Running a race can be a scary thing. Whether you鈥檙e toeing the line for your first 10K, or an elite level marathoner trying to qualify for the Olympic Trials, knowing that you鈥檙e about to push your body鈥檚 limits is reasonable cause for anxiety at any level. How do you mentally prepare for the coming pain and effort of the race? Longer long runs and faster track workouts may increase your lung capacity and your leg strength, but how can your brain make the most out of all the work you鈥檝e put in?

Here are five tips from top coaches and sport psychologists on how to mentally prepare聽to race your best when the gun goes off.

1. Boost your confidence through visualization.

鈥淭he human brain is strange in that instead of always looking to build up confidence, we seem to have a tendency to focus on the negative. Runners often can have 100 good workouts and one bad [workout] yet they will focus on that one bad one and let it erode their confidence for race day,” says coach聽Greg McMillan, founder of . “Successful athletes develop strategies to boost self-confidence, defeat negative thoughts and keep the positive 鈥業 can do it鈥� attitude more often. Formulate a picture of success on race day. They then replay this scenario over and over across the training plan and even come up with how they will deal with other scenarios that may come up so that race day, they are prepared for anything and can have a successful race.鈥�

2. Find the optimal zone.

鈥�When it comes to before a race, I鈥檓 a firm believer that everyone benefits from identifying their optimal zone of arousal. Some people may need to be extremely relaxed before a race whereas others might need to be really pumped up,” explains Dr. Jen Gapin Farrell, a Certified Consultant through the Association for Applied Sport Psychology. “You can find your optimal zone by reflecting back on previous performances and gaining awareness of what you were physically and mentally doing before races in which you ran well and those in which you didn鈥檛 run so well.鈥�

If you need help relaxing to find that optimal zone, Farrell recommends techniques in deep breathing and progressive muscle relaxation.

Deep Breathing: 鈥淚nhale slowly through your nose, drawing air deep into your lungs. Hold your breath for about five seconds, then release it slowly. With聽each exhalation, imagine that you are getting rid of any stress or fatigue that might prevent you from performing your best. Focus only on each breath. Repeat the exercise five to 10 times. Repeat ‘energy in’ while inhaling, and ‘fatigue out’ while exhaling.鈥�

Progressive Muscle Relaxation:聽鈥�Isolate and contract muscle groups, creating tension for 8 to 10 seconds, then relax the muscles and let the tension go. Concentrate on the feel of your muscles, specifically the contrast between tension and relaxation. In time, you will recognize tension in any specific muscle and be able to reduce it. Use words and phrases as you progress through the muscle groups like 鈥榬elax,鈥� 鈥榣et go,鈥� 鈥榬elease,鈥� 鈥榮tay calm,鈥� and 鈥榝eeling fresh.鈥� Commonly-used muscle groups are the legs, shoulders and neck, and face.鈥�

3. Accept negative thoughts and then say goodbye to them.

鈥淭he top athletes have an acceptance-commitment mindset, which accepts thoughts are just that. They are not reality,” says John Coumbe-Lilley, a Certified Consultant of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology and Director of Undergraduate Studies & Clinical Assistant Professor of Kinesiology and Nutrition at The University of Illinois at Chicago. “A runner can have a negative mindset approaching a race, but their strategy is that they are aware and know their thoughts are harmless. As they approach competition they accept them and say goodbye to them, shifting their focus to the approach they need for the race.鈥�

4. Begin your mental race preparation routine early.

鈥淔or many athletes, a successful routine doesn’t begin on race morning, but can encompass elements of travel, pre-race routine or the hours leading up to competition,” says聽Drew Wartenburg, head coach of the Sacramento-based NorCal Distance Project. “Like most race-day behaviors, relaxation techniques should be practiced in advance. The sports psychologist that our team uses helps introduce a variety of techniques from breathing exercises to visualization and mental cues for our athletes to experiment with as they refine their personal routines.鈥�

5. Enjoy the moment.

鈥�On race day, rather than stressing out about the end result or trying to impress others, focus on the process of racing your best and use the love of the event(s) and the joy of competition as your primary motivation,” says Dr. Jim Afremow, a leading mental performance consultant and author of聽The Champion鈥檚 Mind: How Great Athletes Think, Train, and Thrive. “Feel like you鈥檙e smiling broadly on the inside because of how hard you鈥檝e trained, how much you enjoy racing, and having this golden opportunity to discover how good you can be.鈥�

Updated from article that first appeared January 2016

The post 5 Ways to Mentally Prepare for Your Next Race appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Whether you鈥檙e shuffling along on the local 5K circuit or you鈥檙e one of the few special athletes who have the Olympics in your sights, having to sit on the sidelines happens to every runner at some point.

