Olympic Depression

Now that the Olympics are over and those young stud muffins have made you feel like you are the laziest person (or sloth) to inhabit this planet let's talk about why they are so badass. Honestly there are some mornings when I don't want to even get up to train. Yes I do believe the Olympians have a gift from the gods when it comes to physical ability and how far they can push there body. But there is one thing I learned during my injury that has really stuck. You need to be mentally tough. Plain and simple. As soon as you start to bum out about an injury or think your training session isn't going to go well you're kinda screwed. Joe Friel led me to this info below.

A paper was published in the Harvard Business Review a few years ago (Jones, 2008) reporting on the studies of Olympic medalists and successful business people which revealed the following characteristics which may be defined as subsets of mental toughness. He wrote that the interviewees were found to:

• have the ability to psychologically manage pressure
• pay meticulous attention to goals
• have a strong inner drive to stay ahead of the competition
• be internally rather than externally focused
• be self-directed
• concentrate on excellence
• not be distracted by others
• shrug off their own failures
• be masters of compartmentalization in their lives
• rebound from defeat easily
• never self-flagellate
• have a relentless focus on the long term attainment of goals
• carefully plan short-term goals
• never stop striving for success
• reinvent themselves following a success
• celebrate their wins
• analyze the reasons for their success
• be very confident of their abilities

Jones also wrote that mental toughness “is having the natural or developed psychological edge that enables you to, generally, cope better than your opponents with the many demands (competition, training, lifestyle) that sport places on a performer and, specifically, be more consistent and better than your opponents in remaining determined, focused, confident and in control under pressure.”

I am trying to get this psychological edge so I can better cope to the demands of being an endurance athlete. I know that it won't mean I am the best triathlete on the whole freaken planet but you know what? I think it will make me a better athlete and person.