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The way you prepare on race day affects the way you’ll compete—and while you may prioritize physical warm-ups, there’s a good chance you neglect your mental preparation.
Imagine this: you wake up hours before sunrise on race morning to ensure you have all your gear, get to the starting line area, and warm up your body. You’ve dialed in your nutrition, so you know exactly when and what to eat. You know when to get in line for the port-a-potties, and how to get your muscles loose. Your physical warm-ups are intentional and well-rehearsed. But, what about your mental preparation? Do you prime your mind as well as your body? Or do you leave your mental game to chance?
When you think about race prep, it’s critical to consider both physical and mental elements. If you want to race at the top of your game, you need to prepare your body and your mind with a pre-performance routine.
What is a pre-performance routine?
A pre-performance routine (PPR) is a sequence of thoughts and actions that help you prepare to race. It includes both cognitive and physical elements designed to help you perform better.
Unlike a ritual, a PPR does not include superstitious behavior that you think you “must” do to perform well. For example, if you believe you must put on your tie your shoes a certain way to have a good race—or you must wear the same socks—then you’re engaging in compulsive behavior rather than helpful preparation. The elements of your PPR should be directly relevant to the skills you’re about to execute.
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The benefit of a solid PPR for performance
Instead of only focusing on the physical and nutritional elements of a PPR, warm up your mind as well. Here’s how a well-designed PPR can benefit your performance:
Improves focus
When you give your mind something to focus on, you prevent it from running wild. PPRs enhance concentration by minimizing both internal (thoughts and emotions) and external (other people’s commentary, noise at the venue, etc.) distractions.
Increases self-efficacy
PPRs help you maintain a sense of control, which is helpful when so much is beyond your control. By controlling the controllables, you can execute your race plan with confidence.
Regulates emotions
You must be in control of your emotions before you can control your performance. In one study, swimmers performed a learned PPR before racing and reported significant benefits to their emotional state.
What should I include in a pre-performance routine?
In addition to a physical warm-up and taking your nutrition, you should also include elements in your PPR that specifically prime the mind. Here are some options for you to experiment with.
Listen to music
We’ve all experienced the power of good music while working out, especially when we can sync our stride to the beat. Even if you don’t listen to music on the race course, you can take advantage of the science underlying music’s effectiveness by listening to music during your PPR. The type of music you listen to doesn’t really matter, as long as you like it. In one study, runners who listened to preferred music during warm-ups ran 8 percent farther and 8 percent faster compared to when they didn’t listen to music.
If you want to experiment with a specific sound, try listening to binaural beats. There’s some evidence to suggest that listening to binaural beats in the beta range (16 and 24 Hz) before performing can improve focus and boost mood.
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Take a breath
It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of race morning, but carving out time to check in with yourself and breathe with intention is an effective way to calm your nervous system. Find a quiet spot, away from others, to sit or stand for 2-5 minutes. Close your eyes, take a couple deep breaths and ask yourself, “how am I feeling?” If you’re overly anxious (e.g. racing heart and thoughts), practice 4-7-8 breathing to chill out (inhale for the count of 4, hold for 7, exhale for 8). If, however, you feel lethargic and need a jolt of energy, double inhale (one short inhale, followed by a long inhale) and then exhale quickly to psych yourself up. Repeat either breathing practice a few times to find your physiological sweet spot.
Practice mental rehearsal
Mental rehearsal is the creation and re-creation of images in your mind. When you mentally rehearse your race, you activate similar neural networks to when you actually run the race, just to a lesser extent. To practice this, relax your body with a minute or two of deep breathing, then, in your mind’s eye, move through your race plan. Make it detailed, incorporate all your senses, and feel the emotions you want to elicit (e.g. confidence, joy, power, focus).
NOTE: Your pre-race routine is not an ideal time to anticipate what might go wrong. Practice that—and how you’ll handle the setbacks—during training.
Talk to yourself
Pay attention to the words you’re saying to yourself in the hours and minutes leading up to the race. Instead of allowing your mind to take over with unhelpful chatter, try programming the thoughts you wish to have. As many scientific studies have demonstrated, this will help you perform better. Use mantras, affirmations, or cue words to help the brain focus. For example, while setting up your transition, mentally narrate what you’re doing (e.g. “body glide goes here, running shoes are ready, hat is here, etc.) This will help you stay present—and avoid forgetting something. You can also use motivational language to pump yourself up: “You’ve worked hard for this and you’re ready”, “it’s game time”, or “one step at a time”.
Use a focal point
Focal points are external objects athletes look at to narrow their focus, calm their nervous system, and boost their confidence before or during competition. Try to choose an object that you can see throughout the race; a watch works well for this reason. When you look at the object, take a deep breath and affirm “I’m ready” or “let’s go.” This is a quick and easy way to bring your mind into the present moment and elevate your self-confidence.
The value of a pre-race routine
Pre-performance routines (PPRs) are intentional physical and mental actions that prepare you to compete. They can improve your focus, increase your belief in your ability to perform well, and help you dial in your optimal intensity level.
By incorporating some of the elements discussed above (listening to music, breathing, mentally rehearsing, talking to yourself, and using a focal point), you can be confident in knowing you have a science-backed routine.
Remember to keep your routine relatively flexible. You should be able to modify it, when necessary (e.g. when the swim is canceled), without it negatively affecting your performance.
Lastly, experiment with your PPR during training because as the adage goes: nothing new on race day. Get curious about your PPR and discover what works for you.