Race Prep: The Mental Game

Okay so I've definitely been slacking a little bit in the blogging department again! But now it is officially marathon week so hopefully I'll be checking in more often! First off, today's weigh in was 132lbs. I wasn't thrilled but not too discouraged either - although I have been sticking to my calorie target, I have definitely been eating more junk over the past few days, so I'm sure it will go back down if I stay on track.

So I wanted to write a couple of posts about race day preparation since the marathon is now only 4 days away! (eek!) But these thoughts could definitely apply to any goal, particularly fitness of course - whether it is walking your first 5k or running a marathon. There are lots of important areas for race prep, but today I'm going to brain dump on you guys about mental preparation.

I've heard a lot of people say that for a marathon, your physical training will get you through the first 20 miles, but your mind carries you through the final 6, so I've been preparing myself for that. But I think this applies to any new distance you are running, or a faster pace, etc. I remember when I first started running it took me forever to get up to 3 miles, and almost as long after that to go from 3 mile to 4 miles without stopping. I am sure that if my body could handle 3 miles fairly routinely then 4 miles should have been no problem, but I had some sort of mental block where I always gave up or wouldn't push myself to get there. When I finally did it felt amazing! So here's the strategies I'm planning to use this weekend...

Focus on the positive.

I have been working hard on this for the past several weeks after my attempt at a 20 mile run. Having to stop from the knee pain really shook my confidence and made me question if I could do the marathon. So I've been looking back through the training records and reminding myself of all the successes I've had a long the way. I keep telling myself things like "if you can run a half marathon at a 9:05 pace, you can finish a marathon if you run a lot slower!" and I'm trying to focus on memories of how I felt when my long runs went well. Unfortunately, most of my long runs have been on the same route where I had to stop on my 20 miler and walk back to the car... so I am having a hard time remembering the good ones (although my notes even say that my 19 mile run was "awesome"). But, I did have one great run while I was in NC over the holidays that I can clearly remember how I felt during and afterwards, so I am focusing on that.

Choose a mantra.

I don't know that I'm really into mantras for day to day life, but it definitely helps to have something short and sweet to hold on to for motivation during a tough workout. For at least a year now, I've been carrying a fortune from a fortune cookie in my wallet - at first it reminded me to keep at it with my weight loss efforts, but now it works for running too. A short little phrase that is a good reminder that I have put in a lot of effort in to my training and it will pay off!

Think about why you started.

It definitely helps me to think about all of the progress I had made over the last 13+ months. Losing 40lbs and running my first half marathon. Finally running 3 miles at a 9 minute pace in June (which I thought I could never do) and then running my second half marathon at nearly a 9 minute pace just 6 months later! When I first signed up for the marathon I didn't tell anyone (even Sam!) for two months because I wasn't sure if I could do it. But as I trained through the summer I got more and more confident and I wanted to push myself to this goal. Thinking back to how far I have come makes me grateful that it is even a possibility for me to run this marathon, and proud of myself for making a lifestyle change to be healthier!

Prioritize your goals.

This is going to be super important for me during the race. I keep telling myself that these are the priorities:

1. Finish the race.
2. Finish the race on my own terms. I would rather employ a walk/run strategy then have to walk the last 5 miles any never start running again if that makes sense. I don't want to feel defeated.
3. Run the whole race (except for walking through water stations and such). 
4. Finish at a 10 min/mile pace.

The long shot is #4, so I don't have too much hope built up there - if things are going well in the first half of the race then I will try for it. But I am really hoping to accomplish #1-3. So in case things don't go awesome and I end up having to walk some, I am hoping that reminding myself of my priorities will help me stay positive! My original goal was just to finish since this is my first marathon, and I'll have to remind myself to be satisfied with that if it comes down to it!

Plan & visualize your race.

I am all about this last one because I am a bit of a control freak and I like to be over prepared. So if you are like me, it really helps to review the course beforehand! I haven't driven the whole thing obviously, since we don't live in Austin. But I have mapped out the course, including the elevation changes, so I know what to expect. For example, miles 1-6 are slightly uphill, so I'll plan to keep in slow. Miles 6-9 are downhill, so if I find myself going a bit faster I won't force myself to slow down. Then it is 10 miles of slight incline and the last 7 miles are downhill (thank goodness!). Thinking through the race in my head (and trying to visualize success!) helps me to feel more in control/prepared. 

I think that's enough for now, but hopefully this helps anyone who is fighting a fitness battle in their mind like I often do! Some of it is cheesy but it works! I know I get emotional when a run is difficult and it is hard to keep going so it helps to have a few tricks up your sleeve to stay mentally strong. Any other tips on how to stay in the game? Some people are able to just zone out while they run - I wish I was one of those!!