The Athletic Mindset

-what is an athlete?

-historically not athletic

-started calling myself an athlete, really believing it, and then slowly becoming one

-changing your physiology, language, and emotion at the most intense level

Full Definition of ATHLETE

:  a person who is trained or skilled in exercises, sports, or games requiring physical strength, agility, or stamina

http://www.mindsetonline.com/howmindsetaffects/sports/

Character, Heart, Will, and the Mind of a Champion

It goes by different names, but it’s the same thing. It’s what makes you practice, and it’s what allows you to dig down and pull it out when you most need it. Remember how McEnroe told us all the things that went wrong to make him lose each match he lost—there was the time it was cold and the time it was hot, the time he was jealous and the times he was upset, and the many, many times he was distracted. But, as Billie Jean King tells us, the mark of a champion is the ability to win when things are not quite right—when you’re not playing well and your emotions are not the right ones. Here’s how she learned what being a champion meant.

King was in the finals at Forest Hills playing against Margaret Smith, who was at the peak of her greatness. King had played her more than a dozen times and had beaten her only once. In the first set, King played fabulously. She didn’t miss a volley and built a nice lead. Suddenly, the set was over. Smith had won it.

In the second set, King again built a commanding lead and was serving to win the set. Before she knew it, Smith had won the set and the match. At first, King was perplexed. She had never built such a commanding lead in such an important match. But then she had a Eureka! moment. All at once, she understood what a champion was. Someone who could raise their level of play when they needed to. When the match is on the line, they suddenly “get around three times tougher.”

Jackie Joyner-Kersee had her “Eureka” moment too. She was 15 years old and competing in the heptathlon at the AAU Junior Olympics. Everything now depended the last event, the 800-meter race, an event she dreaded. She was exhausted and she was competing against an expert distance runner whose times she had never matched. She did this time. “I felt a kind of high. I’d proven that I could win if I wanted it badly enough. ..That win showed me that I could not only compete with the best athletes in the country, I could will myself to win.”

Often called the best woman soccer player in the world, Mia Hamm says she’s often asked “Mia, what is the most important thing for a soccer player to have?” With no hesitation, she answers, “Mental toughness.” And she doesn’t mean some innate trait. When eleven players want to knock you down, when you’re tired or injured, when the referees are against you, you can’t let any of it affect your focus. How do you do that? You have to learn how. “It is,” says Hamm, “one of the most difficult aspects of soccer and the one I struggle with every game and every practice.”

By the way, did Hamm think she was the greatest player in the world? No. “And because of that,” she said, “someday I just might be.”

Run like a kid

Running is such a natural activity that it doesn't take much to organize a good, old fashioned, foot race with the neighborhood kids.

I learned all of the kids names and proper pronunciations so that I could high-five and cheer for them at the finish line. The usual top three are 1st- Shashank- last boy on the right with a blue and white striped shirt, 2nd place Vincent- first boy on the left side with a navy blue shirt & sportswarch, 3rd place Gigi, the only girl in pink (that's my girl!). I set out a snack table with water and snacks, just like a real race :-)

While on vacation the family across the way had their son running up and down the hall. He looked utterly bored and was half-a$$ing his run. I asked the boy if he wanted to race. His face lit up like Christmas! I took off my heels, set aside my glass of wine, and waited for "Ready, set, go!" We raced up and down the hall and I didn't let him start winning until I knew he was pushing himself and having fun. He was so proud, his family cheering him on and gave him a "pretend medal."

Big open spaces or steep terrain seem to call out to kids: "Run! And be freeeeeeeee!" My friend Karina and I got in on the fun and raced with our little ones. We were giggling girls at the end of that. How fun!

If you have access to a munchkin, play tag with them, tell them you're "IT", and see if you can channel your inner child.

Happy running, friends!

Barefoot running

I decided to give barefoot running a go today at Karl Nordvik's new cushy field.

 

I felt like an animal and it was a tongue-wagging with a stupid-grin kind of fun. I was transported to the pure innocence and play of the sport and I find myself in love with running once again :-)

I've also made it to the second week of my Ketogenic nutritional plan. My strength has returned and I am ready to hit the ground running.

Today I did a half mile warm up at 9 min/mile and did another half mile worth of 100 yard sprints at 5:30-6/min/mile with 100 yard walk breaks in between. Total time working out from warm up/sprints/breaks/cool down was about 30 minutes.

I don't think I will ever run with shoes again. Happy St. Paddy's Day!

Get Unstuck

I found this great video about "getting unstuck" that you can apply with your training (or any area of your life for that matter.)

It is basically about getting comfortable with uncertainty, realizing what your patterns are, and moving forward.

Happy Friday Friends!

http://thedailylove.com/why-youre-stuck-and-how-to-get-free/

Three C's to Triathlon Training Success!

I promised a friend I would chronicle how I got rid of my aquaphobia.

What I learned about people who have this condition is that they almost always have had some kind of traumatic event in a body of water (swimming pool, lake, ocean, bath tub etc). In fact, just the thought of the traumatic event(s) can trigger physiological responses such as rapid heart beat, hyperventilation, anxiety, and/or vertigo/dizziness.

The above was an accurate description of me for most of my life until last October. Today, I am happy to report that I am able to be remain Calm, Confident, and Competent in the open water (I even swam solo during my swim/bike/run at the lake today!)

I felt fantastic and totally ALIVE! Triathlon training is absolutely invigorating!

I want to share what I have learned and I hope this post is useful to any potential triathletes out there!

The following are what I have identified as the Three C's to successful Triathlon Training.

