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All the top level athletes and coaches know that training and racing are so much more than getting the workouts done. To be our best, to achieve our highest potential and top performances we must take into serious consideration everything in our life situation. Stress levels, sleep quality, appropriate equipment, mindset and the quality of our training are all components that weigh into the outcome. Along with this, it is essential to maintain an open line of curiosity and willingness to look at our training behaviors. This way we can adjust when necessary to stay in alignment with the envisioned end result.
Are we training in a way that elicits the change necessary to meet our goals?
Are we going easy enough on the easy days and hard enough on the hard days?
Are we using our data in a way that it informs the intelligence of our training regime?
These are all questions that Neal Henderson, head coach and owner of Apex Coaching in Boulder, CO, takes into account when coaching his athletes. With names like Jamie Whitmore, Cameron Dye and Flora Duffy on his roster, Neal cannot afford to take anything for granted when training his athletes to exceed the standards of excellence in their sport.
Neal has a 10,000-foot view of his athletes and that allows him to pick up on the little things before they become big obstacles. He sees that training is a full-spectrum process and that most athletes are not spending the time necessary to prepare their minds for competition. Creating relaxation protocols, visualization and routine practices to hone one’s mental acuity is what, Neal believes, will have the biggest influence come race day. The physical training will prepare us for the physical demands of the race but without mental acuity, we put every aspect of performance at risk.
Neal has been coaching since the early 1990’s and formed Apex Coaching in 1999. He raced professionally from 2000-2003 and as we chat about today, he’s still putting himself out there in the competitive field. He is well known for his work with scientific data and interpreting data in a way that informs his ability to finely tune his athletes at the highest level of competition.
This is a short yet power-packed episode with many takeaways. Neal’s wisdom is gold for all levels of athletes and we hope you enjoy the show. Thank you for tuning in for another episode, we appreciate your support more than we can accurately express. Thank you for using the Amazon Banner Ad and for becoming patrons of the show on Patreon.
Namaste-
Jess
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Episode 45 Show Notes:
Boulder Center for Sports Medicine
Xterra World Championship 2016 Highlight Video
Neal Henderson on Flora Duffy at Rio Olympics
Neal on the Science of Coaching – Colorado Public Radio
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[…] knew that being in this position gave me the best change to have the best time. I speak to this on podcast 55 and so much more about the race too. Off the bike I flew into […]
[…] knew that being in this position gave me the best change to have the best time. I speak to this on podcast 55 and so much more about the race too. Off the bike I flew into […]
