As a coach, I need to know a lot about my clients. Daily
stats, pretty HR charts, elevation, cadence and pace are handy, but most
beneficial, is mental attitude. It’s why, as coaches, we ask for daily logs. We
can see stressors both physically and mentally, in not only your workouts, but
daily life as well. That affects
training and racing.
My clients work hard, put in long training hours, and know
what it takes to perform optimally. They ask their bodies daily to give it
their best, to push forward. They ask it to slow down for endurance, to speed
up for tempo and to go long, hard distances. A lot is being asked of our bodies
both mentally and physically while training, and most do it out there alone. It
may be on a lonely country road, a road that they have put hundreds and
hundreds of miles on already. They know the routine, they know the scenery,
they are out there for one purpose and that is to train their body and their
mind, to accomplish their goals, and to build dreams and even the most stalwart
can lose a bit of mental focus.
So, I am asking my clients this week to write down what
motivates them. They need a hard copy. Write it down and keep it on display
somewhere so, on those days that negativity slips in, the pool seems to cold,
the trainer to boring and the dreadmill to monotonous, they have a reminder. It
is something that triggers the GO button. A reminder of why they do what they
do and how that feels.
Here is what I am asking my clients this week, and as a
coach it will help me as well.
List three things that motivate you in your training
1.
2.
3.
List Three Race feelings that you have been through
1.
2.
3.
List 3 task goals that you would like to accomplish during
“off” season i.e. I want to site every 5 strokes, I want to lower my resting HR
rate.
1.
2.
3.
Name 3 visualizations that you can use in a race. I.e. Be a Locomotive
1.
2.
3.
Write Down 3 Mantras.
I.e. I am Strong
1.
2.
3.
3 Anchors that motivate you: This could be a song lyric,
color. Something that changes negative space to positive.
1.
2.
3.
These will change as training changes. It’s all for growth.
As you change, re-write them, keep them current and USE THEM.
