In the aftermath of Spartan Picton, I’ve had heaps of athletes describe to me just how tough it was, how much they struggled.
From the unseasonable mid thirties heat, to the fact that literally every single plant there seems to want you dead, racers left that venue feeling like they’d had the shit punched out of them.
It left me once again pondering this insane fucking sport that’s dominated my life for the last 6 years or so.
Obstacle Course Racing is incredible for building resilience, it really will change your life for the better if you let it. I consider it to be a form of bottled adversity, discomfort that you can access on demand.
I’m a firm believer that we need discomfort in our lives. We are creatures of conflict and if we don’t have battles of our own choosing, those battles will spill out where we aren’t expecting them and where it’s hardly convenient.
If we don’t constantly force ourselves to do difficult things, then the simple things in our life become difficult in their place.
Many of you who exercise regularly probably know how fast everything goes to hell when you stop. Movement is medicine and there’s something deeply therapeutic about pushing your body hard. For me it’s pretty much a requisite for my stable mental health.
I’m not saying you have to get heat stroked and have your limbs sliced up by angry Picton bushes to get this effect either, but some of us lean to the extreme side of things and Spartan is incredible for those who do.
An interesting thing about a tough course like Picton though is that it can become difficult to remember why you are out there, to stay positive. Sliding into dispair while tripping about in your dehydrated stupor can really take the gloss off of what should really be a great time with your friends.
How you frame things in your mind is so essential in life. It is especially important in sports psychology.
Take two babies and put them in a puddle and one will splash and play, the other will scream and cry. They are both in the same situation but are reacting very differently to it.
Obviously a baby can’t directly influence their own mental processes, at least not in any way that’s observable, but I give it as an example to make it clear that people have different traits from day one. We are all born different.
I’m sure if you fast forward through the lives of those two babies, the happy splashing baby will probably be more optimistic, generally happier and have lower anxiety. This baby will most likely live longer. The unhappy baby will be the opposite. A heap of studies have been done on why optimistic people live longer, chronic stress is terrible for us and their attitude when exposed to challenge will shape the lives of these infants. Providing neither of them change.
And that’s really my point, you might have preloaded traits but that doesn’t mean you can’t work on changing them. You can become more optimistic over time and struggling through a Spartan Race is an amazing time to work on that.
I promise you, if you are out on course miserable about how hot it is, how cut up and chafed you are or how you keep going the wrong way because you have race brain, you’ll have a bad time and your performance will nose dive.
Racing isn’t easy, you can be damn sure the people winning the race are suffering too, it just doesn’t help them in any way to focus on it. This is true on the course and off it.
How you frame things is everything and it is as simple as what you are choosing to focus on.
I was as heat stroked and cut up as everyone out there, but I genuinely enjoyed being on course. I loved filming the elite athletes, loved catching up with friends and clients and enjoyed getting back to the venue that started it all for me back in 2016. It’s still completely wild that this is somehow my job and I couldn’t be more grateful for where I’ve ended up.
Focusing on the good and ignoring the bad may be simple but it isn’t necessarily easy. It takes constant work and I’m always looking for opportunities to do that work. It’s part of why I enjoy spartan so much and I think this outlook is why I can perform at high levels when I need to.
I’m never the fittest out there, but I’ll put myself up against anyone as one of the toughest and it’s mostly just because I choose to keep my rose coloured glasses on when it comes to my suffering. I view really tough events as challenges that will make me better, especially when shit isn’t going to plan.
If you want to perform better on and off the course, working on improving the internal monologue that plays may be a game changer for you.
So next time you’re struggling on course (or life), stop for a minute and take a deep breath. Have a think about what might actually be going well for you, what positives can be found or what lessons can be extracted from your sitIn the aftermath of Spartan Picton, I’ve had heaps of athletes describe to me just how tough it was, how much they struggled.
From the unseasonable mid thirties heat, to the fact that literally every single plant there seems to want you dead, racers left that venue feeling like they’d had the shit punched out of them.
It left me once again pondering this insane fucking sport that’s dominated my life for the last 6 years or so.
Obstacle Course Racing is incredible for building resilience, it really will change your life for the better if you let it. I consider it to be a form of bottled adversity, discomfort that you can access on demand.
I’m a firm believer that we need discomfort in our lives. We are creatures of conflict and if we don’t have battles of our own choosing, those battles will spill out where we aren’t expecting them and where it’s hardly convenient.
If we don’t constantly force ourselves to do difficult things, then the simple things in our life become difficult in their place.
Many of you who exercise regularly probably know how fast everything goes to hell when you stop. Movement is medicine and there’s something deeply therapeutic about pushing your body hard. For me it’s pretty much a requisite for my stable mental health.
I’m not saying you have to get heat stroked and have your limbs sliced up by angry Picton bushes to get this effect either, but some of us lean to the extreme side of things and Spartan is incredible for those who do.
An interesting thing about a tough course like Picton though is that it can become difficult to remember why you are out there, to stay positive. Sliding into dispair while tripping about in your dehydrated stupor can really take the gloss off of what should really be a great time with your friends.
