I am firm believer that a runner’s thoughts have a huge impact on performance. It doesn’t matter how well you run your workouts, if you don’t have a positive state of mind during a race you won’t run to the best of your ability. Peak Performance has an excellent article about controlling your thoughts during a race. These tips are included:
1) Focus on your breathing: controlled, relatively deep rhythmic breathing is the key to relaxation. When you breathe out, try to imagine the tension leaving your body.
2) Try to remain relaxed while running, but be aware of tension and fatigue in your muscles. It’s often a good idea to start from the head and work down, giving each area or group of muscles your attention. If you notice tension, try to focus on a cue word, such as ‘relax’ or ‘easy’ and try to let the tension flow out of the muscles.
3) Keep your pace in line with the information you gain from body monitoring. You might, for example, increase the pace if you feel very positive.
