How to mentally prepare for your next trail race
This worksheet will help train your brain before your next race

It’s no secret the connection between positivity and performance. Positive self-talk can result in major training gains and racing achievements. Training our minds for resiliency and confidence is just as important as training our bodies. Danielle Snyder, founder of Inner Drive Athlete, mental endurance coach and clinical social worker has created a program to ignite our positive selves in order to become exceptional athletes on and off the trail. “I have witnessed and experienced the immense power that mindset has to make or break athletic performance,” she says.
Snyder, a competitive trail and mountain ultrarunner herself, understands that the closer we get to our goals, the further away they can feel. The tools and strategies she recommends helps trail runners minimize the gap between their struggle and their goals. She helps trail runners cultivate a resilient mindset and seek solutions when times get tough. In turn, athletes experience greater successes in their running and everyday life.
The cheat sheet
The purpose of the worksheet is to help athletes learn how to channel their energy into a positive source and connect to their ‘big picture’ (in other words–to their life overall). The worksheet is an excellent way to mentally prepare for your next race.

Snyder believes that the art of mastering our mind is a work in progress and constantly evolving. Challenging our inner critic takes practice. “The brain is a muscle and we have to strengthen the muscles to be positive. The brain is also a muscle that needs to practice how to be successful.” Learn more about Danielle and Inner Drive Athlete here.
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