Am I being soft or is my body telling me I need to rest?  Our mind can play havoc on us if we let it.  And despite what it might appear like on the surface we all have negative self-talk. It’s part of being human. When we do hard things such as endurance sport and the intensity of the exercise becomes harder our brain has a primary instinct to protect us.  However, one thing I have learnt in my time as coach and athlete is we are capable of so much more than what we think. I would argue that if you think you are at your limit then you are at about 50% of your capacity.  I ..read more

Come Easter Time 2022 I was done with COVID, lock downs, events being cancelled and was starting to question my purpose as an athlete and a coach. The economy was taking a beating and our own communities were being torn apart due to the current state of play. No events being held, people isolating and a general sense of malaise in the air. Life is a juggling act at the best of times. I’ve been coaching for the last seven years, first as a personal trainer in fitness studios in Auckland and now multi-sport athletes of all abilities here in Taupo. One thing that is common for them all is being ..read more

In a World dominated by numbers, wins, losses, outcomes and at worst comparing ourselves to others, how should we define success?  Especially in endurance sport, where our finishing time is often used as the sole metric to define success. It’s a natural thing to set a time goal for a race we want to do. It’s also natural to ask someone what time they did when they completed a certain event.  However, if time is our only way we define success then I believe we’re missing so much more to what I believe success looks like. At a recent squad training session, I was coaching we had a new ..read more

In conversations recently with different athletes about the cancellation of events, it’s been interesting to reflect on how people approach things outside of their control.  And the cancellation of events certainly falls into that category. In my previous blog I wrote about motivation  https://worldmultisport.com/2022/04/11/where-has-my-motivation-gone/.  I thought it prudent to follow up with something that is about the step forward. What do you do next?  What event should I do? Triathlon is a great sport due to its cross-discipline nature of swim, bike and run.  It ..read more

What do you do when the event you have been training for gets cancelled?  You have worked towards this event for the best part of 12 months and then for reasons outside of your control, it’s cancelled. This has been the scenario for everyone that was scheduled to do Ironman New Zealand recently.  COVID and its flow on effects meant the 2022 edition of Ironman New Zealand was unfortunately cancelled.  Now in the scheme of current World events it’s not a big deal. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t be disappointed and even feel sorry for yourself.  With such a big goal dri ..read more

After my last blog post - The 10 commandments of endurance training https://worldmultisport.com/2021/10/21/the-10-commandments-of-endurance-training/ I thought it was time to make a confession! Earlier this week I wasn't able to coach my squad sessions for a couple of days. I said I wasn't feeling well. Physically I was fine, in fact I had a couple of okay days training. However, mentally I was struggling! I have debated to myself about sharing this because our natural response when someone says they are not feeling well is to think it is something physical. But what would have been the respo ..read more

The 10 commandments in the Bible tells us what we should not do, such as though shall not steal. The same applies to endurance training. There are some things that we should avoid, a 10 commandments of endurance training. By following these 10 commandments of endurance training I can't promise you'll be cleansed of your 'training sins'. However, I can promise you'll perform better, be healthier and have greater levels of enjoyment. 1. Thou shall not compare one's self to others - comparison is the thief of joy.  Do not fall into the trap of comparing yourself against others. The onl ..read more

October 10th was World Mental Health Day.  With incidences of depression, suicide and mental illness on the increase I believe it is important that we do all we can to remove the stigma around mental illness and share personal stories. As someone who suffers from depression and as recently as last year couldn't see a way out I felt it was important to share some of my story.  Additionally with numerous incidences of bullying, intimidation and more tragically suicide being linked to elite sporting bodies I am hoping my story will change the sometimes damaging culture that contributes ..read more

This blog post is written by Tucker Goodrich who has blog site called Yelling Stop. So you've decided to start heart-rate training (HRT). Congratulations! Or you've been training and you've hit a rough patch, and need a little encouragement. Since I discovered it through the work of Dr. Phil Maffetone several years ago I have enjoyed great success with it, and I've seen others also enjoy the benefits. But, HRT can be a bit challenging. The key to HRT is that most of your workouts are, well, easy. But the mental part of it can be tough, especially if you're a hard-charging Type A perso ..read more

Something I repeat to the athletes I coach is to focus on the process.  Be present in the moment and put your energies into what you are doing at the time and the details around that.  Let the outcome take care of itself which will happen if you follow a process. In a World where we’re consumed by distraction and it’s easy to chase the brass ring, the ability to be present and stay in the process is where you will find success.  It is when we take ourselves out of the process and start to think about the outcome that things can and often fall apart.  However, it is easier ..read more