Affirming my greatness

There’s a book I’ve frequented on an infrequent basis. As a general rule, I pull it out around race time and chip away at a topic or two. The concepts are great but the text lacks in delivery of the process. Fortunately, my prior life provides me with some tools to bring these concepts into application.

I read the chapter on affirmations on BSIM marathon weekend and, after taking in the expo, sat alone on the beach to do a little pre-race work. Using creative visualization, I imagined the start of the race. I let the pre-race excitement course through me for a bit. I then began my journey through the redwoods – enjoying the feel of the relaxed pace I’d planned for this portion of the race. Next, I let memory provide the rhythmic sound of the taiko drummers. I saw Hurricane Point approaching and felt myself taking hold of my inner strength to fuel the climb ahead.

It went on like that for quite some time as time was something I had plenty of. All the while, the sounds of the ocean waves crashing on the shore coupled with squawks from the gulls and sea otters helped to make it real. After finishing the exercise, I took a few more minutes to write down a few thoughts and then left it.

The plan was put into action on race day but it wasn’t put to the test until I hit the wall. This was when I needed to affirm my greatness to none other than myself. That’s not always an easy thing to do. We are our greatest critics after all.

Hill after hill came and time after time I was challenged to dig deep and find my strength. I thought back to Santa Barbara, where Jeff told me to say “I eat hills for breakfast.” Then my thoughts went to Hurricane Point. I found a connection and made it work. “I eat hills for breakfast,” I said to myself… “In fact, just this morning, I ate Hurricane Point for breakfast.” I said it over and over until I truly was eating hills — not only for breakfast but for lunch too.

And I made sure that I wasn’t also eating them for dinner.