Second Runs Are a Different Sport: How to Reset, Regulate, and Charge (No Matter the Stakes)
First runs and second runs may take place on the same hill, but psychologically they are very different competitions. Racers who treat them the same often struggle. Racers who recognize and respect the difference gain a real competitive advantage. In the first run, uncertainty dominates. Racers do not yet know where they stand. Pressure exists, […]
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Building Confidence When There Are No Races to Prove Yourself
For many triathletes, confidence is tied almost entirely to racing. Good race = high confidence. Bad race = doubt. No races at all? Confidence quietly erodes. That’s why the off-season is such a vulnerable time mentally. There are no bib numbers, no rankings, no finish lines to confirm that you’re on the right track. Training […]
Read MoreThe Courage to Go “Full Gas” in Ski Racing
In ski racing, precision, technique, and preparation matter — but they are only the foundation. The truth is that winning at the highest levels of our sport requires something more: the courage to take risks. The greatest racers in the world win not because they avoid mistakes — but because they accept the possibility of […]
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Speed in Ski Racing is an Acquired Skill
When most people think about speed in alpine skiing, they picture downhillers charging the Streif in Kitzbühel or the Lauberhorn in Wengen. But the truth is that speed is not limited to the traditional speed events. Every alpine discipline—from slalom to downhill—requires the ability to ski at the fastest possible speed you can control. And […]
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7 Lessons Learned from a Level-Up 2025 Triathlon Season
There’s an old saying: “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” Well… I may be an old-ish dog, but triathlon keeps proving that there’s always more to learn. What I love most about this sport is that the lessons are endless — sometimes painful, often humbling, always valuable. This year delivered some of my […]
Read MoreSeason-ending Injuries on the World Cup are Alarming (and How to Prevent Them)
What do Mikaela Shiffrin, Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, Petra Vlhova, Alexis Pinturalt, Sofia Goggia, Corinne Sutter, Marco Schwartz, and several other World Cup ski racers have in common? They all sustained serious injuries that ended their seasons prematurely (except Mikaela who has missed several races so far due to a knee injury). As my title suggests, […]
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I Practice What I Preach: 2023 USAT Multisport National Championships
As I noted in my last “I Practice What I Preach” post, I was feeling a fair amount of anxiety and worry in the weeks leading up to the 2023 USAT Multisport National Championships in Texas that was held less than two weeks ago. Those nerves were coming from “outcome expectations” I had created in […]
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Working Triathlete Podcast #4: How to Master Pain in Endurance Sports
I’ve been invited by Working Triathlete, one of the leading endurance-sport training programs in the U.S., to participate in a series of podcasts that focuses on the mental side of triathlon. In the series, we’ll be doing a deep dive into all things psychological and emotional in the complex and demanding sport of triathlon. In […]
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Inside the Tri-Mind: Create a Slumpbusting Plan to Break Out of Your Triathlon Slump
In my last article, I introduced you to slumps in triathlon; what they are, their causes, and some ways to prevent them. This article will focus on what you can do to overcome slumps that arise in the most effective and efficient way so you can get in the pool, in the saddle, and in […]
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Inside the Tri-Mind: Mental Rehab of Triathlon Injury
The sad reality of triathlon is that you either have or will have an injury that will keep you way from our sport for an extended period due to the demands that swimming, biking, and running place on the body. This topic is near and dear to me because in the last two seasons I […]
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