1) Start each season and each race with a clear goal, and
focus on it throughout.
Too
often we say, "I'll run my best" and then we take whatever happens.
You can do so much better than that.
- Make it something you can measure (time, place in race, etc)
- Make it public (tell others about it, write it on your hand, etc.
- The goal needs to motivate you and challenge you
Don't
allow yourself to float through a season or a race. Make a goal and focus on
it!
2) Run to succeed, not to avoid failure. Two
types of motivation: positive and negative. Positive motivation challenges you
to new heights, negative motivation urges you to "do this, or
else...". The greatest performances come when using positive motivation.
Succeeding:
Thinking about what you can do
Avoiding
failure: Thinking about what others can do or what is happening to you
3) Don't play the small man. Believe
in yourself more than you believe in others. Don't
give others the edge in your mind - give it to yourself. It
can be intimidating when you "go up a level" (from JV to Varsity,
high school to college, etc). Have
all the self-confidence in the world, but zero cockiness.
