Rudolph's Revenge 10k
Steve U. 45:03
Mike N. 52:00
Susie W. 55:36
Jeff. S. 58:36 (PR)
full results at http://www.winterdistanceseries.com/index_files/page0004.htm
Monday, December 17, 2007
Reach New Heights..Change Your Mental Approach
Aristotle once said...
“we are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."
I’ve been giving a lot of thought the past few weeks to the coaching profession. Technically this will be my third full year of coaching and although I’m pleased with the progress of Mile High Multisport, I have a greater vision of how I want to coach and develop the business. Each year during this time I ask myself Why do I coach?, What my coaching philosophy will be in the new year for each of my athletes, what areas of improvement I see for myself to become more knowledgeable, what I want to continue doing that worked well last season and what I need to do better in the upcoming year.
As an athlete, I also go through this process when it comes to setting my personal goals. As a youth I played baseball. I used to love the game and am saddened that I don’t see today’s youth out in the parks playing pick up games of ball anymore. I played at a competitive level and my father was “my coach”. It took me many years to realize that he was a very good coach as he taught me not only the fundamentals of the game but the mental aspect that goes along with athletics. One thing he used to always tell me was “see yourself making the play before it happens.” I would envision myself making the plays that the pros made. In short, I envisioned success before it happened.
Every night, my father would take me outside and “drill me”. Perhaps he would tell a different story, but I don’t recall ever saying “no” or “hang on dad, I need to just finish watching this show”. Although it was years ago, I can still remember the “drills” to this day. I wanted to be a baseball player when I grew up. I had a vision that I would play 2nd base for the Chicago Cubs one day. I wanted to be better than anyone else in my town and I worked very hard to accomplish my goal.
As triathletes, we need to take a look at how we mentally approach racing and training. I’m often dumb founded when an athlete tells me one week they have this lofty goal and the next week they tell me they are lacking motivation to go train. I believe that the goal itself should be enough motivation to want to train. As I evaluate my clients, and how I want to coach, I’ve been looking at the mental aspect of the sport and evaluating each one of my clients. Some clients require very little motivation while others require a lot.
The approach we take to mental preparation should be part of our goal setting process. Each of us should honestly assess this area. Do you require little motivation and give 100% effort to each of your workouts, or are you a “worrier” who often finds excuses to why something didn’t happen. Do you have a mantra that you bring to training and races that helps you keep you focused? If you aren’t sure which type of an athlete you are, ask someone whose opinion you value for an honest assessment. Keep in mind that you may not get the response you want to hear.
It is my belief that mental preparation should be a part of the goal setting process. Your physical ability will only take you so far, it is your mind which defines excellence. The same thing applies to your profession; your intellect will only take you to a certain point. How you interact with others and the mental preparation you take to your job separates mediocrity and excellence. If you have ever wondered about what separates the people on the podium from the people who participate, look no further than your mind. Mentally tough athletes have an inner strength, an inner focus and desire that others lack. They don’t MAKE EXCUSES or justifications on why things happened. The athletes who reach their goals work hard all the time. You don’t hear people on the podium state “they aren’t motivated” “it wasn’t gong to happen today", “I can’t”, “I couldn’t find time”, “I didn’t feel like getting up at 5:30”, I don’t like riding the trainer”; “I didn’t run outside because it snowed or it was cold”. The mind manifests what it hears. Instead of telling your mind what to not do, tell it what it will do. I’m confident you will find yourself working more efficiently.
I recently picked up a book entitled “Mind Gym, an athlete’s guide to inner excellence” by Gary Mack and David Casstevens. It is a short, yet powerful book which every athlete should read. In the book they state, “learn to use your mind or your mind will use you. Actions follow our thoughts and images. Don’t look where you don’t want to go”.
As you approach the New Year, make a commitment to be a mentally strong athlete in 2008. Rid your self of all the excuses. There is a huge benefit to the power of positive reinforcement and visualization. See the results from the minds eye. Champions win in their mind first. “See yourself making the play before it actually happens.”
I’ve been giving a lot of thought the past few weeks to the coaching profession. Technically this will be my third full year of coaching and although I’m pleased with the progress of Mile High Multisport, I have a greater vision of how I want to coach and develop the business. Each year during this time I ask myself Why do I coach?, What my coaching philosophy will be in the new year for each of my athletes, what areas of improvement I see for myself to become more knowledgeable, what I want to continue doing that worked well last season and what I need to do better in the upcoming year.
