I ran up a hill with my mind

Yesterday I achieved my goal of 10 hill repeats.  My hill is 500m long and I use a walking and jogging recovery. I am so damn proud of myself!

In the process I employed a number of mental techniques that I have heard about on a Running To The Top podcast. Firstly,  instead of counting up my reps I counted down from 10 to 1. 1 is a much less daunting number than 10.

Secondly as I ran the last 3 reps, I focused on a different muscle to get me up the hill ; 1 for the glutes , 1 for the quads and 1 for the arms.

But most importantly I used visualisation. On the first few reps I envisaged what the 10th would be like and how finishing would feel like and how I would celebrate. Then I pretended I was running with others who, one by one, were unable to keep going but waited for me at my turning point, cheering me on as I completed each rep. Some of you were there 😀 cos you are always so supportive.

Sounds a bit mad when I write it down but it absolutely worked. And yes, I raised my arms in celebration and had a huge grin. The drivers coming over the hill towards me must have thought I was quite crazy.