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Mental Toughness
I am going to start off by saying welcome to my new blog followers. So if you are one of them, welcome! It’s amazing what happens when your best-friend-forever Warren Moon retweets you. I’ll buy him an ice cream sundae next time I see him. And by next time I mean first time because we’ve never met.
I started this blog last month to chronicle my attempt at a triathlon in September. So far, so good. Once again I struggled less with my swim today. This is great news! I ran easy yesterday and swam easy today. Maybe I’ll be able to pull of this triathlon business after all. Who knew!
Joe Friel talks a lot about mental toughness and wellness as being an essential part of your triathlon training. I’ve spent A LOT of time around athletes and I can say that your mental state really does separate the men from the boys (or women from the girls to be politically correct). It’s so important to stay tough mentally in order to be on top of your game. I’m finding this particularly true with endurance sports. I’ve never been good at endurance. I mean, I get winded walking up my third floor walkup. I used to pat myself on the back if I made it 15 minutes on the elliptical. I mean, I’ve really always sucked at endurance. This is one of the things that is so challenging with my training: pushing myself into endurance. I find that my mental state has a lot to do with whether or not I can make it through a workout. Can I push for the last few minutes of my workout? Can I swim another 50m? Yes! I can! I have to find ways to stay motivated.
I think of two things that I find inspiring, and not surprisingly, they are both family members. I think of my older brother Adam who is a normal dude who pushed himself and has competed in a few triathlons. If he can find time to train everyday between running his business, making rounds as a doctor, and tending to his four children, then I have no excuse. Here he is competing in his last his last triathlon. (I also wrote more about him in my first post, so scroll down for that)
I also find the mental toughness and discipline of my younger brother is pretty amazing. He handles pressure better than anyone I know. He is always calm and collected especially when it matters the most. He has always been disciplined and focused on his NFL goal for many, many years. I look to him as the prime example of mental toughness and discipline. If I can find an ounce of that inside me, I just might make it!
I started this blog last month to chronicle my attempt at a triathlon in September. So far, so good. Once again I struggled less with my swim today. This is great news! I ran easy yesterday and swam easy today. Maybe I’ll be able to pull of this triathlon business after all. Who knew!
Joe Friel talks a lot about mental toughness and wellness as being an essential part of your triathlon training. I’ve spent A LOT of time around athletes and I can say that your mental state really does separate the men from the boys (or women from the girls to be politically correct). It’s so important to stay tough mentally in order to be on top of your game. I’m finding this particularly true with endurance sports. I’ve never been good at endurance. I mean, I get winded walking up my third floor walkup. I used to pat myself on the back if I made it 15 minutes on the elliptical. I mean, I’ve really always sucked at endurance. This is one of the things that is so challenging with my training: pushing myself into endurance. I find that my mental state has a lot to do with whether or not I can make it through a workout. Can I push for the last few minutes of my workout? Can I swim another 50m? Yes! I can! I have to find ways to stay motivated.
I think of two things that I find inspiring, and not surprisingly, they are both family members. I think of my older brother Adam who is a normal dude who pushed himself and has competed in a few triathlons. If he can find time to train everyday between running his business, making rounds as a doctor, and tending to his four children, then I have no excuse. Here he is competing in his last his last triathlon. (I also wrote more about him in my first post, so scroll down for that)
I also find the mental toughness and discipline of my younger brother is pretty amazing. He handles pressure better than anyone I know. He is always calm and collected especially when it matters the most. He has always been disciplined and focused on his NFL goal for many, many years. I look to him as the prime example of mental toughness and discipline. If I can find an ounce of that inside me, I just might make it!
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