Athletic success demands critical thinking skills

As you progress as an athlete you must be able to think through both positive and negative athletic outcomes without being hard on yourself. The development of critical thinking skills can mean the difference between staying with the sport you love or abandoning it altogether. The Foundation For Critical Thinking describes critical thinking as “the intellectually disciplined process of actively … Read More

Getting Serious Now!

Oh how many times I have heard this and said this myself. “Its time to get serious about…” This usually is a sign that an athlete is not happy with some aspect of their performance or fitness. Its often heard toward the end of the season or the beginning of the season and daily during the off-season. The bigger question … Read More

This is what’s keeping you from winning

In the last several seasons I have had a slew of top 5 finishes and a number of third place finishes and I am seeing some patterns of why 1st place eluded me and possibly others. Don’t get me wrong I have had several wins as well but not always at the races I wanted the win at. On a … Read More

Grit – traits of great athletes

I have been thinking quite a bit lately about what the traits are that define great athletes. Of course the old adage of picking your parents well has a lot to do with it. However I have seen average folks do well with the talents they have regardless of their genetic gifts. I have also seen athletes make life long … Read More

Mental Toughness Lessons

I shared in a guest post at a friend’s web site last year about a story of one of my toughest Road Races when I first started racing. It was about how I decided I wasn’t a very good climber and how I just couldn’t seem to do well when the roads turned up. My coach was out riding the … Read More

Feeling ready

I hate to say this but as a coach who has worked with endurance athletes of all abilities and race disciplines some times it comes down to how you feel on race day. This doesn’t mean that your hard work, discipline and focus have nothing to do with your success as an athlete. However sometimes how you feel on race … Read More