Train Your Brain Before You Train Your Body

Very interesting read.

Ironman champ: Train your brain, then your body

By Chrissie Wellington, Special to CNN

February 21, 2012 -- Updated 2141 GMT (0541 HKT)

Chrissie Wellington competes during the Challenge Roth triathlon in July in Roth, Germany.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Chrissie Wellington: Mental fortitude needed to overcome fear, pain and discomfort
• Four-time World Ironman champ writes mantra on her water bottle and on her race wristband
• Keep mental images handy to recall during a race, the triathlete suggests

Editor's note: Chrissie Wellington is a four-time World Ironman champion. She won her fourth title in 2011 after sustaining serious injuries only two weeks before the race. Her autobiography, "A Life Without Limits,"is set to be released Thursday in the UK. It will come out in the United States on May 15.

(CNN) -- Training for a race is like riding a roller coaster -- you experience highs and lows, ups and downs, and more peaks and troughs than the New York Stock Exchange.
Two weeks before I raced at the World Ironman Championships in Kona, Hawaii, last year, I had a bad bike crash. I won the race, not on physical prowess, but on grit, willpower, determination and mental strength.
I hope I showed, through my performance there, that sporting success rests, in part, with having the mental fortitude necessary to overcome our fears, pain and discomfort.
But how does one develop that strength? Is it innate, or can it be learned?
I believe it is the latter. We can all train our brains to be as strong as our bodies.
It sounds simple, but it's so easy to forget. If we let our head drop, our heart drops with it. Keep your head up, and your body is capable of amazing feats. To plunder the words of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, "Don't ever forget that you play with your soul as well as your body."
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The message is this: All the physical strength in the world won't help you if your mind is not prepared. This is part of training for a race -- the part that people don't put in their logbooks, the part that all the monitors, gizmos and gadgets in the world can't influence.
But how do you train your brain to help you achieve your goals? I don't profess to have all, or many, of the answers. But in the five years that I have been a professional triathlete, I have learned a few techniques that help me keep mind over matter and ensure that I can ride the roller coaster of sporting success:
Have a mantra and/or a special song to repeat

Wellington celebrates winning last year's Challenge Roth triathlon with a new long-distance world record.

I write my mantra on my water bottle and on my race wristband. Seeing it gives me a boost and reminds me never to let my head or heart drop.
If you use a permanent marker, be prepared for the wording to stay there long after the race has ended (and that you might receive strange looks from colleagues when you return to work with "I am as strong as an ox" tattooed on your arm).
I also carry a dog-eared copy of Rudyard Kipling's famous poem "If" everywhere I go. I believe the lines of this poem encapsulate the qualities necessary to become a successful athlete and a well-rounded person. Reading it before a race gives me the confidence to pursue my dreams.
Keep a bank of positive mental images
These images can be of family and friends, of previous races, of beautiful scenery, or a big greasy burger.
Draw on these images throughout the race, and especially if you feel the "I am tired. I want to stop. Why did I enter this race? I must be mad" doubts creeping into your mind.
Deliver these negative thoughts a knockout punch before they have the chance to grow and become the mental monster that derails your entire race.
Practice visualization beforehand
In training, when traveling, while sleeping or at work, this is the simple act of closing your eyes (although I don't recommend doing this at a work meeting or while on your bike). Relax your mind and go through each stage of the race one step at a time -- mentally imagining yourself performing at your peak but also successfully overcoming potential problems.
Before Michael Phelps has even entered the water, he has already completed the race in his mind. And won.
You can draw on the visual images (the finish line), the feelings you experience (energy surges) or the sounds you hear (roars of the crowd). That way when you race, you have the peace of mind and confidence that you have already conquered the challenges.
Break the race up into smaller, more manageable segments

Wellington, with Fit Nation participant Denise Castelli, says sporting success rests with having mental fortitude.

I always think of the marathon as four 10 kilometer races with a little bit more at the end.
You might think only about getting to the next aid station, or lamppost or Porta Potty and, from there, set another landmark goal.
Stay in the moment and don't think too far ahead. I also try to breathe deeply and rhythmically; if you calm your breath, you can help calm your mind.
Remember that training is about learning to hurt
Push your physical limits and overcome them in training sessions, so that when you race you know that you have successfully endured pain and discomfort.
You will draw confidence and peace of mind from this knowledge.
Get people to support you
Some people thrive on the support from their family and friends, while others perceive it as added pressure.
Work out what feels right for you, and if necessary, invite friends, family or pets to come and cheer you on. Have them make banners, wear team T-shirts and generally behave in a way that would get them arrested under normal circumstances.
Mentally recall inspirational people
I recall people who have all fought against adversity to complete the Ironman. These people prove that anything truly is possible.
You might want to consider dedicating each mile to a special person in your life. That makes the discomfort easier to bear and will help give you a mental and physical boost.
Consider racing for a cause that is bigger than yourself
For me, it is to establish a platform on which to spread important messages and be a patron for charitable causes. These force me to put the race in perspective and rise to greater heights.
Champions come and go, but to me the real judge of my personal success will be whether I actually do something positive with the opportunities I have been given.
I really hope that, as four-time world champion, I can be a role model and ambassador for the sport that everyone can be proud of.
I hope that these tips provide some of that sporting gold dust, and enable you to have the race you have always dreamed of.
We will all continue to endure the downs and the dark times, but remember that it is overcoming these that makes the success all the more sweeter.
In the words of the great Muhammad Ali: "Success is not achieved by winning all the time. Real success comes when we rise after we fall. Some mountains are higher than others. Some roads steeper than the next. There are hardships and setbacks but you cannot let them stop you. Even on the steepest road you must not turn back".
You might not always have the perfect day, but with the right mental training hopefully the roller-coaster ride will be one to remember. Just remember to celebrate with that huge plate of greasy burger! Good luck!

