Improving Your Mental Game For Triathlons
Would you ever enter a triathlon if you didn’t train at all the month leading up the event?
As you know, a Triathlon takes a ton of training in order to be successful.
Most triathletes are quite thorough when it comes to their physical training: spending hours in the water to build their swimming endurance, pedaling countless hours on the bike and pounding the pavement for miles during their runs.
Success in the triathlon requires more than physical training.
Triathlon success depends on your mental strength:
- How do you stay motivated during long hours of monotonous training?
- How do you deal with the discomfort of training or nagging injuries?
- How can you maintain your focus for long periods of time when competing?
- How are you able to handle down time and relax when not training?
- How are you able to manage your fears and expectations prior to competing?
- How quickly can you rebound after a bad event in competition?
The amount of mental strength you have is in direct proportion to the amount of mental training you undertake.
You cannot be mentally prepared and mentally strong if you paid no attention to your mental training… Just as you cannot be physically prepared and technically sound if you didn’t engage in countless hours of swimming, cycling and running.
Chrissie Wellington, a four-time Ironman Triathlon World Champion and World Record holder, credits her success to more than just elite physical training but also her meticulous mental training.
Wellington relied on her mental training to help her overcome many athletic and personal obstacles, consistently push her body and mind throughout her rigorous training regiment and help her become one of the most accomplished triathletes in the history of the sport.
WELLINGTON: “All the physical strength in the world won’t help you if your mind is not prepared. This is part of training – the part that people don’t put in their log books; the part that all the monitors and gadgets in the world can’t influence or record. And the mind can be trained just like a muscle and becoming mentally strong requires patience and practice.”
Wellington is a model for success.
Success is more than having the lightest bike with high-end components… Success is more than having great stroke mechanics… Success is more than being able to run for days on end…
Success requires a strong set of mental skills that allows you to get the most from your physical capabilities.
To determine if you are maximizing your capabilities, ask yourself the following questions:
- What am I doing to foster stable confidence in my racing?
- What strategies do I have in place to stay calm and composed in the middle of a race if I have a bad leg of the race?
- What have I done to improve my ability to stay focused?
- What methods have I utilized to push past comfort on a regular basis?
If you are at a loss to answer these questions, image how much improvement you would make with even a slight commitment to mental training!
How to Improve Your Mental Game For Triathlon:
Review the previous mental skills questions.
Identify one mental skill (confidence, focus, managing emotions, composure, dealing with discomfort, etc.) that can improve your consistency.
Now it’s time to put your mental training in action.
Start with one mental skill, such as focusing on the process, and build upon that one skill.
Be as conscientious with your mental game as you are with your physical training.
Soon, we’ll share an exciting new program for Triathletes, titled “Triathlete Confidence,” to help you improve the most important mental skills for racing.
For now, check out our article on confidence and how it can help you mentally on race-day:
Download Our Free Mental Toughness MP3 for Triathletes!
Overcome the top mental game challenges in triathlons!
Download our free Mental Toughness MP3 for Triathletes:
What Every Triathlete, Runner, and Cyclist Needs to Know About The Mental Game of Racing
You’ll discover:
- Why the mental game is important in long-distance racing
- How to cope with the pain of long races
- The specific mental demands on long-distance events
- How to not allow the weather conditions to influence your mindset
Click here to download your FREE report today: Mental Toughness Skills in Racing For Triathletes: What Every Triathlete, Runner, and Cyclist Needs to Know About The Mental Game of Racing
Long Distance Racing Mental Game Success Stories
“We used your mental training information on how to kick perfectionism and my daughters had their best meet ever. Thanks for your help.”
~Paul Patterson, Father of Swimmers
“Yes the video series was excellent and very helpful. I appreciate that you give usable information and don’t “bait” people. Much respect for you for that. I’ve been cycling for a few years and joined a race team last year. I moved from a cat-5 to a cat-3 my first year and now am racing masters Cat-1,2,3 here in central California.”
~Blake James, Cyclist
“This is a good kick start to anyone in need of “finding” their way through the mental training underbrush. It keeps you focused and taking constructive action day by day.”
~Dean Hebert, RxRunning & Racing Coach