I received an email from the father of a 14-year-old boy who has decided not to continue his ski-racing journey. He wrote: “I am feeling super challenged this year with the transition (and honestly, it’s my ego getting in the way). Just wondering if you have any advice on how to transition out…” His message [...]
I was recently interviewed by Dr. Dan Abrahams, the noted UK sport psychologist, on his podcast, The Sport Psych Show. On the podcast, I discuss a wide range of topics related to sport psychology, mental training, and athletic performance. To listen, click here.
I have been working with athletes for decades helping them to strengthen their minds the same way they strengthen their bodies. Athletes don’t wait to get injured before increasing their physical fitness; instead, they get stronger to prevent injury. That’s why I call it “mental training,” the mind needs to be exercised to withstand the [...]
My first “A”s series of races of 2024, the USAT Multisport National Championships are just 10 days away. I’m already starting to think about and get organized for the races. My goal for big races, particularly those that require air travel, is to front load and organize all of the tasks that burn cognitive and [...]
You may be wondering what sports nutrition, which is intended to fuel our bodies during triathlon training and racing, has to do with our minds. Well, the fact is that fueling and hydrating has as much of an impact on our minds as they do on our bodies. People often separate the mind from the [...]
Before I begin this article, you may have noticed that I changed the name of this series related to my work with several professional triathletes. I felt that the new name, What the Pros Do, is clearer and more direct. Back in 2021, I published two articles about race-day routines (here and here). A lot [...]
Imagine what it’s like to be a professional triathlete. Everyone is genetically gifted, all use the latest fitness testing and training technology, all are in incredible physical condition, all fuel and hydrate scientifically, all have fast bikes and fast shoes. So, on race day, what separates the winners from the also-rans? Two key things, I [...]
I am fortunate to be working with three outstanding professional triathletes who are also exceptional human beings (they have all agreed to allow me to introduce them to you): 1) Ruth Astle, from the UK, is a 3x Ironman winner; Lisa Tertsch, from Germany, is ranked 5th in the world by World Triathlon and is [...]
I just returned from Clash Miami, part of the Clash Endurance series that is held at motor speedways in Florida, where I raced in the Sprint on Saturday and what I called the Olympic + (6 miles longer bike, 2 miles longer run) on Sunday. In a nutshell, my mind was in its best place [...]
The goal for every determined triathlete—the Holy Grail of our sport, you might say—is the ability to maintain or even increase effort and decrease (or at least minimize) the exertion pain you feel during hard workouts and in races. The problem, as we can all attest to, is that it is extremely difficult to resist [...]
