Amanda Ross' latest blog: What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger | ||
OMG we did it!!!! Spartan Beast 21km obstacle race conquered… Although I must say it was possibly the hardest thing I’ve done physically… Hmmm ever?! It really is true to say ‘what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger’… As I sit on the couch I now have a new threshold of determination & resilience!
Results were surprisingly pleasing – 1st female non-elite 40-49, 3rd overall non-elite female! If I wear my ‘Spartan finisher’ t-shirt everywhere for the rest of my life, you’ll understand why!
NERVES FOR DIFFERENT OCCASIONS.
As we drove to the event, my BF Chris (previously a national champ Junior XC runner & general athletic freak!) & I had an interesting conversation about nerves! As elite level athletes in our field, we’re both used to that pre-comp nervousness, mostly from both the internal & external pressures of wanting to, & expecting to do well.
We have already been looking into competing in the elite category, so we naturally wanted to a) finish without breaking (we are old haha!), b) complete all the obstacles without penalty, & c) post respectable times – in case we were abismal & kidding ourselves about racing Elite!
However, having never done a Spartan race (we’ve done races but not a Spartan – they’re tough!), & Chris never having raced the distance (I’ve done a half marathon), we were basically starting with a pile of unknowns & nothing to compare to.
Automatically we had competitive attitudes, but because this wasn’t our ‘main’ sport of previous success & expectation, we had to consciously rein ourselves into reality. So why were we nervous?!
This lead to a really interesting conversation about different reasons, or types of nerves, which I thought was really worth sharing.
I was nervous, because I wanted to complete the course & post a respectable time to be competitive with the elites in the future. But as our first Spartan Beast, our aim really was to just experience the race, & to learn from it for the benefit of future races.
I then decided to imagine myself turning up to the event with a different mindset, one of ‘fun, just have a go, no pressure, if you’re tired just walk or rest, & help your team mates, it’s just a great thing to do with friends/partners’. It was amazing the difference. Remove the self-expectation, the pressure, & suddenly this event seemed enjoyable (except the sandbag carrying up the hill, that will never be enjoyable!)!
So the pressure from expectation can put such voices in our head, that we get bogged down with negatives, thinking more about failure than why we’re there in the first place.
©Jenelle Christopher I often give myself a pep-talk before XC, & a few methods work to change my mindset:
Anyway, I hope some of these thoughts help with your sporting goals. The mind is the most powerful muscle we have, so physical fitness is great, but you need to top it off with a great pilot!
- Amanda
©Jenelle Christopher |
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© copyright. Equestrian Life. Thursday, 9 May 2024 https://www.equestrianlife.com.au/articles/Amanda-Ross-latest-blog-What-doesnt-kill-you-makes-you-stronger |
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