Imagine That: Manifesting Your Goals With Science

Think back to when you started wanting to run. Now think back to the very first goal that you set for yourself. Now think back to what that looks like for you. If this is a goal you achieved, did it play out the way you expected?

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If it’s a goal that you have yet to achieve, can you see yourself achieving it? How real does it feel? Are you living the achievement or watching it from afar? This week we dive into sport psychology to help you manifest the little boost you might just be missing to reach your goals.

Summary Outline:

• A World Of Pure Imagination
• The Pudding Is In The Science
• Living Your Dreams

A World Of Pure Imagination

Our mind is a powerful place, especially when it comes to sports. One of the most common phrases that you may hear when you talk about endurance sports like running is how it’s ‘mental.’ And if you have never heard that before, chances are that you have probably experienced it or if you are just getting started will experience it soon.

And while it is true that you do need to stay focused as you continue to push in the moment, there is another side of the mental game that may or may not get overlooked without knowing it – imagery.

When you were a kid you might remember playing school in the basement, GI Joe in the backyard, WWE wrestling in the living room, or any number of other imaginary games. You also probably had very few props with nothing more than your minds and the seemingly unscripted announcement of every action taking place. Nothing was there, but you could see the scene playing out in your mind making your heart race all the same.

We’re not saying that to reach your goals you need to picture wrestlers or soldiers or afterschool detention to reach your dreams, but that same concept that lets kids feel like the games they are playing are real through their imagination is the good stuff you need to call back on.

Everything you experience is processed through your brain; why not trick it into believing it’s a champion even if it has not happened – yet.

The Pudding Is In The Science

While it is one thing to say that the sky's the limit, haters will say your head is in the clouds. The verdict of science: they’re drinking too much haterade.

Researchers wanted to find out if you could improve the ability to execute sports performance in motor tasks with mental imagery practice, especially since in practicality coaches need to navigate maintenance, improvement, and new skill development while navigating a heavy schedule of competitions.

In a meta analysis published in the academic journal Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, researchers discovered that imagery works across a variety of sports including tennis, golf, track and field, darts, basketball, and soccer.

In the figure above, having the black dots on the right side of the middle line is indicative of a postivie statistically significant relationship between when imagery was applied compared to control groups who did not practice imagery. The farther to the right for the blackdot, the stronger the relationship. You can review this article for a more indepth explanation of how forest plots like the one in figure 3 work (Chang et al. 2022).

The best news that the researchers found was that more skilled and less skilled individuals all saw improvement making imagery adaptable for everyone. 

A second met-anaylsis published in the International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology reported similar findings suggesting that bias is not leading us astray here (Simonsmeier et al 2020).

To summarize the 3 most important findings from the two studies we have the following:

1. Imagery was effective to improve performance

If you use imagery you will most likely have a leg up over someone who does not use imagery regardless of the type of imagery used.

2. Practicing physically while imagining success is better than just imagining being the best

Nothing can replace doing the work completely. But there might be something to be said for saying “Kobe!” when you take your 3-point shot if you are picturing yourself as Kobe during that shot too. Think about the form you want to emulate as you stride down the track in that workout rep and you might just improve your form faster.

3. Imagery is for the long-game; not the short game
   
   Most things in running do not manifest overnight and imagery is not here to change that fact. Being consistent in applying imagery throughout the season is the most important part and more sessions are better than fewer.

Living Your Dreams

Now that we know that imagery does in fact work, how do you actually apply imagery in your training? Let’s look at the most common methods of imagery and break them down further:

Cognitive Specific (CS): This is all about picturing the specific skills you need for running. Imagine in detail how your feet hit the track, the way your arms swing, and how you breathe. It's like mentally practicing your technique, step by step, to make it perfect.

Cognitive General (CG): Think of this as your game plan. What's your strategy for the race? Are you starting slow and speeding up at the end, or are you going to take the lead right away? You visualize the race map, where you might speed up or slow down, and how you'll pass your competitors.

Motivational Specific (MS): This is about picturing your goals. See yourself crossing the finish line with a personal best time, or imagine the moment you qualify for a big race. It's like creating a highlight reel of your dream victories to motivate you.

Motivational General-Arousal (MG-A): Here, you're focusing on the feelings and excitement of running. You could imagine the nerves before the start, the adrenaline rush during the race, and the happiness of doing well. It's all about controlling these feelings to keep them at just the right level—not too anxious, not too calm.

Motivational General-Mastery (MG-M): This is where you pump yourself up with thoughts of being strong and confident. Tell yourself you're tough, you've trained hard, and you can handle whatever the race throws at you. It's like giving yourself a pep talk to build mental toughness.

How do you apply these? Start by practicing before you go on your run or before you start your larger workout. Take a few minutes to go through these images in your mind:

Start with CS and CG by visualizing the perfect race, from your form to your strategy.

Move on to MS, picturing your big goals and what you want to achieve.

Then use MG-A to get your emotions right, feeling the buzz of the race but staying cool.

Finish with MG-M, telling yourself you're ready and can conquer any challenge.

As you get more comfortable you might be able to use a mixture of these techniques during the repetitions of key workouts. As my coaches before me always said “Make a movie in your mind; now live that movie.”

By regularly using these types of imagery, you're not just physically training your body, but you're also preparing your mind, which is super powerful and can eventually develop grit – a concept we will explore in future articles.

When it comes time to race for real, you'll feel like you've run it a hundred times before, and your body will know just what to do.

At RunByRyan we want to help you turn those dreams into reality. Email us at runbyryan@gmail.com or schedule a consultation to go over how we can help build your mental game into your running game plan and watch your dreams manifest.

References 

1. Simonsmeier, B. A., Androniea, M., Buecker, S., & Frank, C. (2020). The effects of imagery interventions in sports: a meta-analysis. International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1080/1750984X.2020.1780627
   
   
2. Lindsay, R. S., Larkin, P., Kittel, A., & Spittle, M. (2021). Mental imagery training programs for developing sport-specific motor skills: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy. https://doi.org/10.1080/17408989.2021.1991297

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