This post is rated Sprinters, Olympians and Ironman.

Alone With Your Thoughts

I need to make a confession. I struggle with perspective more than anything in my life. Too often I waste attention on what’s immediate rather than important. I allow my circumstances to overtake my vision and its often enough to derail my entire day. Can you relate?

What do you focus on day in and day out with regard to the year?

Let’s get practical for a moment. What is your most important goal for your 2014 season? Do you have a particular race that is more important than all the others? Ok, let’s start with the destination in mind. What exactly has to happen between now and your race date to ensure that you are prepared to perform at top level? Can you picture it, or better yet have you recorded it?

Ok, now that we’ve gotten this far I need to let you in on a little secret…NOT EVERYTHING WILL GO ACCORDING TO YOUR PLAN! Newsflash, you are human living in an imperfect world. No matter how great your intentions are you will get sidetracked. It is in these moments that proper perspective is so important. You don’t get to choose what happens to you each day but you can choose your focus.

Will you allow your circumstances to steal you away from executing a good workout? What happens if you flat on a long training ride? What if you pull a hamstring during a track workout? What if the swimmer on the other side of your lane runs into you and knocks your goggles off? These are all less than favorable scenarios, but they can and do happen. The critical question is how will you let it affect you?

Ask yourself (in the moment) “will this matter tomorrow or the next day? Will this negatively impact my A race in 2014?” If this answer is no, redirect your focus and keep your cool. Perspective will keep you in the game longer and allow you to train more consistently on the long haul.