Don't Wait To Think

Completing my first sprint triathlon in Desaru was a great experience for me. It made me think and re-position myself in the world of athletes. People may look up to me as an 'oxygen tank' but to think about it now, I'm just a small 'kacang' with a small 'oxygen tank'.

In the pursuit of becoming a better athlete or world class athlete (if God permits), I've drawn many lessons from elite athletes through reading their blogs/web/interview/etc. One thing I learned about the mental is, you gotta practice using it consistently, just like any form of physical training. The balance between both will distinct us from our competitors.

“One of the major errors athletes make is using mental skills, such as mental imagery and self-talk, only immediately before and during competition,” says Nicole Kulikov, PhD, a 2:45 marathoner and fitness professor at Holyoke Community College who specializes in sports psychology. “Like any form of physical training, it needs to start in practice sessions.”

[Click here for further reading]

This really speaks of me, I tend to talk to myself (self motivation not coo coo case) more during race day than my training sessions. Time to change.

[BP 3/08/09]