Condition Spiritually -“Without mental and spiritual conditioning, even the best conditioned athlete will be limited in his or her performance. Training, rest and nutrition can only take us so far. You need mental, moral and spiritual conditioning to determine and maintain a balanced lifestyle.”
This is perhaps one of most under considered aspects of training by most triathletes. How is it that spiritual conditioning can enhance your overall effort and career as a triathlete? To understand this better, lets look closer at the three key elements.
Mental, Moral & Spiritual
Ok, so you’ve done you last brick workout, your physique is at its peak, and you’re ready to race – but are you? How many of us, and this may include you, have been exactly in this same place – ready to “rock ‘n roll” in an upcoming race, because you know you’ve done everything possible – physically – yet come race day you race poorly or even DNF’ed. Most likely the answer lies in the fact that you forgot, or even didn’t consider, the mental, moral, and spiritual aspects of your training and racing.
In reality, these three elements fall under the same umbrella, right-minded thinking. If there is an imbalance somewhere in your being in even one of these elements, it can be like the proverbial “crack in the dam”, and it usually lies below the surface in your subconscious. A damaged or undeveloped mentality (i.e. triathloning for the wrong reasons), morality (i.e. cheating during the race, poor sportsmanship) and spirituality (i.e. a connectedness to a Higher Power that results in faith and confidence) can undermine your physical preparedness almost every time.
How To Develop It
You busted your butt in training your body to be ready to swim, bike, and run, because you had a plan and a coach, but you can also create a realistic strategy to develop your mental, moral, and spiritual strength, too. It all begins with your own mind.
Find time to regularly get in a quiet place (you can even do this on a long solo run or ride), and just contemplate what these elements mean to you perhaps through meditation. You certainly don’t have to be religious to connect with your Source – the true power of your being. It will take more than a one-time effort, especially if you’ve never even considered these aspects in your training, but with consistent practice you will develop these building blocks of the mental, moral, and spiritual.
When mental and spiritual conditioning is combined with your physical preparation for your next event, you really will be ready to rock ‘n roll, because of you now have a very real, rock solid foundation.
Triathlon Geek.
www.TriathlonGeek.com
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