Your brain plays a major role in running performance, especially when it comes to pacing, staying in control, and handling emotions. Mental training for runners is now a core part of how champions prepare, alongside run training and physical conditioning. It is for everyone, including amateur runners, and the benefits can be huge.
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Mental training for running to prepare for a race
Racing can be stressful, and the pressure can throw you off. Breathing exercises on race day can help you calm down, but mental preparation helps you optimize your performance when it matters most.
Visualization is an exercise where you picture yourself living your race and achieving your goal. This visualization is often preceded by a body scan, a moment where you learn to feel relaxation spreading through your body.
During this exercise, relaxation combined with positive thoughts helps you get into the right headspace for your race.
You do not necessarily visualize one exact strategy, because on race day there are always surprises. Instead, you build a positive mindset and strong mental focus.
A visualization session is available in the RunMotion Coach app in Premium mode. They were created by Annette Sergent, a world cross-country champion and certified sophrologist. I did a visualization session with Annette two days before becoming French champion in the 3000m in 2016!
Visualization to come back faster after an injury
When you are injured, your fitness drops quickly. After 2 weeks off, getting back into training is often tough, and it is even harder if your injury forces you to stop for a month or more.
It has been shown that visualizing a workout, even if you do not do it physically, slows down detraining. It is a great reminder of how powerful mental performance training can be. In a way, it is as if you had really trained. These visualization or sophrology sessions can be done weekly while you are injured.
Get to know yourself and feel better
After a hard evening workout or after a race, falling asleep can be difficult. Meditation, and especially heart coherence breathing, can help you fall asleep and get more restorative sleep. Breathing plays a key role in this relaxation.
Sometimes during a training plan, you can feel your motivation dip. It helps to reconnect with what drives you, and why you started this endurance challenge in the first place. Some runners are more intrinsically motivated, others more extrinsically motivated. You can also take our quiz to discover your motivation profile.
Mental training for running can make a real difference in reaching your goals. Running is more than just running. You can find all these tools in the RunMotion Coach app, in Premium mode. Have a great build-up for your next endurance challenge!