I’ve been reading friends’ race reports all summer and hearing about other’s achievements, and it is really working on the mental aspect of training. I am a true believer in training the mind and using visualization to achieve goals. I’ve always got to convince myself I CAN do something before I hit race day. If I do not feel confident I can do it, those little doubts inevitably creep up during moments of fatigue. Toughing my way through unpleasant runs is one way to build confidence. Visualizing is another way. I am a total insomniac. I can fall asleep pretty easily, I just have a hard time staying alseep. When I wake up in the middle of the night, and lay there awake, to prevent my mind from racing and thinking of all the things I need to do at work, all the things around the house I want to get done, etc, I try to visualize myself running easily in an upcoming event, or making it to one of my “fantasy” runs. Sounds kinda silly, but I find it very relaxing to visualize running easily and enjoying the experience. Every now and then it all comes together and I get a race where my mind stays focused and it never really seems that hard….it IS possible to feel this way. Another way to get my mind trained is reading all the great reports that are on the internet now. Reading about someone else conquering their fears and doubts is very inspiring. Last year, to convince myself I could finish Vermont, I only read race reports in which things went well. I quit reading if the runner mentioned falling apart or DNFing.
The last couple months have been great for running. I have felt strong and healthy. Not doing any big miles, but progressing steadily. I ran the greenbelt with teresa today, and it felt very easy. I can’t help but to think back a couple summers ago, and how much harder in seemed. I guess training does work. I am ready to start channeling all this into a race. The fall and winter events are on the horizon……