1) Get Calm.

If you are not calm, you've already lost even before stepping into battle. You need to Train Your Brain by writing and vocalizing your affirmations!

I have longed to learn how to swim my entire life. A deep seated fear from two near drowning experiences crippled me from learning. Last year that changed because for the first time my longing to learn finally outweighed my fear. Out of sheer faith, I signed up for an ocean Triathlon not knowing how to swim or float.

Days before an open water swim I would have anxiety attacks at home, have difficulty sleeping, and have full on panic attacks in the lake. This didn't prevent me from coming out to the lake because  I noticed each time my fear would lessen.

The funny thing about letting go of fear is that exhiliration replaces it. That, or excitement, awe, and/or an overwhelming sense of giddiness. 

I figured out how to persuade my brain that I would not die or drown, especially in a dang wetsuit!

Since the written word holds a lot of power for me, I would constantly add to the above affirmations and read them to myself daily even if I wasn't training.

This practice helped me calm my mind,  which calmed my breathing, which calmed my muscles, and allowed me to swim. Slowly, inch by inch, I met my goals.

2) Get Confident.

(Or borrow some until you build your own!)

Surround yourself with a positive and supportive training group to build up your confidence.

I grew leaps and bounds by training with my FitChick sisters. They let me borrow their courage and confidence when I had none through their friendship. I am immensely proud and grateful to be a part of this group of women who enjoy the camaraderie of training for a variety of athletic endeavors.

3) Get Competent.

If you get Calm & Confident the next step is to build Competence. You do this by committing to your sport and by putting in the work to help you hone your craft.

In short, if you get Calm, Confident, and Competent, before you know it, you will be crossing that Triathlon finish line with pride!

Wishing you all more miles and smiles :)

Happy Training Friends!

Weekly Wrap Up

Monday 5/19/14

The goal this week is to workout Monday through Friday. Keeping myself accountable and noting how my workouts went keeps me motivated.

I swam for 40 minutes today and felt great. I've progressed a lot and found I no longer need the pull bouy.

I also love how swimming (for some odd reason) makes me feel like I'm on vacation. Lol ;-)

Tuesday 5/20/14

We had some communication issues this morning for our weekly circuit and started  much later than expected. Kiscelle and I skipped the workout, allowed the kids to play, caught up, and hung out with Adria and the kids. 

Later that night we opted to walk to Gigi's school for her open night (my easy workout for the day).

Wednesday 5/21/14

I've tried a small handful of yoga classes and all of them I've walked out on within the first 10 minutes. Impatient a little? Yes, LOL. This was the first class I've taken and I stayed for nearly the whole class.

The instructor was easy to follow and I liked the rhythm and flow of the class. It was a challenging workout. Then she asked us to do hand stands. Whaaat?!? I thought it was a beginner class? For the record, I was not able to do a hand stand. I don't think I have the upper body strength and coordination for that kind of movement. Nevertheless I really liked the class and will definitely go back!

Thursday 5/22/14

I got my butt whooped good at this Boot Camp Class. We started with some high intensity cardio drills then partnered up for circuit training. This is a dynamic cardio/strength training class and a great workout!!

Friday 5/23/14

I met up with Cathy and Diane for a swim at Quarry Lakes this morning. I did some swimming earlier this week and I really thought the open water swim jitters would go away...they didn't, at least not right away. 

The funny thing is that now I don't worry about dying in the open water my mind has fixated on something else: the animal life in the lake. Writing this makes me laugh now but this morning I had little mini panic attacks when I saw fish and algae "coming to get me" LOL.

I am learning that you really have to get used to putting your face in that cold, murky water, and once you do that, you need to stop freaking out at every little thing you see "coming to get you" (your own spit floating towards you, algae getting threateningly close, and that aggressive-looking-catfish).

Side-note:  I didn't have time for coffee or tea this morning so I had a preworkout. BAD IDEA. No wonder I was trippin' LOL. Never again ;-)

Despite the mind games, I enjoyed Cathy and Diane's company and swam farther and longer than last week. I even practiced bi-lateral breathing and was super proud of myself until I realized 

I was going in circles! LOL! More practice!!

Woohoo for meeting my workout goals!

Happy weekend everyone!!

Play!

I was whining to myself about not being able to find inspiration to write anymore.

Turns out my lack of inspiration was due to a boring workout regimen. I changed it up this week and I am re-invigorated once again :)

On Tuesday I met up with Petra for our weekly circuit. We got our circuit done while the kids played, snacked, and intermittently joined us.

On Wednesday I had zero time so I did a circuit at home. Thursday I ran and went swimming with the kids.

On Friday (today) I met up with Vimala and Cathy at Quarry Lakes for an OWS (open water swim.)

I missed seeing these ladies! It felt great to be out there again, tackling the initial anxiety of being in the open water, the claustrophobic feel of the wet suit, the sensory deprivation of swimming in general (goggles, ear plugs, face in the water), warming up to get my breathing regulated, and finally finding that natural rhythm of breath and movement.

Then I realized that I am most inspired when I am "at play." Working out with my  mama friends is enjoyable and positively affects my mood and general outlook in life. Mostly, I love seeing my miscellaneous worries dissipate.

Here are a few pages from Dr. Sheehan's book, The Essential Sheehan, that expresses this idea of play quite nicely:

And another excerpt that talks about two types of physical energy. One that is magical and playful and another that is mundane and obligatory.

With all that said I hope hope you get out there, connect with others, get moving, and find YOUR PLAY!!

Before long, you will find yourself invigorated and inspired once again.

Happy weekend friends!