Well...

19 was rough for me. But I plan to slaughter 20 in 2 weeks.

Avoiding Pre-Race Jitters

Visualization
Each day spend 15 minutes visualizing your race. Close your eyes before you get out of bed in the morning and play out the race in your mind. See yourself on race morning. You are calm and organized, your emotions are controlled. See yourself on race day, from the moment you wake up to the moment you cross the finish line.

Visualize your success
See the clock. See your goal time. If you visualize success over and over again, chances are you can will it to happen on race day!

Organization
Make sure you are organized the day before the race. Race morning is not the time to decide what to eat or wear. Have everything set out the night before and perform your morning automatically like you do every day in training. Nothing new!

Focus
Focus internally on performance rather than outcome. All energy and focus should be on yourself, taking care of your body so that it can perform the way you want it to. Focus on what you are doing at that very moment. Live in the here and now. Don’t think too much, just simply do what you have trained your body to do day in and day out.

Mental Cues
Have some emotional and biomechanical cues or mantras that you will say to yourself throughout the race to help you remain focused. Mental cues include: “I feel strong”, “I am confident”, “I will succeed.” Anything that keeps your emotions in check and triggers internal confidence and a positive attitude are good mental clues. Biomechanical cues are also very important throughout the second half of the race. Many runners look at the elites and wonder how they make it look so easy. It is not easy for them. They have just practiced running efficiently when they are exhausted. This makes them more efficient and eliminates wasted energy and pace declines. Some biomechanical cues include: high cadence, run from hips, efficient stride, no wasted energy, smooth and light, relax the face… Never ever say to yourself, ”I am so tired, my knees hurt, I have to slow down.” Instead say, “Stay strong, I have worked so hard, I will be done soon, keep pushing, I will take it one mile at a time, etc.”

Remember the goal of the taper is to reach a state of physical AND mental preparation that leads to optimal performance. Now go have the race of your life!

Kim Loeffler, MS Exercise Physiology, Pro Triathlete and Coach
Kelly Liljeblad, Elite 2:32 Marathon Runner and Coach

***KBVCM website