Pre Race Thoughts

While I was killing time at Panera bread this morning, I was reading my Oct 2007 copy of Runner’s World Magazine.

Good stuff in this month’s issue.

In Mind and Body, there’s an article about mental focus called “Train your Brain”. It talks about two types of mental strategies. One is association: tuning into how your body feels; and the other is disassociation: tuning out, i.e.,listening to music or watching the scenery. Tuning into your body leads to faster race times. Tuning out leads to a more relaxed enjoyable run and can be sustained for a longer time.
In the Q&A section, one of the questions was “I get antsy during a taper. How do I deal with the excess energy?” The answer is: “Channel it into your mental preparation for the big day: Read inspirational stories posted on many race web sites, watch your favorite running movie, or visualize each mile of your race during your short taper runs. In place of workouts, schedule a massage or evening bath so you have something to “do”. I call this creating “quiet energy. It may sound like an oxymoron, but it’s just what you need during the week or two leading up to a big race.”

I’ve been thinking back to the great 17 mile run I had two weeks ago, where I felt strong, and I visualize myself feeling that way tomorrow.

I also like to watch triathlons on tv before my races… and observe the elite athletes: their biking and running form, and the focus and intensity in their faces. Here’s a link to a decent YouTube video of Tinman (a 1/2 iron race in NY). No elite athletes in the video, but fun to watch anyway!
[youtube:http://youtube.com/watch?v=_T9XiwGzXHM 200 200]

Search TV listings for triathlon here:
http://ww2.versus.com/tvlistings/default.asp?nm=2