As an athlete, I also go through this process when it comes to setting my personal goals. As a youth I played baseball. I used to love the game and am saddened that I don’t see today’s youth out in the parks playing pick up games of ball anymore. I played at a competitive level and my father was “my coach”. It took me many years to realize that he was a very good coach as he taught me not only the fundamentals of the game but the mental aspect that goes along with athletics. One thing he used to always tell me was “see yourself making the play before it happens.” I would envision myself making the plays that the pros made. In short, I envisioned success before it happened.
Every night, my father would take me outside and “drill me”. Perhaps he would tell a different story, but I don’t recall ever saying “no” or “hang on dad, I need to just finish watching this show”. Although it was years ago, I can still remember the “drills” to this day. I wanted to be a baseball player when I grew up. I had a vision that I would play 2nd base for the Chicago Cubs one day. I wanted to be better than anyone else in my town and I worked very hard to accomplish my goal.
As triathletes, we need to take a look at how we mentally approach racing and training. I’m often dumb founded when an athlete tells me one week they have this lofty goal and the next week they tell me they are lacking motivation to go train. I believe that the goal itself should be enough motivation to want to train. As I evaluate my clients, and how I want to coach, I’ve been looking at the mental aspect of the sport and evaluating each one of my clients. Some clients require very little motivation while others require a lot.
The approach we take to mental preparation should be part of our goal setting process. Each of us should honestly assess this area. Do you require little motivation and give 100% effort to each of your workouts, or are you a “worrier” who often finds excuses to why something didn’t happen. Do you have a mantra that you bring to training and races that helps you keep you focused? If you aren’t sure which type of an athlete you are, ask someone whose opinion you value for an honest assessment. Keep in mind that you may not get the response you want to hear.
It is my belief that mental preparation should be a part of the goal setting process. Your physical ability will only take you so far, it is your mind which defines excellence. The same thing applies to your profession; your intellect will only take you to a certain point. How you interact with others and the mental preparation you take to your job separates mediocrity and excellence. If you have ever wondered about what separates the people on the podium from the people who participate, look no further than your mind. Mentally tough athletes have an inner strength, an inner focus and desire that others lack. They don’t MAKE EXCUSES or justifications on why things happened. The athletes who reach their goals work hard all the time. You don’t hear people on the podium state “they aren’t motivated” “it wasn’t gong to happen today", “I can’t”, “I couldn’t find time”, “I didn’t feel like getting up at 5:30”, I don’t like riding the trainer”; “I didn’t run outside because it snowed or it was cold”. The mind manifests what it hears. Instead of telling your mind what to not do, tell it what it will do. I’m confident you will find yourself working more efficiently.
I recently picked up a book entitled “Mind Gym, an athlete’s guide to inner excellence” by Gary Mack and David Casstevens. It is a short, yet powerful book which every athlete should read. In the book they state, “learn to use your mind or your mind will use you. Actions follow our thoughts and images. Don’t look where you don’t want to go”.
As you approach the New Year, make a commitment to be a mentally strong athlete in 2008. Rid your self of all the excuses. There is a huge benefit to the power of positive reinforcement and visualization. See the results from the minds eye. Champions win in their mind first. “See yourself making the play before it actually happens.”
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Results 12/8/07
Major Taulman in the middle. Yesterdays race conditions were a far cry from Mogadishu Somalia
Congratulations to Major Clay Taulman on his completion of the Chilly Cheeks duathlon in less than ideal conditions.
Total Time: 1:09:20 (Ranked 22d out of 172)
Congratulations to Mike A. on his completion of the Charlotte Marathon in just under 5 hours.
Congratulations to Cody Hanson on his 1st place over all South Western Clydesdale Champion. He was awarded his trophy this weekend.
Saturday, December 8, 2007
No Excuses- Be Consistent
Coach Pete 1989 Chicago Distance Classic
Some one asked me the other day what the key to success in participating in triathlon was. I immediately replied consistency. The beauty of starting this sport in the late 80's gives me a 20 year perspective in which to gauge my reply. It is very easy for me to review the past and seek a common theme with the years I've deemed successful. I also have the privilege of being married to someone who has raced for 5 years longer than I, and has had many successful seasons.
