Mental Workout For Runners

In this visualization, we practice mental skills that can be used before and during performance. By using this "workout" we strengthen our ability to run with confidence, focus and flow. This meditation can be practiced by all endurance athletes.

Transcript

In today's practice,

We will be training the mind by practicing skills that we can use before and during performances.

Just like we can train the body to get stronger and run faster,

We can do the same in training our psychological skills.

So think of today's session as your mental workout.

When you're ready,

Find a position that you feel comfortable in,

And that also allows you to maintain a sense of focus.

This can be done laying down or sitting in a chair,

And you rest your hands comfortably in a position that feels relaxing to you.

And if it feels comfortable,

Closing the eyes or maintaining a slight gaze,

And taking a few deeper than normal breaths,

And on the exhales,

Allowing yourself to relax just a little bit deeper.

With each exhale,

Sinking a little bit more,

And also giving yourself permission to be here.

And now allowing the breath to become natural,

And shifting our spotlight of attention to noticing where the body makes contact with the surface of where you are sitting or laying,

And noticing the feel of pressure against the chair or against the ground.

Maybe noticing the feet or the legs or the back of the head making contact with the surface.

Maybe also noticing sounds around the room,

And just feeling what it's like to be here and alive in this moment.

We'll begin this visualization by calling to mind a performance area of your life that you value and would like to continue strengthening your mental skills in.

Maybe this is a sport,

Such as running,

Triathlon,

Biking.

It can also be a hobby or a job,

Or maybe a craft of yours.

See if you can dial in on one focus area.

Now gathering your spotlight of attention,

And calling to mind one of the best performances that you've had in this area.

Think back to a game,

An event,

A session,

A day,

When you were on your A-game,

In the zone,

And your highest potential emerged.

And if one in particular doesn't stand out,

It's okay to have a couple different performances that come to mind.

And seeing what it would be like to place yourself in the moment of the performance beginning,

Noticing the environment that you were in,

The sounds,

How your shoes or feet feel against the ground,

Noticing the sights,

The people,

The weather,

Just immersing yourself as if you were actually there in that moment of the experience.

And giving yourself permission to not be perfect with this.

Now seeing if you can dial in on different highlights,

Or things you did well,

Maybe many moments or strengths that made this performance great.

Noticing what you did to feel great in this moment.

And replaying those moments or those strengths in your head as if you were reliving it.

Maybe there's a particular play that will end up on your own personal highlight reel.

I think it's just seeing yourself speak fluidly and moving and feeling confident.

You may notice your mindset,

You may notice how your posture was,

Does it feel loose?

You may notice if there was struggle to overcome and how you did that.

Just gathering different highlights from either one or multiple events and letting those play out in the mind.

Feeling it throughout your body as if you were here in the moment experiencing it.

And if you notice any judgment or the question coming up,

Am I doing this right?

Or what if I can't think of anything?

That's perfectly okay,

Just see if you can notice that and return to the practice.

There's no right or wrong here.

Feeling what it's like to perform at your highest.

We call this your personal highlight reel.

By calling upon your past successes and reminding ourselves of what we're already capable of,

We're increasing what we call self-efficacy,

Which is the belief we have in our ability to do something.

Calling upon this past highlight reel can be a great way of producing confidence and also knowing,

Hey,

I can do hard things.

So taking a deeper than normal inhale and on the exhale,

Letting go of the previous performances and directing our attention to the now.

So bring into mind your current process of practicing for your performance area.

This may be day-to-day workouts.

This may be a practice such as working on a running form.

It may be a specific run or workout.

It may be just a daily practice or habit that you have.

So calling to mind what practice or what the process looks like for you right now.

And visualizing yourself from the moment before starting practice all the way through completion.

Noticing how you want your body language to be,

Your mindset,

Your posture,

Through all the different phases.

Feeling what it's like to go through your practice with intention.

What is that intention?

And feeling what it's like to embody presence.

Seeing yourself focus on form during each rep or speaking to yourself with confidence.

Just noticing what it's like to feel locked in.

This process and the day-to-day wins is ultimately what promotes growth.

You may even notice what cues that you say to yourself or what things you do to get yourself at the arousal level that brings out the best in you.

You may even notice any challenge or resistance or difficulty that comes up during the process and seeing yourself make adjustments and doing what you need,

Calling upon your mental skills and your toolbox to overcome those.

Again,

No right or wrong way to do this.

And if you ever find your mind wandering,

See if you can catch that and bring your attention back to this practice.

That's a rep and focus itself.

And a reminder that as you go through this process,

How you do anything is how you do everything.

The intention that you bring here is what will get you there.

And taking a deeper than normal inhale and on the exhale letting go of the previous intentions.

And now directing our attention to a future event.

Think of the next big event,

Not just your next competition,

But maybe this is a big goal that you have,

Maybe it's something on your bucket list or your vision board that you ultimately like to achieve.

And imagining what you'll need to do well to be successful with this.

Think about qualities,

Strengths,

Or skills we embody to allow your authentic self and highest potential to emerge.

Now seeing if you can even place yourself in this situation and feeling what it's like to enter the arena and express those qualities throughout the entire performance.

Feeling what it's like in your body,

Noticing the sensations both inner and from the external environment such as sound,

Our feet against the ground,

What kind of clothes you're wearing.

And seeing yourself go through this competition feeling calm and confident.

Maybe that's running with great form,

Maybe it's a sense of lightness,

Maybe focus.

And maybe noticing at what energy or arousal level do you feel your best?

There's no preferred answer here.

You may even ask yourself on a scale of 1-10,

10 being very ramped up,

Where am I at on this scale as far as energy or arousal?

Again,

A higher number doesn't necessarily mean better.

Just seeing what feels good and what feels like being in flow to you.

And feeling what it's like to be and to act from this zone.

Finally,

Seeing yourself at the end of this performance,

Walking away knowing that you gave it your all and you were completely present and allowed your abilities to be on full display.

Maybe even giving yourself gratitude for the inner and outer work you've been putting in.

And taking a deeper than normal inhale and on the exhale letting go of the previous intentions focusing on the future event.

And coming back to the presence of the body,

Feeling the air against your skin,

Maybe noticing the body making contact with the surface.

And we'll rest in stillness for just a couple minutes.

And the invitation is to inquire,

What do I want to pull from this practice?

You may plant the seed,

You may even pause this and write down some notes after this is done.

So invitation to plant that seed and inquire about that or resting in stillness.

And giving yourself credit for taking the time to practice and cultivate a winner's mindset.

This was a mental workout starting with reflecting on your previous success and creating a highlight reel from that.

Then focusing on the current process and ending with the visualization of a future event.

These are all important psychological skills to use in our performance areas and you can call upon this workout at any time you like to to strengthen your mental fitness.

As we come out of this,

See if you can leave this formal practice with the same mindfulness as you entered with.

And seeing if you can carry this mindful presence throughout the entire rest of your day.

When you're ready,

Begin to wiggle the fingers and toes,

Make any slight movements or stretches that you need,

Opening the eyes and readjusting to the room.

Now go trust emergence and do your thing.