Competitive racing is largely a mental game. In fact, the mental side of racing is more important than the physical event itself. The way we think about competitive racing determines our experience, whether positive or negative.

In an individual sport such as competitive running, only you can take responsibility for the quality of a race performance. By plunging into a sport that requires absolute responsibility, the racer accepts experience with an eye to improving it. If you want to make your racing better, you’ve got to change the way you think about it.

This course will give students an overview of an experienced racer’s thinking as it evolves during a year of training and racing. Students will prepare for three class sessions by reading pertinent chapters in Running by Feeling, Brian Clarke’s running comeback memoir.

Chapter 1. A Preliminary Skirmish (Session 1)
Chapter 13. The Mental Side of Racing (Session 2)
Chapter 21. A Strange Victory (Session 3)
Chapter 22. The Play Spirit in Running (Session 3)

Students will share their various racing experiences, contrasting them with Clarke’s, to become increasingly aware of their own thinking and how it has affected a performance. In the process, they will address the following question: Is there a right way to think about racing? And how do we get there if we aren’t there now?

Note: The first class session carries no obligation to attend sessions 2 and 3, but is intended as an orientation. The easiest way to sign up is to pay the course fee (see below);
it is fully refundable if you decide not to participate.

$30 for newcomers, $20 of which will be refunded after the course depending on your attendance and the quality of your work.