Learn the mental hack of Self-Questioning.
To be cliche, my collegiate running career was full of peaks and valleys.
Most of it was valley.
My high school training was extremely light which led to a year-long adjustment for volume and intensity. I got sick several times because of poor choices. And I had some extremely unhealthy eating issues, and I had a tough time adjusting to student life.
Basically, college sucked.
I entered my freshman year as one of the top recruits on the team which came with pressure and expectation. And I did not live up.
I mean I was not a Markelle Fultz, but maybe more like a Jimmer Fredette.
I was on my way to being a bust. And my confidence was in the gutter.
Physical ailments, illness, and nutrition issues can be fixed, but the mental side of performance is a different beast.
During my lows, I would search for ways to fix my issues. I eventually found one book that helped me turn things around.
The book was called “The Inner Runner”
I started down the path of educating myself about all things running and training in college, and this book was a game changer for performance. It preached positive self-talk and visualization.
I remember doing hill repeats when I started to see myself as a deer galloping effortlessly up the hill and giving myself positive affirmations like “You got this. You are fast and smooth.” You know, corny shit like that.
And it worked! I use similar tactics to this day.
Click here to read about Meditation and how it will make you run faster.
But what about when you don’t believe it? What if you more evidence than blind faith?
I have a different strategy that can work for you. It’s called “self-questioning.”
When you face a task, problem, in this case, a race, ask yourself a question about the issues and answer honestly. Follow up with three to five reasons why to back up your answer.
It would go something like this:
Question: Can I PR this race?
Answer: Yes, I can. I’ve trained hard, my nutrition is great and I’m as healthy and strong.
Filling your mind with facts will convince you and give you the confidence before and during a race.
It would be great if we could believe anything that we tell ourselves, but sometimes we need evidence.
You know, like science.
So give yourself a reason why you can achieve your goals.
Give it a shot and let me know how it works.
