Here are some mental tricks to get your mind off the pains of a race:
Fantasize
Pretend you’re in the Olympics, or any big event, and you’re about to win–but only if you can hold off the guy behind you. He inches closer. The crowd gasps. You push and gain a few seconds. You push again. And hold it, until the race is finished and the medal is yours.
Use your surroundings
Pick an object–a tree, a stop sign–and focus on running to it. When you get there, pick a new object. In a race, concentrate on staying, say, about five feet behind the runner in front of you. Or if you want to pick up your pace, choose the guy in the blue shorts and pass him, then the woman in the bright red top and pass her, and so on.
Plan ahead
Distract yourself by utilizing the time for some productive thinking: Mull over an issue at work, mentally write your grocery list, compose a letter, or plan dinner.
Listen to music
Everyone has a song or two that never fails to inspire them. Mine is Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” (I know, cheesy but it works).
Talk to yourself
Use a mantra to rally your strength. It might be a word or a phrase like “push,” or “you can do this.” Or a sound, like “oomph.”
