As an endurance coach, I’ve seen athletes undergo remarkable transformations. One of the most powerful frameworks to understand and facilitate these changes is the Transtheoretical Model of Behavior Change, proposed by Prochaska and DiClemente in 1994. This model outlines six main stages of change: Precontemplation, Contemplation, Preparation, Action, and Maintenance and unfortunately relapse. Let’s us myself as an example as I transition from endurance trail running back to Ironman triathlon after a five-year hiatus.
On race day, the temperature was a scorching 32 degrees Celsius, adding an extra layer of difficulty to an already demanding course. The Blackall 100 is renowned for its tough terrain, and this year was no exception. The event included a gruelling 1700 meters of elevation gain, featuring three particularly memorable climbs: The Bluff, Gav’s Gut Buster, and Delica. Each ascent tested our limits, pushing all to dig deep and scavenge for strength we didn’t know we had.
You have power over your mind - not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength
New Years resolutions need to be anchored in absurdity and made achievable through our dreams. They need to be hard so we have the opportunity to fail. It is actually in the failing that makes the goal inspiring. JFK didn’t encourage the American people to go to the corner store to get sausage roll. He challenged them to lift their eyes to the impossible. And our mothers kindly said the same thing to lovingly nurse us towards a better version of ourselves.
If you are reading this, you already know that endurance training goes well beyond the physical realm. To train and finish the crazy goals that you set yourself you need, mental fortitude, resilience, and a strong sense of self. On the surface it would seem that an Austrian psychotherapist born in 1870 would know very little about endurance sport considering the first marathon was not run until he was 26 years old. It is only when you delve into Adlerian psychology, that you can see that there is a direct link between the mind and endurance.
On race day, the temperature was a scorching 32 degrees Celsius, adding an extra layer of difficulty to an already demanding course. The Blackall 100 is renowned for its tough terrain, and this year was no exception. The event included a gruelling 1700 meters of elevation gain, featuring three particularly memorable climbs: The Bluff, Gav’s Gut Buster, and Delica. Each ascent tested our limits, pushing all to dig deep and scavenge for strength we didn’t know we had.
