Competition & Performance: the mental & emotional aspects of triumph

(Lining up at the start...I was so excited for my number plate!)

Competitions in any sport give us something to set a goal for, to work for, to feel a purpose for. They help us stay motivated on days we don't feel like training and they can move us into the next level of our sport.

Yesterday I participated in a mountain bike race after almost 4 years of no mountain bike racing due to an injury.  I have never been an outstanding rider... but I could typically hold my own in the middle somewhere. Races were fun for me (well, the fun usually came after the race was over and a sense of accomplishment would wash over me) and they were a goal that kept me engaged in my training.

(On the very hot bus headed to the start line)

As I get older, I realize more and more that a competition is almost all about competing against my own mind and what it is telling my body it can and cannot do. I have found the more time and energy I spend working on my mental and emotional game plan (replacing some of my physical training time) the better I become in all different aspects of competition and life.

(A few of the riders waiting for the start signal)

Here are some of the things I use to mentally/emotionally train:

1. Mindfulness/prayer every morning. 

I spend 20 minutes every single morning, before my day starts, in mindfulness/deep breathing/prayer.  I am distracted easily so I used a guided mindfulness activity that takes me through the breathing and reminds me to focus on my breath (I need lots of reminding). I also spend time in prayer. Neither of these are focused on the race itself but instead prep me for a more joy-filled, peaceful day which does translate into more energy and stronger training workouts as well as a better ability to listen to my body and rest when I need it (something I've never been good at).

2. Visualization.

This one is huge.  I spend 5-10 minutes every day starting about a week before a competition, visualizing the day.  I start imagining getting to the venue and getting ready and how I will feel.  I literally practice keeping my emotions (nervousness) at bay and practice feeling calm and peaceful before the race begins. I then visualize myself on different parts of the trail and at different times throughout the race, focusing on feeing energetic and strong.

3. Mantras.

I came up with 2 mantras to use during the race that I knew would work for me.  One was simply, "I am strong".  The other was, "Life is beautiful".  I used these over and over the moment my head started to tell me I had to quit because "your quads are on fire" or when my head told me, "it's way too hot out here, you need to stop".  The very moment negative, self-defeating thoughts were in my mind, I repeated my positive mantras over and over. It works.

Actually, these all work.  They work for athletic competitions and they work for everyday life. Try them out. See the possibilities that you never thought could happen happen in your sport, your work, your life.