by GRP Trail Runner Elena Horton

If you’ve ever trained for a marathon, you know the general routine of a training plan - building up mileage slowly, going progressively further on long runs, and maybe including some mid-week speed work and strength to get your body ready to pound pavement for 26.2 miles. But how often do we think of our mental preparation for these big goals and events? We have such well defined physical training plans, yet that’s only half the battle. Mental prep is equally as important as physical preparation, and it can serve us well beyond our sports. 

While specific mental preparation will look different for every athlete, there are a few key principles that everyone can start with. 

Cultivating Self-Belief

Many athletes are familiar with the reinforcing cycle of self-belief. Maybe you surprise yourself with a great race result, which makes you believe that you can tackle a faster time goal or further distance. Or perhaps you’ve faced the negative side of this - a workout really challenges you and you start to lose confidence in your ability to achieve your race goals. Either way, self-belief, or lack of it, seems to build on itself. Research has shown this as well – a portion of our brain called the Anterior Mid-Cingulate Cortex (aMCC) is responsible for an individual’s tenacity, or their ability to push through challenges. Like a muscle, this region of the brain grows the more a person exercises their willpower to do something hard. Consequently, CT scans show athletes tend to have larger-than-average aMCCs, as pushing through hard training sessions requires repetitive bouts of willpower. The more you are able to practice your tenacity, the more that muscle grows, allowing you to persist in the face of greater and greater challenges. Similarly, this brain region shrinks when it is not used as much, making it harder for people to draw on their tenacity when needed.

This directly intersects with self-belief, because pushing through adversity requires a fundamental faith that things will be better on the other side. The reframe of “I can’t do this” to “this is hard but I can do this and it will get better” triggers a self-actualizing chain of events, and it very well could be the difference between reaching your goals or falling short. 

As one last note on the importance of self-belief, Ali Feller, a prominent running media host, shared her lessons from interviewing a handful of Olympic Trials Track & Field athletes. Her number one point? “You absolutely have to believe you can do the thing. All of these athletes have put themselves in the mix, they have visualized, and they believe they can win / make the team / make it to the final / run a personal best. Whatever the goal, you HAVE to believe in yourself, and believe you can do it.”

This may sound great, but how do you actually practice your self-belief? I recently hosted a podcast where we crowdsourced responses from recreational athletes throughout the northeast on the topic of self-belief. For these people, cultivating self-belief came down to taking on small new challenges, surrounding yourself with people who uplift and believe in you, and practicing with concrete tools such as therapy, meditation, and mantras. One person shared that whenever they feel doubt creeping in, they switch into “curiosity mode” to understand what beliefs are producing the doubt, and then reframe those beliefs. 

I personally take the time before a race to write down all of the negative beliefs I’ve had throughout the training cycle, then counter each of those beliefs with a positive perspective. I also write down a list of the hard things I’ve done before to remind myself of what I’m capable of achieving. Whatever it is that works for you, be sure to prioritize checking in with your self-belief and drawing from it as you prepare for a big goal - you just may find yourself achieving more than you ever thought possible!

Tactical Preparation

Once your self-belief is solid, it’s time for tactical race preparation. Ask yourself:

1. What are your goals? Define your A, B, and C goals to help you adjust based on race day conditions. As an example, your A goal might be to run a certain time, your B goal might be to run the uphill section faster than last year, and your C goal might be to truly enjoy the experience, focusing on all the positives of the day. If your A goal doesn’t seem to be panning out, waste no time refocusing on your B goal. Having this clear in your head beforehand can save you from spiraling on race day.

2. What’s your pacing, fueling, and hydration strategy? Write these down to help your brain feel prepared for what’s coming rather than having to think on the fly.

3. What challenges might you expect to face? When you want to quit, what will you tell yourself? If your stomach starts feeling sick, what will you do? Take the time to think through the possibilities and game plan your reactions. Again, having this fresh in your mind can keep you from spiraling when something doesn’t go according to plan. 

4. What’s your race day checklist? Outline every detail, from waking up to putting on your race outfit, so you can focus on execution rather than decision-making that morning.

Race Day Mindset

At long last, race day is here and you need your head to be in the right space! Take a moment to reflect on the following:

Handling nerves: Many people deal with pre-race nerves that can feel all consuming. If these tend to get to you, don’t fret! Nerves are very normal. Focus on reframing the nervousness as excitement and being grateful for the extra adrenaline to fuel you. Remind yourself that as soon as you start the event, your nerves will vanish and you’ll just be doing the thing.

Getting yourself in the zone: Reflect on the best performance you can remember. How did it feel? Were you happy? Angry? This will look different for different people, but consider developing your emotional atmosphere to be part of your warm up. I know that I race best when I’m feeling happy and unburdened by expectations, so part of my warmup is dancing to happy music and reading through a list of all of the things I’m excited about for the event (friends cheering, beautiful course, being healthy, etc.). Experiment to figure out what works best for you and integrate a mental warmup into your pre-race routine. 

To sum up, a strong mental game is as vital as physical training for racing success. With some focus on cultivating self-belief, thinking through your race day, and adopting the right mindset on race morning, you may find yourself both surpassing your own athletic goals and feeling more poised to take on your other life goals as well. Onwards and upwards!