Mental Toughness (Part 1 of Toughness, Goals and Doubt)

[voriax]

Staying mentally tough for me is all about knowing where the finish line is. Right now, the big Ironman finish line is almost 7 months away which seems way out there. But between here and there I have a lot of little finish lines to cross.

The little finish lines start with the day's workout. Then it's about finishing the workouts for the week.

Comments

[aeshna_cerulea]

I am amazed and awed at your ability to race an Ironman. Do you train inside on days like today? Do you train every day in a week? Or do you give yourself days off? Congratulations on your run and good luck in your further training.

[voriax]

Yup, I train even on days like today. Swimming is not weather dependent, so that would be a no-brainer on a day like today. A run is not out of the question either. I don't mind running in the cold, and fresh snow gives surprisingly decent traction. Biking on the other hand...I'm a wimp when it comes to biking in bad weather. I used to joke that I won't ride unless the predicted high for the day is at least 60 degrees. But I have a resistance trainer in the basement so I can get on the bike and go nowhere fast for as long as my sanity holds out. Which is not more than about an hour. I train six days out of seven - gotta have a day off for physical and mental health.

[harmonicfission]

I enjoy hearing about what goes in that head of yours. The idea of little finish lines is, of course, an easy one to apply to any situation. Reading your post I find myself noticing what the little finish lines are for me in my teaching. Writing a given lecture, grading a given exam, etc.

As for the temptation to back off "just a little" I find that one of my biggest problems is that even when backing off is indeed the most prudent move I am unable to do it. There are areas in my life where I don't know how to do anything but push all-out... which isn't always the best idea.

Thanks for sharing!

[ladypentacles]

I think I'm going to try for the Danskin again this summer. I am SADLY out of shape and need a finish line to try for and I think it's it. That gives me 3 months to build a base and six months to train (or so) and I think I'm going to go for it!

Thanks for always being such a huge inspiration.

[aeshna_cerulea]

Hey, hey...just writing to say I miss your entries. :)