As Fall races come, from the 5k’s to the ultra’s, whether they are “A” races or stepping stones to get you someplace further, or even and especially if you are taking a break – training your brain is a tool you should develop upon. In my research on how to strengthen the weakest part of my training – mental acuity, confidence, preparedness, etc. I’ve come across some really great articles, presentations and podcasts. In many a run, the women of BDP talk about mental strength in running, and what information is out there, and how accessible it is. We always come away with feelings of, “Yeah we should look into that, we should practice that, we should research…” but find that there is little information regarding strengthening your mental game, and end up just putting the topic to the wayside, as an afterthought. It takes work to develop the tools. As you might find, and as is made clear in the articles from this list, “the longer you’ve thought a certain way, the deeper the mental grooves,” and the more you should work at it. Below you will find a list of articles, presentations, and podcasts that offer tools and the “why’s” of the process of cultivating your mental game. If you have come across any articles you’ve found to be helpful please share on our facebook page!

Be Your Own Sports Psychologist (Runner’s World)

• Combating pre-race anxiety
• Somatic and Cognitive anxiety
• Confidence
• The Cusp Catastrophe Model
• The Processing Efficiency Theory
• Building confidence

Train Your Brain to Run Your Best (Runner’s World)

• 5 minutes of visualization, daily
• Score your workouts – “Most sports psychologists employ some form of record keeping.”
• Select a focus tool (word, phrase, action that “mutes destructive chatter and keeps you in the moment.”)
• Reframing
• “If you understand that you can run well when tired, you change your performance drastically.”
• “In sport, fatigue is highly subjective.”
• “The longer you’ve thought a certain way, the deeper the mental grooves.”

Sports Psychology: Mental Preparation to Improve Running Performance (Sports Performance Bulletin, UK)

• Techniques for Dissociation
  • Music
  • Games or active fantasy
• Techniques for Associative Body Monitoring
  • Rhythmic breathing
  • Body monitoring
  • Keeping pace in line with body monitoring, i.e. increase pace when you feel positive
• Self-Talk

Blending Mental Game Training with Interval Workouts (Coach Dean Hebert, Blog)

“Too often athletes leave the mental game as an afterthought or leave it out completely from their training. They expect that on competition day they’ll just be ‘tougher’ and be able to have those breakthrough performances – like magic. The key is to integrate mental game training into your workouts…”

It’s All Mental: Sport Psychology for Runners (a presentation by Paul Freeman, Exercise Science, UK)

Michael Gervais/Rich Roll Podcast
**A big source of information BDP fell in love with was the incredible interview of Michael Gervais, a high performance psychologist, Director of the High Performance Psychology arm of DISC (Diagnostic and Interventional Surgical Center) Sports & Spine Center in Marina Del Rey, a key member of the Red Bull High Performance Program, and the guy that Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll credits as integral in their Super Bowl win for meditation, mindfulness and other crucial team building techniques…on Rich Roll’s podcast, which can be found HERE (RRP 120 – Michael Gervais).

Why You Need to Believe You are Good Enough Podcast (Runners Connect podcast – Dr. Stan Beechman)

• Why curiosity & openness could be the keys to success in your running and life
• Why we need to get back to being human beings instead of human doings
• Why you need to let go of some of the control in your life, an dhow this will change your perspective on injuries to view them as a gift
• Why you need to change the way you treat yourself, and how self belief will lead to the result you have always dreamed of