Tips for psyching out your opponents? What have you tried?

ronner wrote:

This isn't so much psyching out, but rather using mind games to an advantage. I was a really good kicker, but not so strong at hard even efforts, at least compared to a particular rival at a 5k. I let him go out in front and gap me instead of running next to him. I kept him in my sights, but every time he looked back I made myself look miserable, as if I was about to drop out. He didn't push the pace hard enough to drop me completely because he thought he had the race in the bag. As we neared the finish line he must have been a bit surprised when I flew by him for the win.

I remember doing something similar in high school. I had bronchitis during the track season my senior year and was running about 15 seconds slower for the mile. A kid I would have easily beat, outkicked me at his invitational. The following week we ran at my invite. When we started the 4th lap side by side, I started breathing really hard and fell back a little. Don't know if it affected his race but at 220 to go, I started kicking and buried him by about 3 seconds.

I really don't think there is one good answer here...

The best way is...to just be better than most or all of your opponents.

You can try some head games...tho.

Once I was tabbed to anchor the 4x1 at my D1 cos the sprint crew was so dinged up. After taping my marks...while waiting for the race...I chatted with the real sprinter from our Rival school...it was That dual meet...and I started talking like I didn't know why they put little ole middle distance runner me in this race, I didn't even know how to do the baton thing until 20 minutes ago...

Meanwhile, I knew I was an excellent sprinter with a running start (sucked from the blocks). We handled the exchanges perfectly...and I dusted the guy...who looked shocked as hell at the finish line. In fact, our baton exchange was flawless, so flawless that as soon as I felt the baton slap on my palm...I knew I wasn't going to be caught...almost started laughing...

Another time I waved a guy around to take the lead in an 800...because he was huffing and puffing down my neck...then I sat on him until 50m to go and blew his doors off.

Another time I told my best friend on the team I was going to step up to a 5k for one race. He'd been bragging if he could ever get me above a 3k he could beat me. I told him he might think that, but that I would never "let" him beat me. That I would summon whatever it took to not let him beat me. For the entire week before the race, he was confident, but every time I would walk past him at practice I would say "remember, I won't let you beat me."

By race day, he was so nervous, he was white as a sheet warming up. He had been bragging to the team for months that if he could ever get me at his distance, he could beat me. Meanwhile, I knew I'd probably never run another 5k in my life. And I was pumped. This was going to be the only 5k I ever raced in my life, I was going for it.

And so it was that He choked, big time. I lapped him coming into the home stretch. As I went by, I slapped him on the ass, and could hear my coach and teammates cracking up.

But the best psych job I ever saw was by an entire team in cross country.

The course was in a forest, on a winding dirty road.

At the start, the entire opposing team took off and ran as a group, and they made sure that they got a turn or two ahead, so no other team could see them. All the other teams got psyched and just ran the pace they started at and never caught the other team. They couldn't see the other team, so they didn't speed up and try and catch them.

That was the first year they tried that. My frosh season. The second year I was onto them and went with them at the start.

Once again they took off fast...only this time I stayed a bit behind them. As their top 5 and I broke away from all the other teams and got around a corner, I ran up from behind and said "you guys aren't going to try that thing where you get a few turns ahead of everyone where you can't be seen and then just slow down and cruise, are you?"

They about jumped out of their skins, and I knew I had them. Beat all but their top guy...who was the best in the region.

My favorite win in high school was a dual meet at my high school, against a very good school. My opponent had been better than me for 3 years. He ran on my heals from the gun, one step behind me for 800 meters. Tried to pass me several times, and I kept holding him off. This was in front of my entire school...I couldn't lose on my home track...but, going into the race I knew the guy had been better than me for 3 years, and I wasn't sure I could beat him, but I was also the team leader...it was now Senior season, and I was coming into my own, I had to set the standard for the whole team. So step for step this guy followed me...and I was running both tough, inspired, and scared he was going to beat me again...we had a tenacious battle down the stretch where he came up on my shoulder...of course my team and all the kids in the stands were going nuts...and I ran scared right through to the win. There was a picture of the finish that showed me breaking the tape with that face you give when you have given it your all...and him finishing second with that face you give when you have given it your all and it wasn't quite enough.

I am sure, he came to that meet expecting to win again. The guard had changed.

Best psych job ever done on me?

As Junior in high school, I showed up for a first time, small town race, that I thought was going to be hobby joggers and me top high school stud in the region. Figured I had it won before I even got there.

I show up and there is a guy wearing a USA JERSEY. Had won some road title.

I never had a chance, lol.

Bump

ive done it wrote:

I have a bad habit of coasting the first half of my marathons while talking to everyone around me too, before dropping the hammer and burning everybody the second half.

How does it feel to never get the most from yourself?

I don't really like to psych other people out because doing that psyches me out. What I like to do is talk and tell some jokes with the other guys in the race. It makes everyone a lot more comfortable, which is when I run my fastest.

So, I was having a crappy mile, and I felt all embarrassed running so slow. I was probably 3rd to last on the final 200. I knew I still had some in the tank, and I was about to start kicking, to at least finish it off kind of well. Suddenly, this kid from behind yells out, in some Megatron voice or something, "You're mine, now!" And cruises by me. I was so stunned at how pathetic the scream was, how cheesy it was.... Why? It was so dumb... And then I crossed the finish line. I was so paralyzed that I had forgotton to kick....

Ok, this is a true story - happened at a St Paddy's Day 10K race in Torrance, California. This was back in the early 1990s - at the time, this was a big race with some well-known runners.

Eamonn Coglan was in the race - he was well past his prime, but they probably paid him to come since he's Irish. Anyway, fast forward to the last mile. A buddy of mine, running in the mid 33 minute range, was running along side Eamonn. Well, my buddy decided he wanted to beat Eamonn even though Eamonn was obviously just cruising the race. My buddy gave it everything he could - surged hard, and was really pressing it to the finish line. Well, at the six mile mark Eamonn pulled beside him and said "Nice try!" and then blew his doors off to the finish.