Good Physical Training and Good Mental Training
It has been a good training week. The volume and intensity have been a little lower and it felt good to hit all the workouts as written, without having to drop anything because life got in the way. But the real highlight of the week, was not the physical aspects of training, but what I learned about the mental side of training and competing.
As I mentioned in my last post, this past weekend I attended a workshop with Mark Allen and Brant Secunda entitled Fit Soul Fit Body. The two of them have been working together for almost 20 years and have written a book by the same name.
Meeting Mark Allen was pretty awesome. He is 52 now and his amazing victories as a 6 time Ironman Champion in the late 80’s and early 90’s are almost beyond belief. With live footage, he talked us through the details of each race and what it took for him to win the championship from his rival Dave Scott and then defend it for 5 more years. The stories were incredible, including his final victory in which he made up 13 minutes in the last 10 miles of the run to seize the victory from a man 15 years his junior. But even more amazing than his physical stamina and athleticism, was his personal and spiritual transformation, which he sees as responsible for those wins.
Mark is deeply connected to the teachings of the Huichol Indians of Mexico. An indigenous people who have lived in the same simple, earth centered ways for thousands of years. Known as great healers, their practices are designed to bring people into harmony with the natural world and their own inner spirit. Mark has worked closely with Brant, a gifted teacher to learn Huichol teachings and apply them in his own life and to his quest to be the best triathlete in the world. And it was clear that he succeeded.
He showed us a number of simple techniques to quiet mental chatter, overcome physical discomfort, and reach into one’s own spiritual reservoir for strength. Practices such as giving thanks, connecting with the power of the land, and replacing negative thoughts with positive ones. Despite their simplicity, they were very powerful and will use them myself and with the athletes I coach. Simple, yet profound. And when done with love and faith – they can be transformational.
-Coach and Athlete Jo
Posted by on 02/09 at 09:44 AM
Coach and Athlete Joanna Ezinga •
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