Physical Tuning | Skills & Drills | Thought Design | Team Work

Awareness of the Mind
The First Step to Success

As many of you already know, athletic success requires attention to both physical and mental preparation. Somehow, finding time to squeeze in that daily training run or weekly weight-lifting session is manageable. Yet, how many of you actually spend time mentally preparing for the next big race, or event ? You surely get those all-important "long runs" completed leading up to your marathon. Or, you accomplish those essential bi-weekly interval sessions before you venture into your first 5K race of the season. But how many of you marathoners have actually practiced visualizing yourself through miles 18 to 24, the point in a marathon when one starts to question their "existence" and "sanity" for having chosen to run such a ridiculously long distance. A time when the mind must have authority over the body, because the body is ready for a beer and a recliner. Through this column, I hope to offer some challenging thoughts and practical techniques that you can practice in conjunction with your physical training program. These will assist you in reaching your athletic goal(s).

For starters, I would like to challenge you to reflect on some of the behavioral and thought patterns reinforced by our culture's competitive systems, which I believe interfere with our athletic and personal joy and fulfillment. Most athletes today:

• Constantly struggle for external recognition rather than internal satisfaction.
• Measure their self-worth as an athlete or person solely on the outcome of their performances in sport, work or relationships.
• Focus on attaining perfection in every task, instead of seeing life as a journey in search of continual learning and self-improvement.
• Have unrealistic expectations that result in frustration, disappointment and distraction.
• Blame others when things go wrong, and so, feel a lack of control.
• Condemn themselves for their failures, setbacks, and mistakes and so develop a poor sense of self.

Liza York, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist in Longmont. She provides clinical and sport psychological services to children through adults. She has worked with recreational to national level athletes. For consultation call: (970) 231-7021 or email.