One of our staple BC Endurance workouts is the visualization run. In part, its purpose is to see the layout of a racecourse: its hills, turns, and quirks so there are no surprises on race day. Even if you’ve run the race many times, the visualization process is valuable not only because it recommits to memory the physical features of a course. But, more importantly, visualization rehearses deeply the race you want to run.
A race is essentially a performance, much like a stage play. Of course, you’ll want a star-quality performance, so it makes sense to rehearse your part at key moments on the course. The finish is a good place to start. Do you see yourself struggling across the line, defeated by the distance and your peers? Or will you raise your arms in victory because you’ve accomplished your heart’s desire? In either case, you are rehearsing a possible future outcome, which is never a done deal until after the race is finished.
An effective rehearsal smooths the bumps in an unfinished script. Remember, you are not only the star actor in the story you’re making up about yourself, but the director and playwright, too. And whatever you visualize, you increase the likelihood of its occurring. Obviously, selectivity is a virtue as you visualize the race you want to run. You decide what your ego mind is allowed to present for consideration. If you aren’t sure about a line in the show, ask your coach or buddy for an opinion. Choose good stuff.
One of the common visualization pitfalls is running your race during the workout. The visualization process doesn’t require the sort of super hard effort you may ask of your body during the event. So, it’s worth the time to think about why you would need to run so hard during practice when there’s no one to beat nor finisher’s medal to be won. You may feel the need to build your confidence with a fast practice time, but that sort of confidence is overrated. It’s better by far to anticipate the race you want to run by merely imagining that race in practice. You don’t need to practice every racing feature.
“Remember, you are not only the star actor in the story you’re making up about yourself, but the director and playwright, too. And whatever you visualize, you increase the likelihood of its occurring.”
You shouldn’t allow yourself to become distracted during a visualization run. This is not the time to listen to music or chat with a buddy. You should be physically relaxed and mentally focused on problematic features of the course, such as a long, steep hill. Listen to your internal conversation about the hill, either while you are doing it or later during a reflective moment. Would you say your emotional reaction to the hill is aversive? Would you put “fear of the hill” in the aversive category? That fear and its aversive texture tell you your attention is necessary to resolve a problematic concern.
It’s okay to rehearse during quiet moments after the visualization workout, until everything’s right. Then, once you have a plan, set it aside during the final week. The worst thing you can do is stew about your plan, second-guessing whether, for instance, to go out fast or bide your time for later. Beware of inner warnings of possible disaster.
Your mind sees things from multiple perspectives, and what seemed reasonable at first might not become the best storyline in the end. In any case, the story you tell yourself after the race is the one that counts because it’s the one you will learn from.