The Mental Game

I believe that the majority of cross country races are won or lost before the runner ever toes the line. We've all heard of the power of positive thinking; bookstore shelves are lined with thousands of titles asserting that you can "think your way to success" or that a "positive mental attitude" can convert a painfully inept schlep into a master of the universe. I can't speak for trying to take over corporate America, but I can vouch for the fact that a positive mind set makes all the difference in an athletic event.

One of the ways to establish this mind set is the technique called "visualization." ALL the elite athletes, regardless of the sport, engage in this. Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods both talk about how they see each shot in their heads before they even select the club. Here's a swimmer you might have heard of:

In his book 'Beneath the Surface', Michael Phelps writes, "When I'm about to fall asleep, I visualize to the point that I know exactly what I want to do: dive, glide, stroke, flip, reach the wall, hit the split time to the hundredth, then swim back again for as many times as I need to finish the race".

Arguably some of the best athletes in the world, Navy fighter pilots use the technique too. Let's go inside the ready room of the "best of the best," the Navy's Blue Angels:

To develop the minute "muscle memory" necessary to fly precise formation, while countering high g-loads, new Blue Angel pilots rely on the time-proven techniques of active visualization and armchair flying. During the first preflight briefing of a practice day, Foley and Shortal close their eyes and virtually "fly" the team's upcoming profile. "Boss" Foley verbalizes his radio calls, just as he would in the air, and both new pilots move imaginary sticks and throttles. The two veterans, Saccomando and McCoy, watch their teammates carefully, jotting notes to enable last-minute suggestions prior to flight.

Well, we are not headed for the cockpit of an FA-18, but I want to encourage all our runners to add this mental drill to their pre-race routine - and parents, you can help them out with this!

1. You now have your first race time. Establish a goal for yourself so that you achieve steady improvement. This goal can be a time or a place. Now, take that goal and break it down into pieces on the race course. Where do you want to be at the first turn? What pace will you run to come up Heartbreak Hill? Where will you start your sprint to the finish?

2. Review the first race (and each subsequent race) in your mind. What went right? What went wrong? Were there places on the course that you felt really good or really bad? Was there someone you really felt you should have passed?

3. Catalog these things and if you want, draw the course out on a piece of paper and note on there the places you want to improve.

4. The night before the race, before you go to bed. Review your goals and then run the race in your head from start to finish. Picture yourself being fresh and strong on the starting line...gliding down the slopes by the soccer field...attacking Heartbreak Hill...finishing strong and passing a bunch of runners at the finish! This is a proven way to get this into your subconscious mind and improve your performance.

5. Race morning, when you wake up, go through the visualization exercise again.

6. In the car on the way to the Dominican Campus - do it again.

7. After we warm up and stretch, do it again.

The more you visualize your dreams as a reality, the more motivated and determined you will become.