Positive mental performance is often an overlooked aspect of any team, or any program, or any sport for that matter. A good mindset could be the difference between winning and loosing, going home early or winning it all.

All that rings just as true if not more in the world of cross country. It’s a long 5 kilometer journey for both girls and boys squads and the mental side of the game is practically half the struggle. That’s why ADM head cross country coach David Zwank has put a big emphasis this year on the mental aspect and the effects of a good mental attitude.

Raccoon Valley Radio sat down with coach Zwank on the strategy and drive for the mental focus in 2017.

“There are so many things. Training, philosophy, and design is certainly a big issue and we repeatedly talk about that but that was what we did last year. So this year my focus of at least what I particularly myself wanted to present was about mental training and peak performance as it relates to the ideas of goal setting and visualization and lots of different mental imagery things we can do, and our inner voice and how we talk with that, different secrets and things we can do. That’s kind of a big focus for us this year. A lot of it for me is helping them understand, why do we run on a day where actually I don’t want you running has hard as you possibly can and some days we will and how do we balance and what’s the reason,” smiled the 15 year Tiger head coach.

Coach Zwank also stressed about the various components that take place in the world of cross country.

“So we do have a cycle of different things that we go through and we just can’t (get to them all) because there’s so much actually, there really is but we try and expose it to them (the athletes) and give it to them at at low level, at a level kids will efficiently pick it up,” stated coach Zwank.

The first event of the season for both teams will come weekend style on September 2nd in Urbandale.