To provide some context, Whisper Running LLC was formed in October 2015 after working with a few middle school runners as a side hobby. I’d previously coached at the college level for 13-years, so this was the first time working with an athlete at the middle school age level. I have a bachelors in Exercise Science and a masters in Sport Psychology, which are two degrees that provide balance when creating training programs. In the field of Sport Psychology, we use Psychology Skills Training, which is the use of various behavior changing tools like goal setting, visualization, imagery, self-talk assessment/modification, self-confidence enhancement, concentration, anxiety management, and goal setting, to name a few. These tools are enveloped into a package called Psychological Skill Training (PST), which is used all the time in my world of working with youth runners.
What became common practice among many of the meet participants, Addy takes her turn signing the Welcome banner.
Implementing PST to youth runners isn’t exactly the target audience one can nerd-up the content or delivery, but rather, you have to be pretty adaptable with the audience you’re serving. For example, when we work on promoting better concentration, rather than discussing a classroom curriculum like, Internal versus External Focus and Narrow versus Broad Focus, we play games to harness their attention to a specific tasks, like blind-folded Jenga or practicing Concentration Grid exercises. What’s important is we aren’t performing anything, but rather, we are practicing these things. Presentation matters, i.e., performing versus practicing. My kids perform enough, so instead, we merely practice a lot of things, with the ultimate goal that these skills will be put into play when they need it – in a performance.
Phil Jackson, in his book titled “Sacred Hoops,” says that his team would practice meditation so that his players “can experience stillness of the mind in a low-pressure setting off the court.” When I work with my team on meditation, we do so in a classroom setting, away from outside distractions. My ultimate goal when performing mediation is visualization. Ultimately, if I can get my runners to control their breathing, then next is getting them to see with the minds eye, and if they can do that, then we bring in things of familiarity, like seeing their bedroom, a vehicle, a video game, etc. Then we begin to include different variables and senses, like color, sound, smell, taste, and others. As we practice visualization in these low-pressure settings away from the practice field (i.e,, in the classroom), in time, I begin to integrate visualization into actual running practice on the field we train on. For example, we have a wide-open field that includes a 1K loop that we run regularly. We run the loop as a warm-up, dropping cones every 200m. Before and during the workout, if there is anything I need to address, such as providing a runner with varying cues to consider in their next interval, I’ll point to a cone or zone and provide them with a suggestion on how to improve that specific area of their work, which usually means holding onto the emotional pain threshold a little while longer until they realize they don’t have far to the finish. This sort of course review, pointing things out, giving them cues and suggestions, etc., is a way to get them to internalize (Visualize) in a low-pressure setting (when I am talking with them, not to them), about their performance.
Fast forward to our national meet in Paris, Kentucky, on Saturday and Sunday, December 12-13. I am always one for spontaneity, and when I was warming up with the first athlete on the first day of competition, I figured I would try something new that I hadn’t done before – two doses of pre-meet visualization. With seven races on the slate, I figured Megan would be a good person to start with. First, we reviewed the course map of the 3K course, which resembled a three-leave clover. Then, we jogged most of the 3k course, and what we couldn’t jog, I pointed to and discussed strategies she could be mindful of throughout her race. After jogging the course, we stopped to perform about 15-minutes of drills. Mind you, Megan is 10, so the whole process is geared toward keeping things rather light, psychologically speaking, since she isn’t a die-hard runner. So, when the time was right, I stood with her, we closed our eyes, and I walked her through the course.
“When the gun sounds, head straight for yellow pole on the right. Its roughly 200m away, a straight line, and a steady downhill. You’ll get out fast, but it’ll be the perfect pace to place you into a great position within the field. At 300m, you’ll hang a hard-right U-turn and begin running on rolling hills and twists and turns, eventually circling back to the left. As you close out the first loop on a steady uphill, remain strong and keeping your foot strike sharp. At the top of the hill, you’ll turn right and head out for another 1K loop that includes a steady downhill, followed by an uphill. Let the feet fly on the downhill, and work diligently on the uphill. It should feel uncomfortable, but you’re ready for this. On the backside of the 2K loop, you’ll reach your midway point, then head back toward the starting area on flat ground. Feel tall, relaxed, and practice good form. The last 3k isa steady downhill for 500m, followed by an uphill 400m grind that you are ready for. Stay strong, drive the knees and hammer the nails (drive the arms) all the way through the finish.”
This session lasted about a minute, and when we were done, she ran to the team tent, changed into her racing shoes, took sip of water, and away we went, closer to the starting area. Rather than rushing her into the starting corral, we continued jogging around until about 5 minutes prior to the start. It’s running, rather simple, and there’s no need to stand on the starting line in the chilly weather, when we could be conversing and jogging together withing earshot of the starting line. In short, we had time, so I asked her to rehearse the course, just as I had done with her moments ago. We closed our eyes...
