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.
In my previous blog about Ultraman Australia, I spoke about the history of the race which has stretched back to 1983 and seen just over 1,000 athletes cross the line. My relatively short personal history with Ultraman started in 2015, when I came across the race for the first time. It wasn’t until the following year that I was selected to compete in the event. Having spent over two years...
For those unfamiliar with Ultraman, it is a three day triathlon in which participants undertake a gruelling 10km ocean swim, 421.1km cycle and 84.3km double marathon. Commencing in Hawaii in 1983, over the years it has slowly branched out to several locations, including Noosa Australia in 2015. The Ultraman ethos of "aloha" (love), "ohana" (family) and "kokua" (help) have been the guiding principles of the organising committee at each of...
In a saturated shoe market, offering a slew of features, it is a brave shoe company that decides to step into this competitive playing field. Swedish company Salming is one such shoe manufacturer, who has stepped into the arena with a full battle cry in the form of its flagship training shoe, EnRoute.
While Salming boasts an impressive resume of shoes and...
New Zealand claims the title of birthplace of the running revolution from back in early 1960, when Arthur Lydiard formed the Auckland Joggers Club. After running with Lydiard in 1962, Bill Bowerman, former track coach at the University of Oregon, brought jogging back to America. The rest, as they say, is history. Bowerman went on to be co-founder of Nike and from this early beginning, led by Bowerman, running grew into one of the largest...
Al Pacino, through his character Walter Abrams in the movie Two For The Money, encapsulates the thought process of people with an addictive personality when he states:
"You know the best part of the best drug in the world isn't the high. It's the moment just before you take it. The dice are dancing on the table. Between now...
For many, the major limiting factor for performance in training sessions is unrealistic expectations. The weight of expectation going into a session can potentially hinder your performance. In some cases, this may be to the point where the completion of the session is counterproductive to your goal. This may drive your progress in a negative direction rather than toward positive enhancement of your overall fitness.
They say don’t sweat the small stuff, that is until your goggles get knocked off at the first turn, you spend an eternity in T2 fighting with your shoelaces and your run goes from port-a-loo to port-a-loo wishing you had tested that new energy gel pre-race. When it comes to preparation for triathlon racing the old adage of ‘worry about the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves’ is far more apt.
Triathlon is an event that can bring fear to many and in others, stimulate a desire to push their own personal limits and answer the question, could I? Anybody can do a triathlon if they have support, encouragement and follow a well written program. The following article will outline the basics to succeed in your first enticer triathlon.
In training just as in life you need to give structure to your dreams in order for them to be achievable. Goals, which are dreams with a purpose, need to be above your current level of skill and ability in order for them to be worthwhile. Michael Phelps, for example, probably didn't dream of winning the 25 - 30 age division of the local masters 100 meters butterfly. He dreamed big, planned intelligently...
The brain is an amazing and at the same time mysterious organ. It coordinates all the systems of the body to maintain homoeostasis. In doing so it balances the internal operating system against the external environment to ensure we, as a whole, survive. If we are low on energy we get hungry, if we need water we get thirsty and if we get hot we sweat. Similar to a mother with a large brood of children the brain controls its systems by keeping...
