Final Mental Preparations for the Marathon

Moment for Saturday 1/10/09

Things to do before the marathon:

1—read an inspirational book/watch a movie

Lance Armstrong—It’s Not about the Bike

John Maxwell---Failing Forward

Jeff Galloway---Marathon

Zoe Koplowitz—Winning Spirit

George Sheehan—Running and Being

Pre About Steve Prefontaine

Beck Weathers/Werner Berger Mountain Climbers—Everest

Spirit of the Marathon movie

2—Honor yourself for your marathon training efforts. George Sheehan said: “I have met my hero and he is me.” Be your own hero.

3—Express Gratitude to your body for getting you this far. Previous speaker at pasta party—Robert Key---showed graphic of having run to El Paso and back to show that “you can do this” because you’ve done it already many times over.

4—Walk around this week with a swagger as if you’ve already run the marathon.

5—Build self-belief by making a Mental Highlight Reel. Think about times when you performed well, gave 110% effort, persisted under difficult circumstances during this training season, in your professional life or wherever. Play this highlight reel when things get hard.

6---Visualize

Drive the course; each nite when you retire spend 8 to 10 minutes as you are going to sleep imaging Sunday’s event and what you’ll be doing, etc.

7---Not too late to write down your goals.

During the Marathon:

1—Self Belief in action

Use your mental highlight reel during the run when fatigue sets in.

2—Visualize

For example, during the last 10k imagine you are rolling up a ball of string that is drawing you to the finish.

3—Use your Right Brain to distract you from critical, negative Left Brain.Your can relax/use centering technique; walk; smile

4—Focus on how far you’ve come, not on how far you have left to go.

5—Remember this from Joe Henderson:

"Turn around and look behind you at the people you can’t see: those who trained for the marathon or half but didn’t reach the starting line; those who race but not at this distance; those who run but never race; those who used to run but don’t anymore; those who never run and never will.Don’t call yourself “slow” because you are not—You are fast enough to beat everyone who isn’t there."

6---NNNNNQ

I told the story about how Winston Churchill first uttered these words.Decide now that on Sunday you will never quit. George Sheehan said: It’s very hard in the beginning to understand that the whole idea is not to beat the other runners. Eventually you learn that the competition is against the little voice inside you that wants you to quit.

Have a great race; see you Sunday. Stay thirsty my friends.