“Well, I want to get out hard on the downhill which is about 300m. I’ll go right, it’s a winding course. I’ll go out again on another loop that goes downhill, then uphill, then I’m halfway through the race. I’ll head back, do another loop, then hammer nails to the finish.”
This sort of visualization was performed with all of my runners. We would review the course map prior to the warm-up. Then we’d jog the course, perform drills, when the time was right, I would lead the first visualization session, then somewhere in the last 15-minutes of the warm-up, they would lead me through the visualization. This allows their voice to be heard (increasing their sense of control), encourages them to think about the course, and rehearse their strategies with me (and their teammates).
For this blog post, I thought it would be fun and insightful to ask the kids whether the two doses of prerace visualization helped their race. Here are some of their responses:
Pre-race chatter between Joe, Lorenzo, Nicholas, and Coach Dave at the National meet in Paris, Kentucky.
“I am responding to your email about the visualization methods. I think the guided meditation helped my performance better than the visualization I provided because I find when someone who has experience with running visualizes a course, I can better see it through their eyes compared to mine. I feel that the visualization not only made with think about my race before the gun went off but helped me when the race got hard. This visualization not only got me thinking about the every move of my race but allowed me to experience the joy it produced when I made a 38 second PR in the end. Furthermore, I feel the visualization you provided created a boost of joy in the end but instilled a focus that contributed to that joy.” - Addison
“Out of the two visualization methods I liked the one where you talked me through it more than when I went through it. I think that the visualization helped me think more about the course instead of just running it to get to the finish. It helped me think more about how I’m going to run the hills and where the best places are to pass someone. It definitely helped me focus on the course more than the people around me. It made me a little less anxious, because I had something to keep my mind busy with before the race. Before that race I had never really thought much about visualization, it didn’t really work that well for me, but in this race, it definitely made a difference.” Charlie
“I definitely thought that both forms of visualization played a big role in my race. In the weeks leading up to the race, I felt really unprepared. I knew what pace I wanted, but didn’t know if I’d be able to hold it. Even when we got to Lexington, I felt unprepared. The night before the race I got about 4 hours of sleep because of the loud highway, but I woke up having a dream where I dropped out of the race. The start seemed very ominous, but warming up, it felt a little less stressful. But after the visualization, I seemed to forget about everything, and realize that all I had to do was what I’d been doing for the past four years. My personal favorite was the first one, because with someone else talking me through it, it made it seem that I wasn’t alone, and helped me bridge the gap between my own thoughts and how others wanted me to do.” Joe
The visualization helped me get through this race. I had a lot of anxiety coming into this race facing injury and very little mileage in my legs, as well as not competing in almost a year. Visualization allowed me to think about the race in a way I could study the course and at the same time take a moment to breathe and conserve my energy. It also allowed me to take a moment and remember who I was as an athlete. Despite not having the race I wanted, Visualization helped me finish a strong 18:35 - Lorenzo
We took 11 runners to the National meet and all of them preferred to be led through the visualization process. Interestingly, In the research I have read, for what we were about to encounter – a race at the national level – it is the first-person (athlete-led) visualization that I had always thought to be most effective. Regardless, both forms are effective, so long as they are practiced regularly.
After a thorough warm-up and some visualization, Kaydie and Coach Dave head to the start.
In the end, all 11 runners performed a double dose of visualization on this day. Of the 11, nine had a personal record performance (lifetime personal best), doing so on the national stage. Though you can’t take away the significance of physical training, there is no doubt that the visualization process, having both guided imagery and the mental rehearsal in the first-person, played a role in their performances.
I should mention that in order to be successfully spontaneous with PST tools, in this case, visualization, the coach and athletes should already be familiar with the practice and use of such tools. Trying new visualization methods, goal setting styles, anxiety management strategies, etc., takes some risk on the coach’s part (there’s always a risk when trying something new). But remember, these tools do work, and it’s important to come back to them, practice them, rehearse them with the team, and be playful in how you integrate them into your team practice, and even meets.
My team may never know why or how their performance anxiety went away, or how their concentration and focus improved, but they’ll always remember the PST games we play – eyes-closed Jenga, standing in a dark gymnasium performing visualization, Concentration Grids, and practicing eyes-closed lunges as a cool-down. Integrating PST in a playful manner enables the runners to , “experience stillness of the mind in a low-pressure setting” away from the track, surrounded by friends, in the solitude of a coach believing in their abilities.