Alright,
This visualization is for imagining the perfect race.
It's meant to be used on the morning of race day or the night before or the week of.
And when we visualize our perfect race we can imagine that race that is run with ease,
With power,
With fun and love.
So I'll invite you to grab a seat or lay down on the floor and close your eyes.
And we'll just start by grounding into our body.
So to do this,
Start to notice your breath.
Just noticing your breath coming in and coming out.
And now make that breath a little bit longer.
Make the inhales a little longer and the exhales a little bit longer.
And start to draw the inhale down into your belly.
So let the belly be loose and when you breathe in let it fill up with air.
And I'll cue the next few breaths.
So breathe all of your air out and breathe in,
In all the way into the belly and let the belly expand and then exhale,
Exhale out and as you exhale just relax your hips and breathe into the belly,
Filling up,
Pausing and exhaling and as you exhale relax your legs,
Relax the thighs,
The hamstrings,
The calves and then breathe in again and fill up the belly and this time fill up the belly and fill up the chest.
Pause and when you exhale relax your jaw,
Relax your shoulders and another breath in,
Exhale into the belly,
Fill up the chest and when you exhale relax your upper back,
Relax your chest,
Relax your arms and just sink a little bit.
Alright,
One more breath in,
Breathe into the belly,
Fill up the chest,
Fill up the arms with air and exhale relax and relax the back of your neck,
Relax your forehead and let your breath go back to its natural rhythm.
And just be in your body,
Feel what it feels like to slow down and settle in.
And I want you to start to visualize the morning of the race.
Visualize what you're going to be wearing,
The clothes that you have set out and plan to wear for the race.
Visualize yourself putting them on,
Feeling good,
Feeling ready.
Notice your surroundings as you get ready,
The room,
The light.
And now visualize the meal you're going to have before your race,
The fuel that you're going to put in your body.
Taste it,
Smell it.
It's the perfect energy that you're going to need to run the perfect race.
Now you're heading to the race.
Notice your surroundings as you're moving to the race,
How you're going to get there.
Is it in a car,
A train,
Are you walking?
Do you have to take a shuttle?
Notice your surroundings,
Visualizing yourself in your race gear,
Feeling good.
Now you're at the check in.
You're checking into the race,
You're getting your race packet.
Notice who's around you as you prepare to go to the starting line.
Could be people you know,
Your loved ones,
Friends,
Other racers that you don't know.
Just see their faces,
See their bodies,
And smile.
And you're at the starting line,
And you're lined up.
And you know you're about to run an awesome race.
Your body feels exactly the way it's supposed to feel.
And you're ready.
And you're off,
You're running.
You're feeling good,
You're feeling light.
Notice how that feels.
Feel the wind in your face.
Your feet hitting the ground when everything's going as planned.
Your body's moving,
There's a smooth breath.
Maybe a smile on your face.
You're moving through the entire race like this.
What would it be like to run the perfect race?
No aches,
No pains,
You see your surroundings.
What does your body feel like?
You are there,
You see the finish line ahead of you.
And you cross it.
You do it,
You complete the race,
And you're feeling good.
That moment as you catch your breath,
As you decompress.
What are you grateful for?
And as we come back to the present moment,
I'll ask to see if there's a mantra there for yourself.
What do you want to tell yourself on race day?
What do you want to remember as you're running your race?
I got this.
I welcome the challenge.
This is fun.
I'm having a good time.
I'm smooth.
Grab onto that thought that's going to bring you ease and power.
And now just say that thought to yourself three times.
And as we come back,
Come back to our body,
Come back to the surroundings around us,
Maybe we move our feet and our hands a little bit.
We start to stretch and move around.
And as you open your eyes,
Take this visualization and whatever came of it with you.
And know that whatever this time was for you was perfect.
And you got what it takes to get it done.
