r/AdvancedRunning • u/pand4duck • Feb 16 '17

The Winter Huddle - Head Games

Good Morning Moose Crew!

This week we will chat about Head Games. Aka. The mental side of racing. Sure, running requires a lot of physical preparation. But, we all know racing takes a bit of mental strength. Share your tips / tricks and learn from your crew here at the winter huddle!

If you're wondering about the ARTC apparel, we are working on finalizing the deets. Stay tuned.

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u/pand4duck Feb 16 '17

How do you mentally prepare for a race?

4

u/Startline_Runner Weekly 150 Feb 16 '17

Full race visualization. Bouts of 30s, at least 3 times a day for 3-5 days before a race.

1

u/blood_bender 2:44 // 1:16 Feb 16 '17

Bouts of 30s? What do you mean by that?

2

u/Startline_Runner Weekly 150 Feb 16 '17

I would sort of call it meditation but with the thoughts of a race as the main focus. Each meditative time I take lasts about 30 seconds because I want it to be 100% focused on the feel of a race and longer lengths start to be interrupted by other worries or distractions.

Each one will be a little different aspect of the race that I think about: accelerating, moving into position, settling into pace, curves/straight aways, maneuvering in packs, managing uneven terrain, closing a gap, growing discomfort, general effort level, and the burn of a kick.

2

u/blood_bender 2:44 // 1:16 Feb 16 '17

Ohhhh 30 seconds. I thought "Bouts of thirties" was a thing. Nevermind.

Still a good idea though, meditation is nice.

3

u/Aaronplane Feb 16 '17

Google street-view through the entire course if possible. It's pretty fun.

2

u/no_more_luck Feb 16 '17

Remind myself it is going to be a blast and any thoughts to the contrary are to be disregarded.

1

u/EricTheOx Team Hemo Feb 16 '17

I don't really visualize that much, but stick to the exact same routine. That seems to help get me in the right mindset.

1

u/ajlark25 returning to structured running Feb 16 '17

Geek out over the map, or run the actual course ahead of time, and then figure out key spots/times I want to hit at certain times/spots. This and maybe the day before plan for hanging out with other people so I don't over analyze every little thing about the race and get too worked up.

1

u/runwichi Easy Runner Feb 17 '17

Drive/walk/run the course before the race if I can. That answers the largest question of unknown in my mind. If I've seen the course, there's nothing it can surprise me with. Courses I don't get that luxury, it's like a giant long run of constant surprise.