Iron Man comes to Boulder Colorado. Alicia Brillon (my good friend and client) will race in the August 2nd Boulder IM. We never thought an IM would come to Boulder, when we took this photo shortly after Alicia moved to Salt Lake City.

                                                  A great mid to late summer tip:
                                                             Mental Preparation. 

Competition mental preparation are critical factors related to success in races and in life, in general.


My client/athlete, Clare Zecher finished the Lake Placid IM last weekend and found herself in a predicament. Not only did the officials have to "dump" the second swim lap and T1, Clare had a major wheel mechanical on ther first bike loop.

Most racers would have been out of the running (no pun intended) and given up. A dream lost after so many months of preparation. Not for Clare. She had a mental plan ready and she transferred what she was intending to use for/on the race to the attention needed to stay calm why neutral support helped her with her mechanical. Staying calm allowed her to use up some nervous energy when finally getting back onto the bike and make up some precious time. By the time Clare got into the run, she was calm and back on track and stayed in the moment. Clare did a PR on her run and came in under 12 hours. Way to go Clare!

Alicia also has a plan to stay focused while racing this weekend in Boulder.

Here's how to stay focused.

Use this great tip for your Boulder IM race (this weekend) http://www.ironman.com/triathlon/events/americas/ironman/boulder.aspx#axzz393YxExfJ
or use this tip for getting through another racing event, a tough day, or use this tip/technique for . It's a good lesson to "live in the moment". My best races and training events are where I practiced staying in the present moment. It's also called "The Zone" or some call it "The Flow". Try it.

(1) Use the time leading up to your race day having a well developed competitive routine. These few days are not just for physical recovery. It's about a mental plan, too.

(2) Have before hand and say positive affirmations all the way up to the start of the race.

(3) Practicing and thinking about these mental preparedness techniques will allow you to get into that state of mind quickly, while otherwise you may expend precious energy being nervous.

(4) Bring yourself back into the moment when you find your mind drifting during your race/event. Use a practiced key word that will allow you to pay attention to what you are doing in that very moment. Be in each and every moment. I use the work "go".




Good luck everyone. Be mindful of each and every moment.

And a big good luck to Alicia and good work Clare.