How you frame things in your mind is so essential in life. It is especially important in sports psychology.
Take two babies and put them in a puddle and one will splash and play, the other will scream and cry. They are both in the same situation but are reacting very differently to it.
Obviously a baby can’t directly influence their own mental processes, at least not in any way that’s observable, but I give it as an example to make it clear that people have different traits from day one. We are all born different.
I’m sure if you fast forward through the lives of those two babies, the happy splashing baby will probably be more optimistic, generally happier and have lower anxiety. This baby will most likely live longer. The unhappy baby will be the opposite. Providing neither of them change.
And that’s really my point, you might have preloaded traits but that doesn’t mean you can’t work on changing them. You can become more optimistic over time and struggling through a Spartan Race is an amazing time to work on that.
I promise you, if you are out on course miserable about how hot it is, how cut up and chafed you are or how you keep going the wrong way because you have race brain, you’ll have a bad time and your performance will nose dive.
Racing isn’t easy, you can be damn sure the people winning the race are suffering too, it just doesn’t help them in any way to focus on it. This is true on the course and off it.
How you frame things is everything and it is as simple as what you are choosing to focus on.
I was as heat stroked and cut up as everyone out there, but I genuinely enjoyed being on course. I loved filming the elite athletes, loved catching up with friends and clients and enjoyed getting back to the venue that started it all for me back in 2016. It’s still completely wild that this is somehow my job and I couldn’t be more grateful for where I’ve ended up.
Focusing on the good and ignoring the bad may be simple but it isn’t necessarily easy. It takes constant work and I’m always looking for opportunities to do that work. It’s part of why I enjoy spartan so much and I think this outlook is why I can perform at high levels when I need to.
I’m never the fittest out there, but I’ll put myself up against anyone as one of the toughest and it’s mostly just because I choose to keep my rose coloured glasses on when it comes to my suffering. I view really tough events as challenges that will make me better, especially when shit isn’t going to plan.
If you want to perform better on and off the course, working on improving the internal monologue that plays may be a game changer for you.
So next time you’re struggling on course (or life), stop for a minute and take a deep breath. Have a think about what might actually be going well for you, what positives can be found or what lessons can be extracted from your situation.
I find this immensely helpful and I’m sure you will too.
The athletes that can stay in a good headspace about their suffering on the course are going to be those that get to the finish line first.
The people that can stay in a good headspace about their suffering in life are going to live happier, longer lives. uation.
I find this immensely helpful and I’m sure you will too.
The athletes that can stay in a good headspace about their suffering on the course are going to be those that get to the finish line first. In the aftermath of Spartan Picton, I’ve had heaps of athletes describe to me just how tough it was, how much they struggled.
From the unseasonable mid thirties heat, to the fact that literally every single plant there seems to want you dead, racers left that venue feeling like they’d had the shit punched out of them.
It left me once again pondering this insane fucking sport that’s dominated my life for the last 6 years or so.
Obstacle Course Racing is incredible for building resilience, it really will change your life for the better if you let it. I consider it to be a form of bottled adversity, discomfort that you can access on demand.
I’m a firm believer that we need discomfort in our lives. We are creatures of conflict and if we don’t have battles of our own choosing, those battles will spill out where we aren’t expecting them and where it’s hardly convenient.
If we don’t constantly force ourselves to do difficult things, then the simple things in our life become difficult in their place.
Many of you who exercise regularly probably know how fast everything goes to hell when you stop. Movement is medicine and there’s something deeply therapeutic about pushing your body hard. For me it’s pretty much a requisite for my stable mental health.
I’m not saying you have to get heat stroked and have your limbs sliced up by angry Picton bushes to get this effect either, but some of us lean to the extreme side of things and Spartan is incredible for those who do.
An interesting thing about a tough course like Picton though is that it can become difficult to remember why you are out there, to stay positive. Sliding into dispair while tripping about in your dehydrated stupor can really take the gloss off of what should really be a great time with your friends.
How you frame things in your mind is so essential in life. It is especially important in sports psychology.
Take two babies and put them in a puddle and one will splash and play, the other will scream and cry. They are both in the same situation but are reacting very differently to it.
Obviously a baby can’t directly influence their own mental processes, at least not in any way that’s observable, but I give it as an example to make it clear that people have different traits from day one. We are all born different.
I’m sure if you fast forward through the lives of those two babies, the happy splashing baby will probably be more optimistic, generally happier and have lower anxiety. This baby will most likely live longer. The unhappy baby will be the opposite. Providing neither of them change.
And that’s really my point, you might have preloaded traits but that doesn’t mean you can’t work on changing them. You can become more optimistic over time and struggling through a Spartan Race is an amazing time to work on that.
I promise you, if you are out on course miserable about how hot it is, how cut up and chafed you are or how you keep going the wrong way because you have race brain, you’ll have a bad time and your performance will nose dive.
Racing isn’t easy, you can be damn sure the people winning the race are suffering too, it just doesn’t help them in any way to focus on it. This is true on the course and off it.
How you frame things is everything and it is as simple as what you are choosing to focus on.
