Intro:
I first stumbled upon the concept of mindfulness in endurance around 2013 when reading Mark Allen’s book, on how he eventually took down the great Dave Scott in 1989 in the Iron War! (Keep in mind the times the guys are racing in Kona today are not any faster than these two legends did back then, especially their run times!). Mark’s process of getting his training done and his approach to racing inspired my mental approach and helped me go from thinking I would never attain ‘The Holy Grail of Triathlon’ (a place in Kona), to eventually racing on the Big Island in 2016.
As a coach having evolved from conventional sports psychology to a more mindful practice, I embarked on a mission to put more meat on the bones on how to help the athletes I coach become more aware of their approach to training and racing.
Then I came across studies like the below, looking at mindfulness in elite endurance athletes and studies close to my heart on military personnel and PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Coming from a military background and seeing the damage PTSD has done to some friends and colleagues returning from conflict zones, it’s heartwarming the positive effect mPEAK training can have on sufferers.
This work is hugely exciting when we see what happens within the brain after working through the mPEAK programme. The difference in brain activity between subjects who have undergone mPEAK training and those who have not is truly phenomenal (a few of the studies below).
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2015.00229/full
About mPEAK & endurance sport…
When in flow, athletes are calm but highly alert, they don’t feel the need to distract from uncomfortable or painful experiences, instead they learn to lean into them.
‘FLOW’ is recognised as the most desirable state in sport’
The mPEAK program boosts the human capacity of mindfulness through established and empirically supported practices and exercise. The programme is built on pioneering research using fMRI scans of the brain whilst putting participants under increased stress and studying their brain activity…
mPEAK is like JEDI training for endurance athletes!
The Flow State
. Develop greater focus and concentration
· Tap into the power “flow states” during endurance performance
· Learn to live in the NOW (process) and let go of the attachment to outcome
Developing resilience…
. Learning how to accept & lean into physically painful experiences
· Practice responding wisely to stress rather than reacting out of fear
. Tapping into nature and drawing from this natural energy source
Quiet mind…
· Recognize and shift from critical to compassionate self talk
· Process and learn from inevitable mistakes
· Leverage personal strengths and stretching your personal edges without giving up
mPEAK & real coaching…
Most coaches know enough about the technical, physical & physiological elements of triathlon & this works well when the athlete is in FLOW & seemingly untouchable. However what do coaches/ athletes do when the wheels come off? Or the elite athlete to make the Olympic Games, has to improve from mid pac to front pac in their swim?
Instructing an athlete to ‘relax’ tightens them up further… (more noise in their head).
You can nail the swim in training & for the first few hundred metres in the race… then you start to ‘think’ and this tightens you up & you go backwards.
Are you able to stay focused during the Ironman bike leg or does your mind wander?
What about a loss of confidence “I just need a good race to get my confidence back.” Really, you want to lean on lady luck for your personal mastery?
Are you struggling to push through uncomfortable segments in racing/ training?
What about the athlete who always has gut issues during an ultra endurance event? Is this psychosomatic?
Meditation …
One of the key practices allowing athletes to find the elusive FLOW state…