The First Races Shouldn’t Define Your Season (Unless You Let Them)
The start of the race season is emotionally charged. Months of preparation suddenly turn into results on Live Timing. For some racers, the season begins with confidence-building performances. For others, it starts with frustration, disappointment, or even futility. In all cases, it’s far too early in the season to think too much about what those […]
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I Practice What I Preach: Five Rules for a Triathlon Taper
Tapering for a triathlon can feel harder than the training itself. Many triathletes never feel fully ready, so they keep pushing as race day approaches, convinced that can squeeze in one more big workout that will really get them ready for the race. In reality, the opposite is true. The taper is not an optional […]
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Four Essential Lessons for Triathlon, Sports, & Life
I just returned from the USAT Multisport National Championships in Omaha, where I raced three events: the Super-sprint, Sprint, and Mixed-Relay. It was a demanding and deeply fulfilling experience—full of intensity, adversity, and insight. While I love racing, what keeps me coming back isn’t just the competition. It’s the life lessons that emerge on the course—powerful […]
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Ditch the Expectations—and Race Your Best
With USAT Multisport Nationals happening this week in Omaha (I’ll be racing three events myself!), I wanted to share something that could make or break your performance on race day: expectations. At first glance, expectations seem positive. The dictionary defines them as “a strong belief that something will happen in the future” or “a belief […]
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Transitions in Triathlon Matter, Here’s Now to Nail Them
I think it’s unfair to call triathlons triathlons. By its very name, triathlon suggests that there are three events in the sport. However, as we all know, there are two other events that can have a big impact on where you end up in the results at the end of the day. Of course, I’m […]
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World Championship Update #1: Expectations, Excuses, and Explanations
I just returned from the World Triathlon Championships in southern Spain where I raced in the Sprint and Mixed-relay events. This article will focus on the Sprint event last Thursday. First some backstory. It’s been a mostly good season for me with some frustrations and disappointments along the way. On the plus side, I won […]
Read MoreUse the Fall for Your Final Push to Race Season
It’s hard to believe that it’s already October. For the World Cuppers (and even some FIS athletes), the race season is only a few weeks away and, for most racers, only a few months away. What I consider Phase I of the ski racing prep period is over. Hopefully, the summer was devoted to building […]
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Taylor Interview about the Psychology of Ski Racing
I was recently interviewed by Parker Biele for the Sync Performance podcast, This Week’s Stoke. In the podcast, I share with Parker my years of ski racing and professional experience in the psychology of ski racing including exploring topics such as mental imagery, routines, and mental health. Thanks to Parker and Sync for giving me […]
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Inside the Tri-Mind: Break the Negative Emotional Chain in Your Tri-life
One of the great emotional obstacles you will experience as a triathlete involves what I call the negative emotional chain. The negative emotional chain includes a linked series of unpleasant and interfering emotions you experience as you face the inevitable challenges of developing as a triathlete and making often-times unsteady progress toward your goals. The […]
Read MoreNext Season Starts…NOW!
Yes, the 2019-20 race season ended prematurely due to the COVID-19 epidemic. Yes, it was massively frustrating. But it’s time to put the past behind us and turn our gaze to the future, meaning next season. Being the best ski racer you can be is not a part-time activity. It requires a year-round commitment and […]
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