Sports Psych: Using Imitation Techniques to go FAST

Imitation in the highest form of flattery…Abraham Lincoln or Eleanor Roosevelt said that once right? Or maybe it was Einstein…Darwin? Whoever first uttered that phrase didn’t know how much older siblings would loathe hearing that from well-meaning parents justifying the annoying habits of their youngest children.

Older sisters are the backbone of this society, I’ll put that on my tombstone.

Imitation in this context simply means, if you want to be like a faster runner or teammate, envision yourself as them and then do what they do (or would do).

This is not to be confused with running the right amount for your body, nor being satisfied with the runner you are. Imitation is not to be broadened to a philosophical context, but used in the moment or in the days or hours leading up to workouts or challenging runs. It does not mean a runner who has never done speed work before but wants to be like Kellyn Taylor decides that tomorrow she’ll do 20x1k at 5:40 pace. It does mean that the runner can imitate what they think Kellyn would do mentally to prepare for a daunting task.

In my experience, I run with a few women from my team everyday. To me, they are tough as nails and never would bail on a workout they were scared of (this may or may not be true, but this trick works). When I am feeling less than speedy, tired or simply resistant to getting out and running fast, I repeat the phrase in my mind: What would Chelsea do? or What would Bailey do?

They would should up, and run what they had that day even if it wasn’t perfect.

In my mind, I’ve seen these women do incredible things, and how did they do it? Showing up and putting in the work, even if it’s hard or uncomfortable. In the moments before I head out the door, I try to take on the mindset I believe they have to get myself started. It isn’t going to make you faster today or change the person you are, but it can get you out the door and get you to try hard.

I would advise picking a runner who is just a little bit faster than you at first. Someone you could be with training and consistency. Just like it’s good to set SMART progress goals, the runners you imitate should be within your reach or have skills that you can actually master. When it’s really cold, I imitate my friend stoner Dan who told me, when I asked how he can stand outside without a coat and smoke in -10 degrees, “It’s just cold and I’ll be warm eventually. No big deal.”

It’s those efforts, built up over a long time, that make you faster, more confident and build more consistency. This pattern is an example of a positive feedback loop. One action snowballs into another and another and another. Before you know it, you are the runner you wanted to be.

Then dream even (high)er.