Getting Focused

ATHLETE TESTIMONIAL & SESSION REVIEW Thanks Tara and the EAS Team for a great Endurance Athlete Summit! The timing during the long slog of a Canadian winter was perfect to re-energize and remind me of the valuable resources we have in this sport. For me triathlon has always been about more than just athletic performance, it's been about relationships and how this sport brings people together. Obviously health and wellness are important, but for me equally important is the community and the knowledge we all share with each other. The EAS really optimized that for me. I haven’t been in the sport long, but over the past three years I feel like I done a fair amount of research and the EAS demonstrated you can never stop learning. I took something away from each and every session; I’ll do a better job cleaning my bike after each long trainer ride - thanks Nick and from Kevin, I have a better sense of what all the myriad of numbers on Training Peaks mean and thanks to the inspirational speakers and those that have endured so many personal and health challenges and continue to push through endurance sports, it’s super inspiring ….the list goes on and on with the helpful hints and knowledge shared. A big take away for me though was Corey’s session on mental performance. I spend a lot of time struggling with self doubt and imposter syndrome in this sport. I’ve been known to beat myself up for not being as fast as others and I’m full of lots of doubt in my performance. What was valuable about her talk was the assurance that I’m not alone. Self doubt is a common issue in sport and that mental performance needs to planned and practised just as our personal fitness does. The mental side of race preparation is just as important as the physical and her techniques for calming my inner critique have been extremely helpful. I’m applying these each time those feelings of doubt creep in. It is all about ‘befriending that pre-race anxiety’ and using it to enhance performance and of course remind ourselves we do this for fun and it should be fun. I look forward to continuing on my own path of mental performance management. I recognize I’m not alone and appreciated knowing that. Thanks again EAS looking forward to next year’s summit. Kim Carlin, Age Group Triathlete, Toronto