You can do absolutely everything right in training – proper technique, nutrition, recovery, having a good coach, etc., but you simply may not make it to the finish line if you don’t have faith. While all of these qualities are pretty concrete, faith is more in the realm of the abstract.
How would you develope faith as an integral part of your triathlon training?
There are three key elements you can easily use to develop faith:
1. Visualize it – Most, if not all, successful athletes will tell you to see yourself in your mind’s eye performing exactly how you want things to be. Literally see yourself in high definition, coming across the finish line of your race with a big smile on your face, with the crowd cheering you on. See the finish line clock with the exact time of your goal finishing time. Think about this, all actions and achievements were nothing but thoughts before they were transformed into their physical equivalent.
2. Speak it – This is another powerful element of creating real faith that you will achieve your triathlon goals. As with visualizing, speaking your intentions and goals out loud adds another aspect of energy in solidifying into physical reality what it is you wish to create and achieve with your triathlon goals. Visualizing plus speaking it out loud with strong emotion and purpose will amp-up the power of real faith.
3. Act out loud - Turn visualization into action by acting out your finish line crossing. When I coach triathletes in track, I do a mock race finish line moment with athletes gathered around a finishing line ribbon cheering each person on as he or she enters the finish line shoot with arms held up high. The feeling is phenomenal and quite real. Finishing the race now feels like a reality.
When it comes to the subject of faith, it doesn’t have to be complex or abstract. As a matter of fact, it’s best to make it simple.
Have faith that by having a training strategy in place and executing your train plan, you will cross the finish line and perhaps accomplish one of the hardest endurance challenge in your life.
Coach JD
TriathlonGeek.com
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