Well done! You are another week closer to achieving your goal of completing the first Ironmind Tri with A Lust for Life. I hope the tips provided in Mental Prep-Part 1 last week were of some help to you in your training sessions over the past seven days.
As I said last week, at this stage in their preparations triathletes often want to know two key things: (1) how to keep motivated and focused during the last few weeks of training, and (2) how to remain confident and positive as the event approaches. I focused on the first of these points last Thursday in Part 1 of this 3 Part series. Today in Part 2, I am going to provide you with some mental preparation tips that will hopefully address the second of these points for you.
How to remain confident and positive in the final week before Ironmind Tri 2016
Tip #1: The hard work is done. To perform at your best on the 9th July it is important to be fresh. Resist the temptation to over-train in this final week. A few short, focused runs/cycles/swims to keep your muscles and mind relaxed but sharp are all that is required. Remember my SMART goals tip from last week? Now might be a good time, if you have not already done so, to physically write down your mini-targets for your Ironmind Tri 2016 event. Aim for some of those mini-targets during parts of your training sessions this week before the event to boost your confidence.
Tip #2: At this point before the event, self-doubt may also emerge. You may start to question if you will be able to complete the event. Do not allow such thoughts to dominate your thinking. Also, do not fear such thoughts. Instead take action if/when they occur. You can use a self-talk strategy called ‘park-and-replace’ to help you with this. This mental strategy involves ‘stopping’ the doubting thoughts when they occur by replacing them with positive phrases. For example, if you find yourself thinking something like: “I’m dreading this event. I don’t think I will be able to finish it’. Replace it with “I’m so excited about this challenge; I know I can do this. I’ve done the distances in training”.
Tip #3: Take some time to mentally rehearse the event itself over in your mind this week. Identify points during the event where you may find things a bit tough. Think of a positive phrase you can repeat to yourself to help you through those phases of the event. Use the various links and resources on the Ironmind Tri 2016 webpage, and some images on Google Maps of Belvedere House and Gardens to help you to create realistic images of the general location for the event, and the three specific routes you will be taking for Ironmind Tri 2016 itself – for the swim, cycle and run sections of the event
Tip #4: Practice some slow, deep breathing, and some stretching exercises, such as Progressive Muscular Relaxation (PMR), to help you remain calm in this final week of training, and on the day of the Ironmind Tri 2016 itself also. PMR is a technique used by many top performers as part of their warm-up routine before they train or complete events. PMR involves the tensing and relaxing of various muscle groups from your head to your toes in order to trigger an overall sense of relaxation throughout your whole body. By experimenting with, and practicing, this technique during this final week, you may be able to locate one key area in your body where you ‘hold’ your tension. This might be in your shoulders or in your core/tummy area. By taking even a few seconds on the day of the event to tense and relax even this one area of your body, you may be able to relax your whole body, especially during those times when you might feel especially tense, such as travelling to, immediately before, or at some points during the event itself. Practice some PRM in bed in the final nights before the event. This may help you to stay relaxed and sleep better before the event also. As a strategy, it really is worth trying out for yourself. Check out this link for a sample PMR script. Many PRM you-tube videos are also available to view online if you do a search for the term. This body-scan video available here on A Lust for Life may also be a helpful relaxation resource for you.
I hope you again find these four little mental preparation tips somewhat useful in your final week of preparation before Ironmind Tri 2016. If you are interested in this area of Applied Sport Psychology, you might like to consider applying for our IADT Certificate in Sport Psychology (a Level 8, Special Purpose Award). Our Lust for Life founder, Niall (Bressie) completed the program two years ago, as have many top athletes and coaches in the past. A number of elite individuals are enrolled for this coming year also. Places are limited to 25, however, so do apply quickly as only a few spaces remain. Email me at olivia.hurley@iadt.ie if you have any queries about the program, or if you would like me to email you the application form.
Do ‘check-in’ again with me here on A Lust for Life next Thursday, the 7th July, for the final part in this Ironmind Tri 2016: Mental Prep series. I would like to finish today’s piece with the words of an icon, who was not an athlete, but an elite performer in another area – movie star – Audrey Hepburn. Audrey famously said: “Nothing is impossible; the word itself says I’m possible”.
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