Preparing yourself mentally is just as important as the physical training you do with your body. These 3 quick tricks will help you overcome your mental obstacles which will in turn help you overcome any physical obstacle that you may encounter, and they come from Traci Statler, who is one of the motivators of the USA Track & Field team.
1. Visualization
When you play out scenarios in your mind ahead of time, you will be more prepared to deal with them when they actually arrive. Before you even begin a run, take a moment to close your eyes and imagine that you are most of the way through and feel like you’re hitting a wall. Then, see yourself pushing through that wall and overcoming it to come out even stronger.
When you’re focusing solely on your body and how much it hurts or how tired you feel, then you are much more likely to slow down and stop long before you would if you stay distracted from what you are doing. If listening to music isn’t an option, you might try counting things like trees, people, or cars. You can also devote different miles to thinking about loved ones.
3. Competition
If you’re like most runners, you are able to run faster and for longer on race days because of the other people that you are competing against as well as the motivation that comes with the crowds cheering everyone on. When training, you can capture the feel of a race by competing with a running partner, other runners on the same path, or by imagining other runners that you want to pass.
