Can You Visualise The Picture?

You have a goal, you have a clear definition of what success is to you but can you see it? Can you paint the picture of your definition of success?

Visualisation is a powerful tool and there is plenty of research to support its effectiveness and impact. I also have personal experience of using visualisation when trying to achieve a goal and the most vivid use of visualisation was training for Ironman Barcelona 2017. (I know this is the second article to talk about Ironman, I promise next week's edition wont mention it!)

I dedicated 9 months of training for Ironman Barcelona and part of that training was visualising the day and finish line. I had previously completed the Barcelona Ironman 70.3 event so I had a mental map of the town, the set up and what the race looked like. I took all the information I had and painted a series of pictures.

When swimming up and down in the pool, length after length I would imagine myself in the sea, lifting my head to breathe and looking back at beach or out to the wide expanse of the Mediterranean. Picturing the sea, the beach, the swim buoys I would turn round gave me an extra motivation to keep going. It gave me a reason to get back into the pool and do the work. The vision gave me another dimension, this wasn't just about training my body, it was about training and exciting my mind.

When cycling from Dublin 15 to Mullingar and back I would see the bike course in my mind. I would check off the towns I would be going through on the Spanish Coast as I made my way through the Irish countryside. And when I set up my road bike on an indoor trainer to cycle for 5 hours I would see picture the roads I would cycle on, feel the sun-shining down and the breeze from the sea.

The most powerful, striking and real visualisation I created was the finish line. The finishing chute and finish line for Ironman Barcelona is on the beach in seaside the town of Callela. In the days leading up the event the grandstand and gantry grow out from the sand and the iconic black and red Ironman Carpet is rolled out in between the advertising boards leading athletes to the finish line.

I knew I would finish at night so this immediately set the scene. The darkness of night covering this small town on the Spanish coast being punctured by the bright spot lights that highlighted the most important 100m of my life at that point in time. I could see myself taking the final corner and coming out the darkness into the light. I could picture the finishing chute, I could hear music and I could feel my heart beat. I could feel the hairs on my neck stand up as I made my way down the carpet. I could hear the race announcer call my name.

I played this mental tape of my future on a loop. Over and over as I ran the countless miles around my house in Dublin 15. Every time I wanted to stop I played the mental tape. Every time I thought I couldn't do it, I played the mental tape. Every time I doubted myself, I played the mental tape.

I played the mental tape of me finishing the Ironman so many times when it came to the day of the event I was completely relaxed, because I felt like I had already completed the race. In my head I was already an Ironman, this was merely the confirmation of that fact.

Did everything on the day reflect the visions I had created?

No, the day brought it own challenges and realities that I could not have foreseen. The bike course was not exactly as I saw it in my mind, but how would I be able to predict 112 miles of road? The fact the reality was a bit different from my vision was fine because this was no longer imagination, I was there doing it!

Did visualisation alone get me in the position to take part in an Ironman?

Hell No!!! I had to put in the work too! I had to train 5/6 days a week for 9 months, I had to eat the right foods, drink enough water and take care of my body. However visualisation was an extra element that I could use to my advantage and it did not take away from anything else.

So did visualisation work?

Yes!!! I was confident I had the fitness to complete the race but my mind was also fully prepared, because I completed the race in my head countless times. The mental preparation gave me focus in training, something to work for and move forward to. The mental preparation also gave me confident to adapt when things didn't go as expected.

You might think visualisation is just another fluffy thing that is for other people and that it is only relevant in a sporting context. However before you dismiss it I urge you to try it.

Commit to it, paint the picture in your head, make the colours bright and vivid, turn up the volume, smell it and even taste it. The intensity of your vision will invigorate you and give you an anchor to latch onto during times of struggle and doubt.