What is it?
For most athletes, to perform at your best, you need to be physical ready. However, race day readiness is much more than the physical training that precedes an important race.
To allow your body to operate at a level of peak performance, you need your mind to work with your body. An athletically ready body can only perform when you are confident in your abilities and you are calm, focused and determined.
To get into this "zone", where you are able to think about absolutely nothing other than what is absolutely necessary to succeed, your body can deliver the desired results.
For many athletes, it's likely that before and on race day, you let your mind get in the way of your performance. That is, your mind works against your body, instead of with your body.
Stress, loss of focus, self-doubt, competition, inability to stay present, worrying about the uncontrollables and fear of not meeting your expectations are all race day demons that can destroy a potentially great performance by your body.
To help you achieve a peak performance by your body, here are some factors that can help you perform at your best:
- Specific, realistic and measurable goals
- Intense and strong motivation to succeed
- Self-confidence and positive attitude
- Experience
- Sport knowledge
- Routine - nutrition, warm-up, music, etc.
- Imagery, visualization, meditation
- Mantras, courage and positive self talk
- Anxiety management and calming/relaxation exercises
- The mind stays in the present moment
To get the most out of your body on race day, you can't just hope that your race will go well. It is important to not isolate the body from the mind as it relates to achieving peak performance. Race day readiness is not simply based on your physical preparation but also your mental and emotional game before and on race day.
Because only on race day do you feel immense pressure to perform, it is important to consider the following sentence as it relates to peak performance.
When you are physically ready and mentally ready, you are ready to compete at your best.
Because only on race day do you feel immense pressure to perform, it is important to consider the following sentence as it relates to peak performance.
When you are physically ready and mentally ready, you are ready to compete at your best.