Below are your (** NEW **) re-testing, training & daily nutritional protocols for next week; please review each day closely and let me know if you have any questions or need anything edited to match your personal schedule for the week. Remember that any time your body does something new for the first time, it will “feel” more difficult than it actually is (I refer to this as the Familiarity Principle).  Keep this in mind and mentally smash down that mental hurdle as it pops up – maximize your results by being properly fed, hydrated, rested and focused to produce big numbers.   

Athletic Poise

When it comes to performing at an elite level, it is important to apply a concept that I reference within my mental development program, Blueprint of Success called Athletic Poise.  The jest behind this concept is that you have prepared yourself to handle any situation at any time.  Think about the big picture: when you are well fed, hydrated, rested & focused on your goals, nothing will discourage you (i.e., bad weather, negative people, difficult race conditions or elements, etc.) and as a result, your outward appearance, attitude, and actions will convey an important message – you cannot be beaten!  Think about your favorite athlete, if you do any research on that athlete and listen to any interview, they will tell you that during the race, they felt like quitting several times; however, if you watch them on film, they never convey the level of discomfort and suffering they are enduring – this is athletic poise.

Athletic poise is an attribute that has to be “learned”.  You need to understand how your body language and words convey a crystal-clear picture of where you are at physically and most importantly mentally.  As you have heard before: Training is 90% physical and 10% mental; however, on race day, racing is 90% mental and 10% physical.  No matter how frustrated or how much suffering you are going through, refrain from conveying this to those around you (i.e., looking down, looking back, shaking your head, etc.).  If you come up short of your expectations on race day, once again, refrain from showing ANY disappointment (temper tantrum, crying, cursing, rolling of eyes, pouting, etc.).  Ironically, when you are on top of your game, others like to see you “melt down” when things don’t go as expected.  When the race is over and you sit down to complete a data dump cluster of the event, this is where you can “voice” your discontent of the race and leverage your frustrations in a productive manner: identify your projected verses actual; train your weaknesses and elevate your overall speed & endurance.

Athletic poise – another tool to help you Work Smart, Not Hard, and Avoid Overtraining!

Yours in sport & health,

-Coach Robb, Coaches, and Staff

Thought for the week:

“Four short words sum up what has lifted the most successful athletes above the crowd: sticking to a plan.  They did all of the necessary work associated with their goals in a specific & measurable manner.”