How the Mind Influences Performance

"We all have conversations going on inside our heads...self-talk. Every athlete hears two competitng voices. One is a negatie critic, and the other is a positive coach. Which voice we listen to is a matter of choice." --fromMind Gym by Gary Mack (p115)

I've talked before about negative self-talk and instances where negative self-talk has negatively affected my performance as a runner. It is probably one of the reasons I fell so short of my half-marathon goal this fall. I believe it is also the reasons why I missed breaking the 20 min mark by four seconds in my 5K last Saturday.

I went into Saturday's race with an open and relaxed mind. I approached the race as chance to figure out where my fitness was. I didn't have any time goals, but I did have expectations: I expected to finish somewhere in the 21:xx. I thought that 20:xx was a stretch and that 19:xx was not possible. My mind was only half-open to the possibilities.

About halfway through the first mile I knew I was running strong. Everything was clicking (even with the strong headwinds) and the pace felt fast (for me) but comfortable. I went through the mile marker at 6:36. I thought that was fast. I had anticipated running it in 6:50 or so. But I felt good and decided to run what I was feeling instead of pulling back.

When I went through the 2 mile marker in 12:50 and my first thought was, "I could go under 20!" I felt strong, my stride felt smooth and my breathing was controlled. The next thought that passed through my mind was "Don't get greedy, Sarah." I find it interesting that those two thoughts passed through my head just seconds apart. One thought hopeful and confident, the other cutting down the hope and confidence and telling me to play it safe. Great performances rarely come from the athlete who plays it safe. I ran the rest of mile two into mile three thinking trying to focus on running strong...and safe.

I passed over a bridge with what I thought was a half mile or more to go and glanced at my watch: 17:xx. At that point I did some (incorrect math) and thought I about four more minutes of running, which I knew was uphill. And the thought that crossed my mind was, "Not today."

I rounded the corner just after the bridge and began running up the hill. And suddenly I saw the Holy Grail sign and knew the finish line was a lot closer than I thought it was. It was at that moment that I finally believed that running under 20min was possible for THAT race. But it was too late. I'd already decided in mile two to play it safe and not "run greedy," and so I missed my goal by four seconds.

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The mind is very powerful, it can push you to your greatest performance or limit you abilities and leave you disappointed. Part of changing your performance as a runner is changing the way you think and talk to yourself. Mental training can be just as important as physical training. Of course no amount of positive thinking can replace training, but if you are trained positive thinking CAN make a four second difference. One of the things that I'll be changing as I go into future races is being open to ALL the possibilities. And to acknowledge and dismiss the negative voices that tell me to "play it safe," replacing them with the thought that big risks bring big rewards.

What is your self-talk like during races? Can you think of a race when negative self-talk caused you to fall short? What do you think you can do differently next time?

--Sarah

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