Oftentimes, it starts as some moderate discomfort. Then, it persists. Soon enough, the prolonged pain turns聽into real injury.

All the hard work and effort falls by the wayside, and instead, you鈥檙e wiping crumbs off your face while soaking in more 鈥淕ame of Thrones鈥� episodes than you ever could鈥檝e imagined.

But there鈥檚 no need to resign yourself to nestling into that comfy couch groove.

Instead, quality cross-training workouts in the pool, on the bike, and even stretching it out on a yoga mat can assure you鈥檙e not totally dying when you make that epic comeback. And if you鈥檙e not in a walking boot and feeling perfectly healthy, building in a day to cross-train every week can be the perfect complement to staying free of injury.

These four workouts from two expert coaches will help you stay fit when you鈥檙e not pounding the pavement.

1. Aqua Jogging and Lower-Body Strength Circuit

鈥淲hen you’re replacing running with cross-training (either because you’re injured or to add extra volume without additional pounding), the goal should be to choose an exercise that is as similar to running as possible,” says , a USA Track & Field Level 2 Endurance Coach.听“Aqua jogging will closely mimic the demands of running and the fitness you gain here will carry over better to running because it does not have the same muscular demands as running. I like to work lower-body strength exercises into the workout as long as you can do them without aggravating your injury.鈥�

The Workout

10:00聽aqua jogging warmup

10x lunge (out of the pool)

15x bodyweight squat聽(out of the pool)

2-3聽sets of

鈥� 10 minutes hard aqua jogging at聽5K-10K effort

鈥� 5:00 aqua jogging recovery

鈥� 10x聽lunge聽(out of the pool)

鈥� 15x聽bodyweight squat聽(out of the pool)

10:00聽aqua jogging cooldown

2. Lap Swimming

鈥淪wimming is my favorite supplemental cross-training. It keeps the blood flowing through all the muscles of the body without adding any additional impact,” says Leivers. “Because it differs so much from running, even though the blood is flowing through the same muscles, they are being used in different ways that makes it an ideal recovery cross-training workout the day after a hard workout or long run. You don’t need to do anything fancy with this workout, as 20-30 minutes of gentle lap swimming will do the trick.鈥�

3. The 30-Minute Exercise Challenge

鈥淚 love this workout because it focuses on the areas that runners need to strengthen, especially the core,” says , a running coach, personal trainer and fascia stretch therapist. “Many of the exercises are done unilaterally and help correct some of the imbalances that running creates.鈥�

The Workout

(Note: The following 8 exercises聽comprise one set. Rest for one minute after each set and aim to complete three sets.)

Squats: One minute

Single-Leg Deadlift: 45 seconds

Pushups: One minute

Side Lunge: 45 seconds on each side

Single-leg Squats: 45 seconds on each side

Plank: One minute

Side Plank: 30 seconds on each side

Bird Dog: 30 seconds on each side

4. Stretch It Out

Woodruff recommends incorporating the following three stretches into your training routine to help speed up the process of bouncing back from injury.

Calf Stretch

How to do it: 鈥淪tand, holding on to a chair or wall.聽Step back with your right leg, keeping your knee straight and your right heel pressed into the ground. Bend your left knee. Hold for 10-30 seconds, then repeat on the other side.鈥�

Why it helps: 鈥淭ight calves can lead to injuries such as shin splints, ankle pain, and plantar fasciitis.鈥�

Hip Flexor Stretch

How to do it: 鈥淪tart from a kneeling position. Step forward with your right leg, so that your knee is bent to about 90 degrees. Placing your hands on your right thigh, press forward over the right leg, pushing your hips forward slightly. You should feel the stretch at the top of your聽left thigh. Hold for 10-30 seconds, then repeat on the other side.鈥�

Why it helps: 鈥淢any runners have tight hip flexors, caused by the small repetitive motion of running, and aggravated by weak glute muscles. Glute strengthening exercises are important too, as tight hip flexors lead to poor posture, and potentially hip and low back pain.鈥�

IT Band Stretch

How to do it: 鈥淭ake a strap in your left hand and put your right arm out to the side (T-position). Keeping your knee straight, and your right hip pressed firmly into the ground, slowly lower the leg to the left. Keep your right hip pressed into the ground, otherwise, this stretch will not be as effective. Hold for 10-30 seconds and repeat the sequence on the left side.鈥�

Why it helps: 鈥淭he Iliotibial (IT) band starts at the hip and runs down the outside of your leg. If it is tight, it can begin to rub on the outside of your kneecap, potentially leading to pain in your knee.鈥�

The post Four Awesome Cross-Training Workouts for Injured Runners appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.