Endurance training is a test that pushes your mind and body to the limit. Whether you’re just starting your training or striving for a personal best in an upcoming Ironman, one of the most powerful predictors of performance is your self-talk. How you speak to yourself matters. The internal conversations that you have with yourself can make or break your training journey and race day results.
What Is Self-Talk?
Self-talk refers to the internal dialogue that runs through your mind as you train, race, and recover. It is a form of intrapersonal communication that impacts your emotions, decisions, behavior, and motivation. Self-talk often surfaces within triathletes during training and races, or directly after an event. Self-talk can enhance concentration, assist with breaking bad habits, sustain motivation, and increase effort. It’s the voice that tells you to keep going when your legs are burning or the one that whispers doubts and excuses when the pain creeps in. For triathletes, mastering self-talk is a critical part of mental training.
Types of Self-Talk
There are three (3) main types of self-talk. The first two are commonly known, and likely all too familiar. The third type is often overlooked, but especially crucial for endurance sports.
Negative self-talk is notoriously self-critical, destructive, and ultimately counterproductive. Negative self-talk amplifies doubts and acts as an echo-chamber for critical thoughts such as, “I’m too slow,” “I can’t finish,” or “I’m not made for this.” Negative self-talk often cultivates anxiety, promotes self-doubt, and can erode confidence.
Positive or Motivational self-talk is optimistic and encouraging but tends to be general and vague. It maintains a positive attitude and is typically directed towards increasing one’s effort. Examples of positive and motivational self-talk for triathletes might include “I can do this,” “I am strong,” or “One more mile!”
Instructional self-talk directs your mind toward specific and strategic task-oriented aspects of performance. In other words, instructional self-talk provides either technical or tactical feedback on a specific skill. If you’re trying to think of an example of instructional self-talk, think back to things you’ve heard your coaches yell at you during training. Instructional self-talk might include messages like, “Reach on your stroke”, “Extend your stride,” or “Drive your arms”. With instructional self-talk your mind narrates a specific action for your body, rather than focusing on the binary trap of whether you can or can’t continue pushing.
Quick Tips to Improve Your Self-Talk
- Keep the phrases short and specific
- Speak to yourself in the first person and present tense
- Repeat your phrases often before, during and after
- State your phrases with intention
- Pre-determine instructional phrases for specific legs of your race
- Choose a mantra that reminds you WHY you want to race
- Commit over-writing your negative self-talk with positive or instructional self-talk in training
- Celebrate progress and success along the way
Conclusion
Self-talk is a hidden training partner for every triathlete. By cultivating positive and instructional inner dialogue, you can reach a new level of optimal performance, resilience, and enjoyment in your training and races. Never forget that how you speak to yourself matters. Personally, I love Brené Brown’s mantra, “Talk to yourself like you would to someone you love.”
References
Lodato, Vincent A. (2022). Self-Talk [PowerPoint Slides]. Canvas, University of Western States.
Raalte, J., Vincent, A., Brewer, B. (2015). Self-talk: Review and sport-specific model. Psychology of Sport and Exercise. https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1469029215000874
Wallace, McKinlay, Coletta, Vlaar, Taber, Wilson & Cheung (2017). Effects of motivational self-talk on endurance and cognitive performance in the heat. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 49(1),191-199.
Weinberg, Robert & Gould, Daniel (2019). Foundations of Sport and Exercise Psychology (7th ed.). Human Kinetics.
Dr. Brooke Rundle
LPC, CMPC and founder of Headstrong Mindset
Dr. Brooke Rundle is a former collegiate and professional athlete, a Licensed Professional Counselor and a Certified Mental Performance Consultant through the Association for Applied Sport Psychology. Dr. Rundle brings two decades of collegiate and international sports experience, along with dual degrees in Sport Psychology and Clinical Mental Health Counseling. She supports clients in navigating the mental challenges that are wholly unique to high-performing athletes with a genuine sense of empathy and relatability. Visit Dr. Rundle’s website here to learn more about a customized individual mental training program for your next event or schedule a free 15-minute consultation with her to discuss your mental training needs.