What I imagined was an almost imperceptible but smooth increase in pace, the faltering of my pursuers and the gradual realization that I had stretched and then snapped the umbilical chord between myself and the rest of the field. On race day, an eerie déjà vu swept over me. I had been there before, it was happening just as I had planned it.”
Clearly Bruce had played this movie many times before in his mind. He planned for the feeling, sight, sounds, taste and touch of each move. He credits much of his victories to his mental preparation and successful visual cues and sensations.
Bobby outlines the key points for visualization:
· Visualize in the past tense. Believe you have already achieved the performance.
· Focus on action and process, not outcome. Flow, efficiency, balance, coordination, effortless, relaxed, rhythmical, etc.
· Form a routine to practice visualization (x minutes / week).
· Aim high and be realistic.
· Visualize in real time. If visualizing a mile, take the time to visualize every step of the mile. It may take x minutes to complete the exercise depending on how fast you want to run the mile.
· Always “see” success. Expect the best, prepare for the worst.
· Visualize from your true vantage point: inside yourself. Be the participant, not the spectator.
When I have successfully used visualization before past races, using all my senses has proven to be a very effective way to ensure that come race day, the experience is familiar. And don’t we all like familiar? Smell, taste, touch, sight and sound are equally influencing our minds and physiological response to potentially high stress circumstances. The smell of suntan lotion on the athletes in transition, the taste of my sports drink, the feel of the water temperature or light morning breeze, the sight of spectators, officials and athletes during the last lap of the run, the sound of the announcer’s encouraging voice coming through transition. If you play this movie over and over, come race day, you’ve seen it before through a positive, successful and familiar lens.
The Visualization Chapter also covers the process of clearing or de-cluttering the mind to perform, a step that many people many overlook not realizing how distracted they are with “stuff” in the life – bills, responsibilities, duties, etc. Various techniques are used to clear the mind and find focus for the task at hand. For example, you may share with trusted individuals who will listen unconditionally and/or you may list very specific responsibilities that you need to get done in the future and promise yourself to return to this list as soon as the task at hand is accomplished. The result is gaining control of your thoughts and creating calmness and space to unveil the performance for which you are prepared.
As goal driven athletes, we typically have lots going on in our minds and only feel gratified by doing something (or many things). Clearing the mind is a skill that requires practice similar to pedaling a bike, swimming a stroke or running a step. Note to self…
So in my last seven days before the race, I’ll be visualizing a successful race in California, tapping into all my senses and becoming more and more familiar with the movie that will play next Sunday. Of course, defusing past experiences (in the event they were negative) and removing any resistances are essential steps in the visualization process. Recognizing that the past is over and letting go is absolutely necessary to move forward with new and positive thoughts. With this freedom, the mind is allowed and open to focus on the race, the goals and the pre-recorded movie about a successful performance.
I’ll finish by sharing one more quote by Bobby in an article he wrote on his Blog called, “Effective Mental Training”. He says, “Self confidence comes not from success, but from an intimate knowledge of your own ability and being able to access that ability whenever you choose to.” Re-read this quote a few times and it will settle in with your true self and a renewed perspective on how great you are as an athlete and individual.
Christine
www.christinefletcher.com
No comments:
Post a Comment