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Mental Prep for Race Day
It ain't all physical.
You’ve put in the miles—the workouts, the long runs, the recovery, the pre-meet prep. Physically, you’re ready. But racing isn’t just about the body...it’s about the mind. Don’t let mental roadblocks hold you back. Here are our best tips to help you stay sharp, confident, and ready to race your best.
Utilize Coaching
Your coach is someone who likely knows you well both as a person and an athlete. They’re the best person to start with if you want to work with on your race day mental preparations.
Topics To Discuss With Your Coach:
Goals for the season Positive Self Talk Race Day Nerves Visualization
Post Race Evaluation Journaling
Next Steps: Specialized Coaching
If you want more expertise, consider working with a mental performance coach to assist your run coaches, just like strength & conditioning coaches and athletic trainers assist in sport performance.
Psychological Skills for Distance Runners
Tips For Implementation
Remember, preparation starts before the race. The best approach is a holistic one - choose strategies that support you as a person first, athlete second. Practicing these skills will help you facets of your life, not just running. So when building a mental performance plan, consider all aspects of your identity, culture, and values, not just race performance.
Train the mind in a proactive manner, just like physical training. Develop a mental training program at the beginning of the season and stick with it! With practice, you’ll get better at staying relaxed, stopping negative thoughts, being mentally tough, and more.
Psychological Skills for Distance Runners Mental Toughness
Mental toughness is not fixed; it’s a skill that can be developed with consistent practice.
Set SMART goals – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-Bound.
Example: “During my next 2 threshold workouts, I will practice positive self-talk by repeating a chosen mantra at least once per rep.”
Embrace challenging workouts as opportunities to train your mind
Relaxation
Reduces perceived exertion → improves performance Practice body awareness: tighten then relax muscles Meditation & mindfulness
Smiling vs. frowning (your face can shift your effort level)
Self-Talk
More experienced runners usually have more effective self talk and other metacognitive strategies. Any self-talk helps — but second person can be more effective than first person (“You can do this” vs “I can do this”
Prepare a list of go-to statements
Psychological Skills for Distance Runners Thought Stopping
Anticipate negative thoughts before they arise Prepare positive thoughts to immediately replace them Use association or dissociation strategies
Rely on effective self-talk
Post-Race Evaluation
Psychological prep doesn’t end at the finish line
Assess what went well & where to grow
Recover mentally as well as physically
If the race went well, that’s great! You may still experience a feeling of let down with not having the goal to work towards anymore. Take time to enjoy your accomplishment and then set new goals to keep moving forward!
Visualization
Improves confidence, control, pacing, and pain tolerance Engage multiple senses (sight, sound, feel, smell, taste) Keep it vivid and controlled
Example: Imagine the start line, crowd, staying calm in the first mile
If you want to work with one of our coaches on Mental prep, hire one today at hammer-and-axe.com