» Train Your Mind and Your Body Will Follow

Your mind is your best friend or your worst enemy when it comes to training and competing. Your internal dialogue can help spur you forward, bring consistency and commitment to your training, and clarity to your goals. When you compete, what you tell yourself before and during the event can help you put your training efforts to good effect, overcome varying adverse and unexpected happenings during the event itself, pace yourself well and achieve improved times. How you speak to yourself is as powerful as what you say.

How does that work? Every athlete has had at least one experience of preferring extra sleep instead of getting up to train, staying in to watch a TV show after a long day at work instead of hitting the gym or wishing for the pizza, beer and ice cream meal instead of the training diet. What allows you to make the difficult choice in that moment is your internal dialogue.  Over time I’ve learned that a gentle, coaxing voice in my head works most effectively to remind me of what it is I’m trying to achieve, telling me that I’ve never regretted a workout or training session, or a race run in the full knowledge that I’ve done everything in my power, diet included, to achieve my best possible time. Conversely a harsh or demanding internal voice has the opposite effect, making me rebellious and prone to blow off the workout.

Pay attention to the things you tell yourself. Does your internal voice support your commitment to your training? Does it give you the kind of mental fuel you need to complete a race, a marathon or a triathlon? Everyone is different and requires an individually tailored dialogue. Does this sound like nonsense? The internal dialogue exists whether or not you choose to acknowledge it. Acknowledging it consciously and paying attention to what you tell yourself can make a critical difference in your training and in your competition mindset. Discovering the motivating words that work for you will allow you to achieve your best competition times more consistently.

There are many types of dialogues you can have. Some prefer a mantra like repetition that aligns with their desired running cadence ie “stronger, faster, smoother”. Others like more of a conversation ie “I can keep this pace going forever, I feel strong, I know I can do this.” Choose what works for you most effectively and use it to motivate you during training. You’ll then have a method in place to focus your mind during the inevitable stresses of race day, giving you some stress relief and spurring you on to a new personal best!

Written by Victoria Nordgren, the founder of nordgren – women’s performance activewear at http://www.nordgrenactive.com/ is an avid cross trainer living in New York City. Her weekly fitness blog can be found at http://nordgrenactive.com/wordpress2/. Please feel free to contact Victoria at info@nordgrenactive.com