I was as heat stroked and cut up as everyone out there, but I genuinely enjoyed being on course. I loved filming the elite athletes, loved catching up with friends and clients and enjoyed getting back to the venue that started it all for me back in 2016. It’s still completely wild that this is somehow my job and I couldn’t be more grateful for where I’ve ended up.
Focusing on the good and ignoring the bad may be simple but it isn’t necessarily easy. It takes constant work and I’m always looking for opportunities to do that work. It’s part of why I enjoy spartan so much and I think this outlook is why I can perform at high levels when I need to.
I’m never the fittest out there, but I’ll put myself up against anyone as one of the toughest and it’s mostly just because I choose to keep my rose coloured glasses on when it comes to my suffering. I view really tough events as challenges that will make me better, especially when shit isn’t going to plan.
If you want to perform better on and off the course, working on improving the internal monologue that plays may be a game changer for you.
So next time you’re struggling on course (or life), stop for a minute and take a deep breath. Have a think about what might actually be going well for you, what positives can be found or what lessons can be extracted from your situation.
I find this immensely helpful and I’m sure you will too.
The athletes that can stay in a good headspace about their suffering on the course are going to be those that get to the finish line first.
The people that can stay in a good headspace about their suffering in life are going to live happier, longer lives. In the aftermath of Spartan Picton, I’ve had heaps of athletes describe to me just how tough it was, how much they struggled.
From the unseasonable mid thirties heat, to the fact that literally every single plant there seems to want you dead, racers left that venue feeling like they’d had the shit punched out of them.
It left me once again pondering this insane fucking sport that’s dominated my life for the last 6 years or so.
Obstacle Course Racing is incredible for building resilience, it really will change your life for the better if you let it. I consider it to be a form of bottled adversity, discomfort that you can access on demand.
I’m a firm believer that we need discomfort in our lives. We are creatures of conflict and if we don’t have battles of our own choosing, those battles will spill out where we aren’t expecting them and where it’s hardly convenient.
If we don’t constantly force ourselves to do difficult things, then the simple things in our life become difficult in their place.
Many of you who exercise regularly probably know how fast everything goes to hell when you stop. Movement is medicine and there’s something deeply therapeutic about pushing your body hard. For me it’s pretty much a requisite for my stable mental health.
I’m not saying you have to get heat stroked and have your limbs sliced up by angry Picton bushes to get this effect either, but some of us lean to the extreme side of things and Spartan is incredible for those who do.
An interesting thing about a tough course like Picton though is that it can become difficult to remember why you are out there, to stay positive. Sliding into dispair while tripping about in your dehydrated stupor can really take the gloss off of what should really be a great time with your friends.
How you frame things in your mind is so essential in life. It is especially important in sports psychology.
Take two babies and put them in a puddle and one will splash and play, the other will scream and cry. They are both in the same situation but are reacting very differently to it.
Obviously a baby can’t directly influence their own mental processes, at least not in any way that’s observable, but I give it as an example to make it clear that people have different traits from day one. We are all born different.
I’m sure if you fast forward through the lives of those two babies, the happy splashing baby will probably be more optimistic, generally happier and have lower anxiety. This baby will most likely live longer. The unhappy baby will be the opposite. Providing neither of them change.
And that’s really my point, you might have preloaded traits but that doesn’t mean you can’t work on changing them. You can become more optimistic over time and struggling through a Spartan Race is an amazing time to work on that.
I promise you, if you are out on course miserable about how hot it is, how cut up and chafed you are or how you keep going the wrong way because you have race brain, you’ll have a bad time and your performance will nose dive.
Racing isn’t easy, you can be damn sure the people winning the race are suffering too, it just doesn’t help them in any way to focus on it. This is true on the course and off it.
How you frame things is everything and it is as simple as what you are choosing to focus on.
I was as heat stroked and cut up as everyone out there, but I genuinely enjoyed being on course. I loved filming the elite athletes, loved catching up with friends and clients and enjoyed getting back to the venue that started it all for me back in 2016. It’s still completely wild that this is somehow my job and I couldn’t be more grateful for where I’ve ended up.
Focusing on the good and ignoring the bad may be simple but it isn’t necessarily easy. It takes constant work and I’m always looking for opportunities to do that work. It’s part of why I enjoy spartan so much and I think this outlook is why I can perform at high levels when I need to.
I’m never the fittest out there, but I’ll put myself up against anyone as one of the toughest and it’s mostly just because I choose to keep my rose coloured glasses on when it comes to my suffering. I view really tough events as challenges that will make me better, especially when shit isn’t going to plan.
If you want to perform better on and off the course, working on improving the internal monologue that plays may be a game changer for you.
So next time you’re struggling on course (or life), stop for a minute and take a deep breath. Have a think about what might actually be going well for you, what positives can be found or what lessons can be extracted from your situation.
I find this immensely helpful and I’m sure you will too.
The athletes that can stay in a good headspace about their suffering on the course are going to be those that get to the finish line first.
The people that can stay in a good headspace about their suffering in life are going to live happier, longer lives.
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