You Can NEVER Do This Before An Important Competition

You Can NEVER Do This Before An Important Competition

I was at an expo for my second ever marathon. I tried to get in and out of these expos very fast and off of my legs. However, I came across (and bought) these super lightweight sunglasses. They were sweet! The glasses that I had been training with were heavier, so I decided to run with these new ones during the marathon tomorrow.

I mean how different could sunglasses actually be?

Well about two miles into the 26.2-mile race, my brand new super awesome, lightweight sunglasses began to fog up. I tried everything I could, but they were completely useless most of the day. I had to put them on top of my head, but hey I did get to put them back on for the finishing pictures, so at least the cool factor was there (like that matters).

It’s sad to see too many athletes at all levels simply not have a solid, bulletproof routine, which unfortunately allows more variables (like mood) to affect their performance before an important competition. 

Professional actors have dress rehearsals for all-important competitions, so practice your routine. Advising that you don’t change anything on race day requires that we train how we are going to perform. We perform like we train!

A pre-performance routine means that you have set up the actions that you like to do before your performance. But, the physical actions are the easy part! There is no one size fits all for pre-performance routines. 

The perfect routine is one that gets you mentally prepared and physically dialed-in for your performance. Staying calm and relaxed before any important competition is the goal. 

“The goal is to be physically loose and mentally tight”- Arthur Ashe

Dr. Rob Bell is a Sport Psychology Coach. His company DRB & associates is based in Indianapolis.  Some clients have included: University of Notre Dame, Marriott, and Walgreens. Check out all the books on Mental Toughness