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/02/21/health/chrissie-wellington-triathlete-champion/index.html

And it all came crashing down....

I believe I jinxed myself today while I was driving home from work and felt this great sense of confidence that came over me as I thought about my very packed schedule for this week. I remember thinking the exact words "I feel so confident and ready, I hope it lasts..." Sort of like the excitement Mr. Wonka felt waiting for all the pressure to build up underneath Augustus...

Thought I'd add at least a little humor to this situation turned sour.

I come home hoping to succeed through the biggest challenge I face in life which I cannot disclose, but man, the issues that come from it can deteriorate my mood so fast that it takes most of my energy to gain back just an ounce of positivity. God usually takes care of the rest. But geez, if this is growth, it sure is taking some time to even notice that things are getting better. I guess that's where faith comes in?

Yes, it'll always get better, but not before it all comes crashing down. I guess that's the beauty of succeeding.

Ah well...another day gone, another day to try harder.

Cheers (with a glass of water),

Q

Setback?

Okay, so maybe I won't call it a setback... I had a good week last week.  From Saturday 2/4 to Saturday 2/11, I got in 2 good runs, a Zumba workout at home, and lost a pound or so just from sticking to just my fruits/veggies, minimal carbs, and enough protein to get me through the day.  I'm trying to keep the "No Excuses" mentality in mind, and to Keep Moving!  Soooo.... last night I was all set.  I went to bed early because I was telling myself that when that clock went off at 4:45am, it would be no excuses... get up and workout!  Oh how I need to have a serious talk with Mr. Snooze Button.  I didn't get up... I snoozed for an hour, and got up, got dressed, and headed to work.  I was tired.  Plain and simply tired.  Why didn't I get a good night's rest?  I don't know what happened, but I was tossing and turning and it sabotaged my early morning appointment with myself. 

It feels like a slight setback, but it's only Monday, so I won't beat myself up totally.  I'm just wondering... how the heck to I keep that commitment to myself, when at 5am, the only one I have to nudge me out of bed is me, my dog, and my alarm clock?  LOL... funny thought, but it's something I'm trying to figure out.

mrv

Keeping this feeling...

 I'm keeping this feeling of slight defeat, regret and a little disappointment in my workout today. The weekend was quite a test of will-power. I attended a company buffet banquet at a BBQ restaurant on Friday, visited the parentals on Saturday (where there's always an opportunity for good eats), and headed over to the Fiance's grandmother's for SuperBowl Sunday (SuperBowl Sunday food plus American grandmother's cookin' is double the temptation!)

Although I was able to workout for a bit Saturday night, I still felt a set-back during today's workout (more sluggish, tight muscles, cramping, winded). For a moment it kind of felt like I was back at square one, like my buddy Simon Pegg:

I realized it wasn't just the Friday and Sunday breaks I took from physical activity, but disorienting my eating habits altogether. Not that having an occasional french fry or ice cream is super bad, but throughout the past month I started developing a good and comfortable eating schedule and started developing some good eating habits as well; portioning out my main meals, eating snacks in between, basically eating every 2-3 hours, and not eating anything after 7:30pm every night. It's great really, and it wasn't so much of a chore or hard to keep up with. I had the right foods in my fridge and pantry, and all I had to do was grab and go when I was in a rush. I tell ya, I realized healthy foods are not so much more expensive than junk food either. A three dollar bag of chips costs the same as 3 whole cucumbers, or 1 bag of carrot sticks, or 3 pounds of bananas. And there's always something healthy on sale every week at the grocer's.

What's difficult about the beginning to this all is the lifestyle change itself. It isn't hard to keep up with now, but that first couple weeks I bought new produce I didn't know what to do with. So I improvised and did some research (thank you Lord for online recipes and WebMD!). Learned about seasonal products (since they are usually cheaper because of their abundance), and started getting involved with others who wanted to live healthier (co-workers, a Facebook Biggest Loser group, and this own final project group for grad school). I think the reason why this is becoming very effective for me is because I'm doing this with others. Giving support is, I believe is so awesome, probably more than getting the support. I love hearing success stories and improvements by others and I love encouraging and keeping up spirits. Philippians 2:3-4 says "Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others."

So I'm keeping this feeling of a minor defeat, but letting it help drive me towards a better tomorrow, and looking to others for inspiration, and hopefully, through this, maybe giving some inspiration as well. It's really about your own pace. Encourage others and you will be encouraged to do good as well!!

Cheers (with a glass of water!) to a healthy lifestyle!
- Quinallison