Who else is running a Spartan Race or Tough Mudder in the near future? ME! I am a huge fan of these mud races. I find that they give my everyday training some purpose and provide a great measure of my fitness by comparing my results year-to-year.
Floating plays a huge role in my training. Here’s why:
1. Release muscle tension.
It feels like I worked out ‘like a beast’, especially for the past month or so, therefore I definitely had the potential for a lot of muscle tension and soreness on a daily basis. Floating definitely helped me recover at a much faster rate . My muscles can’t help but relax the instant that I slip into the float, but equally as important was my increased body awareness – floating helped me to recognize where my muscles were tight, so that I could focus on releasing them during the float, or do extra stretching after my float. I also really liked to imagine the tight muscles releasing, and increased circulation flowing to the hot spot, helping to speed up my recovery. Many days, after training, I was certain that I wouldn’t be able to move my arms in the morning, but I was surprisingly limber and pain-free. Thank you Float Tank!!
2. Visualization.
I tend to process my world very visually, so I use visualization as a tool a lot. In this case, I spent my tank time visualizing success. I visualized completing all of the obstacles with ease. I visualized doing burpees with ease. (For anyone who has not done a Spartan race – if you fail to complete an obstacle, you must do 30 burpees in order to continue on the course. I actually own the shirt in the photo, so you can get an idea of how much I love burpees 😆). There are many studies that highlight the importance of visualization in athletic performance. Athletes who visualize success in their event perform better than athletes who do not visualize their desired performance.
3. Motivation.
Training for any event requires a time commitment, and extra discipline to ensure that you complete all the necessary training. I suspect that many people will agree with me when I say that it can be difficult to get out of bed early, morning after morning, to train your butt off. It would be so much easier to just hit the snooze button, right? Floating helped me gain deep rest and recovery on a regular basis. Physically, I was rested. Emotionally, I was both rested and energized. These two factors combined helped me maintain my level of motivation, discipline and commitment throughout the training process. I found that I floated away my excuses not to train, and had a pretty easy time to just get after it every day.
Want to learn more about the benefits of floating? Learn more HERE
Good luck to all my fellow Spartans and Tough Mudders out there!!!! Book your float now to ensure your best race ever.