Mental training for triathletes

Winter, pre-season and periods without competitions in general are especially suitable times for the triathlete to work on their psychological capacities, complementing their technical and physical preparation.

Over the years, this set of small improvements results in the brands that he is achieving, and these, in turn, condition his ideas about his progression, what he is good at and what is not so good. All this is part of the self-concept, which is closely linked to self-confidence , a very determining factor in any sporting performance.

This factor and others such as stress, attention, activation level and motivation are not fixed factors and can be worked on. Discover how you can train your mind to be a better triathlete.

How should triathletes train the mind?

As a good starting point, it would be good to read something about the role of the mind in sport. There are a multitude of published works, both aimed at high performance and at lower-level practice. Banish the idea of training based exclusively on physical work and find a way to become a more complete triathlete. Analyze how you have done in the past season and set yourself above all realistic achievement goals , not just marks or rankings. This means objectives such as optimizing stride or pedaling, better automating transitions, overcoming the stress of swimming in the middle of the group, etc….

Try to learn some psychological skills like relaxation, visualization, self-registration, modeling, or self-instruction. Few people possess the innate qualities to develop all these abilities to a high level. It is advisable to seek the help of specialists in this area, who can be found through sports clubs, triathlon federations or individually.

entrenamiento mental para triatletas

How to start applying psychological techniques in triathlon?

1. Objective analysis of your performance

You can always start with simple techniques such as video recordings of your training and competitions and their subsequent analysis with your coach, or compare it with those of other colleagues. This will help you realize what you really do instead of “what you think you do .” It is especially useful in very technical gestures such as position on the bicycle, coordination of movements while swimming, foot rests in race or in the sequence of actions during the transition.

2. Self-instructions

The use of self-instructions is also easy. They are keywords or phrases that we choose to mentally reinforce some very important aspects and achieve efficient technical execution or other purposes. Here are some examples:

  • Cycling: “Round pedaling”, “Smooth descent”
  • Running: “Open lungs, loose shoulders”, “Quick feet, light feet”
  • Swimming: “1, 2, 3, air”, “Pull and finish”

You can use these phrases in conjunction with other purposes such as tactically positioning yourself in the group, keeping an eye on a specific opponent, or motivating yourself in difficult times. For some triathletes who find it difficult to control their nerves in the minutes before a race (especially if this is the first in which you have the opportunity to participate).

Self-instructions are a way to keep your mind shielded from negative thoughts that distract you from your goal. It will be important that you choose your own words, with which you feel most comfortable, and use them at the right time.

técnicas psicológicas en el triatlón

3. Self-efficacy

In many cases, the physical limitations of athletes come from their perception of themselves. By stating ideas such as “I can’t stand the heat”, “I have a panic to ride in a peloton” or “I am a bad climber” we can turn these phrases into self-fulfilling prophecies . The first step to overcome these kinds of limitations is to schedule some training to deal with the problem. Always approaching this from the least complicated scenario possible and making small progress each time, looking for small successes.

If, for example, your problem is that you do not make the transitions as fast as you would like, design a fixed procedure on paper, divided into several numbered phases that contains all the actions to be carried out. Then memorize it and practice it in independent phases, from a state of rest and without considering the time. Little by little, as you improve each phase, you can include difficulties such as joining several phases, controlling the times or starting them with a higher heart rate.

Conclution

In triathlon, due to the long duration of the tests, its technical complexity and its great demand for effort, the psychological management of the race has an enormous weight and marks very important differences, so it is common to see how triathletes of similar physical capacity- technique obtain very different results. That is why you should not neglect this part of your training.

Winter is a great time to work your physical and mental abilities together and reinforce their vital interconnectedness. Identify your limits and look for ways to overcome them instead of accepting your weaknesses.

Reference

  • Lance Watson, How athletes can build a better connection between the mind and body. For Trainingpeaks. [Revised January 2016]