Most runners include ‘carb loading’ in their pre-race routine. Eliud Kipchoge favors rice as his carb….he also works on visualization, self-talk, relaxation and mantras for dessert to fuel his mental game. To help non-elite runners have a positive race experience, on October 7th top sports psychologist, Dr. Jim Afremow will be sharing a menu of mental skills in a free coaching webinar.
Read MoreImagine if you had the opportunity to be trained by the coach who inspired 17 Olympic Gold Medalists.
On October 7th, Dr. Jim Afremow, the sports psychologist the Pro athletes turn to when they are looking for that extra competitive advantage, will be hosting a coaching session dedicated to helping recreational runners achieve their goals.
Read MoreTo help you have a positive marathon experience, we’re hosting a free pre-race mental skills ‘tune-up’ workshop with the top sports psychologist: Dr Jim Afremow on Thursday October 7th at 4 pm Eastern/3 pm Central.
Is it normal to feel anxious about my marathon?
You are not alone, as the miles reduce during the taper period – anxiety goes up exponentially. With race day approaching, even seasoned marathoners experience a cocktail of negative emotions: self-doubt, angst and fear. You become irrational and every twinge becomes a stress-fracture and you worry about the hundred and one things that could go wrong over 26.2 miles:
· Have I done enough training?
· What if I have a gastrointestinal issue?
· How do I overcome the dreaded ’Wall’ - (I only ran 20 miles)?
The uncertainty around COVID-19 rules has made this year even more stressful.
How do I conquer my fears?
To help you overcome your anxiety and arrive at the start line fully mentally prepared to crush your goals, we’ve persuaded top sports psychologist Dr. Jim Afremow to distill the same mental training playbook he used to coach 17 Olympic champions and share it with you.
What do I do next?
Register now for the free webinar, How To Overcome Marathon Anxiety and Crush Your Race Goals on October 7th at 4 pm Eastern/3 pm Central time. If you can’t make this time – no worries….still register and we’ll send you a recording you can watch before your race.
Places will be limited and there are tens of thousands of runners running Fall races - we therefore recommend reserving your seat today.
PS. There will be a prize draw for attendees at the end of the webinar – prizes include a free annual subscription to the Mental Training App that Dr. Jim uses to coach pro-athletes (Value $275).
Positive Marathon Experience
Congratulations, you’ve entered a marathon and no matter where you are on the experience curve from first timer to Boston veteran you know in your heart this is going to be a tough journey.
An event built on a legend where in 490 BC the hero Pheidippides collapses and dies of exhaustion has to be respected.
Race organizers might call a 5k a Fun Run – no-one describes a marathon as: “Fun” – it’s called an endurance event for a reason – it is designed to be endured!
You need to prepare for:
· Exhausting training sessions that you have to somehow squeeze into your already packed work-life schedule.
· Balancing increased mileage with the risk of injury.
· Overwhelming anxiety in the build up to the big day.
· Stressing about hundred and one things that could go wrong.
· Overcoming the dreaded ’Wall’
· And to cap it all – if you get to the finish line - there is a high probability of suffering from post-race blues.
In short, at every stage of your journey you will encounter both physical and mental hurdles.
Take the ‘Have You Got The Rundamentals’ quiz to find out where you are today and receive mental training tips to ensure you crush your goals on race day!
Our guest expert for this episode is: Mary Jennings: an Irish running coach with a Masters Degree in Sport and Exercise Psychology. Mary founded ForgetTheGym in 2007 to encourage people to get outdoors, get moving and get motivated.
In her book ‘Get Running’; Mary outlines her belief that exercise should be fun, social, enjoyable and pain free. As a keen long-distance runner Mary herself has completed over 40 marathons and ultra-marathons up to 100k in distance.
Mary has kindly agreed to share an excerpt of an article she wrote that was first published in the Irish Times. As you will read below, Mary takes 10 mental strategies and explains how they can be applied to improve running performance: “Training our head as well as our legs”.
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