I'm all for efficiencies in life as long as you don't sacrifice quality. In comparison to a lot of our peers, Kathy and I have really succeeded on very few miles . Year after year we are consistent in our approach to the sport. I'm not sure if this is a product of the lifestyle we live or it is the way we are, we've never really disdcussed the topic. We've tried many different approaches over the years and yet I feel like we are behind the times when I read about the newest gadgets or technologies. (I will admit that the use of wattage with training on the bike has peeked my interest and I have been studying this diligently) I still believe that there is nothing more important than being consistent in your workouts each week. You can own a power tap, garmin, newton shoes, an endless pool and a $6K bike but it won't do you any good if you don't follow your workout plans each week.
As I review weekly training logs I hear a lot of "excuses" in why people don't complete workouts. I know this is a difficult time of year to get everything done. I will be the first to tell you to achieve balance in your life, especially during the holidays. However, I think there is always time for a little exercise every day. I can only think of 2 Thanksgivings in the last 23 years that I have not run (one was two years ago because of a back injury and the other was when I was in a walking cast) I've been told by my wife I'm black and white, I'm not an excuse guy. I hear her coach the kids all the time "don't try to explain to dad why you didn't do your chores, just say your sorry and go do them". I'd rather see someone write "I didn't get to it today" and then see them get back on track the next day. Perhaps it is the way that I'm wired but I've just always made the time to get things done. I've ran and swam while I traveled on business, I've woken up almost every day of my adult life at 5 a.m to get in my workouts (even after I went to work for myself), I've passed on drinks with the people at work on numerous occasions in the name of working out. I've rolled out of bed when I didn't want to more than I care to describe. I even completed an Ironman with a splint on my hand 9 weeks after having my tendons to my thumb reattached. I did these things because in my mind I wanted to accomplish something, and since my mind had a vision, I wanted to work hard to achieve my dream. I once had a boss tell me that if I put the same effort into my work that I put into my athletics I would be successful. I thought to myself, if you put half the effort into athletics that you put into this office you wouldn't be so fat. Obviously I don't work there anymore. The point is, you have to follow through on the commitments you make to yourself. Only you have control over your actions. You do so with actions not words. If you write down a goal that you want to take 30 minutes off your half ironman time in 2008, and you don't change anything about the way you approach your workouts, then you better pray for an overcast day and a huge tail wind.
When I began in the sport I had a goal each week to complete three sessions in each sport. Three bikes, three swims and three runs. My goal was to be consistent week in and week out. A very simple approach but one that yielded me some very good results. I kept a journal and would track my success based on my ability to accomplish all 9 workouts each week. I didn't take rest weeks, didn't taper, didn't peak for races. I would start training in March and end my season in August. I have since learned that the lack of calculated rests and periodization training caused me to crash at the end of August. I would rest and be ready to go again the next season. Today we have more scientific approaches to rest and rejuvenation and people can race longer into a season without side effects.
Today you will read a lot of articles regarding reverse periodization when you build speed early in training cycles and endurance later. When we began racing, we would race 5k's and duathlons in the spring, sprints in April/May, Olympic Distances in June/July and then end the season with a half ironman. We built speed early and then added endurance as we approached our longer races. As time moved on we added some different training philosophies and weighed the results based on previous experiences. We got away from the reverse periodization method but still had positive results and outcomes. There are many different paths to road of success but it begins with dedication, consistency and NO EXCUSES.
Monday, December 3, 2007
Weekend Update 11/30
Congratulations to Kathy on her Tucson Marathon finish in 4:05:30 seconds. She will be the first to tell you that she was disappointed with the outcome. When she returned home last evening she received a call from her father telling her that her Grandmother had passed away the night before the race. Our thoughts go out to the Purnell family during this time. Grandma Marie was 104.
Upcoming Race Weekend:
Steve U. and Clay T. race the Chilly Cheeks Duathlon
Cody races the Automic Man in NM
The Holiday Season:
The schedules get full during this time of year. If you are concerned about getting in your workouts it is best to get them finished in the morning. Do what you can at this time of year. The work we do now lays the foundation for our next race season. Ask yourself .. Is what I'm doing now important?"
Team Uniforms:
We are getting closer to the final design on our new team uniforms for 2008. More information to follow.
Weekend Workouts:
Thanks to those of you who have been showing up on the weekends. We are getting in some great base miles and the benefits are beginning to show. I would like to see some more participation on the weekend runs. Invite your friends and neighbors.
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