Changing Your Mindset..Improve Times?

I recently read an article about improving race times and mindsets.  The article states that sometimes the only thing holding a runner back is his/her own mind.  Your mind can be intimidating at times.  When you think that there is ever a possibility of not accomplishing your goal you won't. If you think that you can't do something then you won't do it. So how do you improve your times? You believe that you can do it. Don't let your head lead you to a racing plateau, jump over the mental hurdle that will dramatically change your whole mindset. Even elite runners struggle with the mental side of improving. The article that gave strategies to improve your mindset. The first suggestion is to switch up your measurements.  For example, if you run in kilometers then switch to miles and vice versa.  They say that this could be beneficial because it will change your perception on the difficulty of your workout. The second suggestion is to take a work out step by step. They say that you should break it all down and condition your mind to believe that you can do every step. Another suggestion given is to find a faster group. They say that if you surround yourself with individuals who run faster paces than you will change your perception of your goal pace and time and that it won't seem so unrealistic. Changing your mindset could help you gain confidence which in turn can help improve your race times. I believe that changing your mindset when running will help with results.

Running Faster :)

I recently read an article that was all about running faster and what they suggest will help you become a faster runner.  I compared a few of the article's tips to my coach's philosophies. The first tip was to learn proper running form. The article states that if you don't learn the correct placement of your head, chest, and shoulders you are more inefficient rather than effective and that you have a greater chance of injuring yourself. My coaches focus on the alignment of my body and the movement of my arms to help me be more efficient. The next thing the article says is to focus on leg turnover drills and that they are often called foot strike drills. They say that it probably has the greatest potential in increasing speed. My coaches focus on heel recoveries (similar to a butt kick but my coach doesn't like the concept of butt kicks), anklets (making your foot go over just your ankles), straight leg skips (you have to focus on making the maximum power with your foot), we also do leg cycles, and the variety of A, B, and C skips. All of these lower body drills focus on the power that you put down and back on the ground. The article states that resting more will help you see results but I disagree with this. Between school and practice and homework I don't have rest days very often. Saturday is my rest day when I remember that I can take rest days. The articles states that practicing and perfecting your drills will help you increase your speed.  My coach says that getting our drills down will not only improve our times but our balance, coordination, and power. In the article they suggest that plyometrics will help increase lung and cardiovascular explosiveness which in turn will help increase running speed.  My coach likes plyometrics because he believes that it increases your explosiveness from the ground. The final suggestion that I will compare to my coach’s philosophies is to strengthen your core. They say that by strengthening your core you will be lighter on your feet and that it helps you avoid sinking in the ground.  My coaches simply state that everything you do comes from your core and your hipflexers and if those muscles aren't strong you aren't strong at all. By strengthening your core you can keep yourself upright and everything aligned while running.

Practicing the Mental Game....

My coach once told me to picture my 5K, imagine how it will feel, imagine how you will look, just visualize it.  At first I thought that she was crazy but I did it anyway and the next day when I raced I did better.  I had run the course multiple times so I could remember how it looked in my head I just had to use the most crucial tool ever.  The mental side of running is more important that the physical part of running.  According to an article I recently read there are three different types imagery:  internal, external, and kinesthetic.  Internal imagery is done in first person, the athlete runs through the whole race in their head alone.  External imagery is done from another perspective other than the athlete like an outside observer.  Kinesthetic imagery, however, is different in the sense that an athlete will run through their race in their head but they move their body along with it.  The athlete doesn’t have to be in full engagement but they do need to think of as many physical situations that could happen as possible.  Just like anything you want to be good at you have to practice at visualization.  It doesn’t just come overnight. When mastered, visualization can become very helpful and powerful for an individual athlete.  No athlete is the same so each athlete will react differently to this new skill.

 

 I feel as though visualization may help me when I race in any race.  I want to get the best out of every race and I want to know that each time I get into the set position that I am ready to take on the challenge of only beating myself.  That is my only goal every time I race, beat my previous time and set myself new goal.  I love the feeling of getting a new personal best and I think that I might initiate imagining all of my races and see how my year changes. I think that reading the article may have helped me look at preparing for my race in a different view.