I hate to toot my own horn, but I'm a really good visualizer. If it was a sport, I would be the gold medal world champion. I have a really good photographic memory which makes visualizing past races very easy. I can see things even down to the smallest detail, like the color, make and model of the lead riders tires when I replay a race in my head. I think I've developed this skill over the years as an artist. I was an art major in college and we did a lot of exercises based on visualization and recalling past scenes and details.
When I read different sports psychology and athletic publications, they all talk about how visualization is an important tool for competition/race preparation and helps maintain focus. So, I try and visualize different race situations on different courses quite often to sort of keep me pumped up. I also do it to sort of develop a game plan in my head and go through all those "what if" scenarios. But, the weird sensation I get is that when I am visualizing these things I can feel myself start to get all warm and tingly, not in an erotic sort of way, but in the way where I feel like I am actually in the race. I can start to feel my heart rate pick up and my pulse in the side of my neck. I feel every sensation you would feel in a race short of sweating. When I realize this is happening, all I have to do is just take a deep breath and it brings me back to reality. I was wondering does this happen to anyone else?
I like the sensation when it happens, but I just think it's a little weird and I hope it's far more common than what I think.
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When I really think hard about racing, yeah. I get a little shot of adrenalin going through me, my heart rate picks up a little bit, etc. It's kinda cool :-)
ReplyDeleteI've had adrenalin rushes when thinking of past performances, although I have to really think about, for instance, a winning moment for half a minute for that to happen.
ReplyDeleteI can understand how someone who is REALLY visualizing scenarios can get the same sort of "rushes"...small sensations where you feel like you are in the action that you are currently visualizing.
Usually when I visualize, it is about what to focus on to block out pain and that "OMG QUIT, QUIT, QUIT, NOW, NOW, NOW, THROW IN THE TOWEL AND STOP THIS MADNESS" voice that usually screams at me the whole race
This definitely make me feel better as now I know I am not the only one.
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