Welcome to another “potluck discussion” with coach Trevor Connor, coach Grant Holicky, and physiologist Rob Pickels. In these discussions, we pick topics we find interesting, but don’t deserve a full episode. Our three experts will break them apart using a mix of science, humor, and their own coaching experience.
Is there an ideal mental state?
Coach Holicky asks if there is an ideal mental state – whether it be anger, joy, or nerves – for racing. As you might expect, the answer is – it depends, but there are still good guides for what does and doesn’t work for athletes as we prepare mentally for a big event.
Should we be consistent with our intervals or mix up our energy systems?
There are two questions on this topic that were raised by coach Connor. First, should athletes keep doing the same intervals for four to eight weeks, or should they constantly change them up? Second, is it good to mix energy systems, or should interval work really target one system at a time? Both coach Connor and coach Holicky have very different responses, but ultimately agree that it’s about finding what works best for each athlete.
What we learned from our memorable moments of failure
Failure gets a bad rap. Some top athletes would tell you that they truly only learn from failure and then therefore win as a result of that learning. To put it in simpler terms, we can’t win until we’ve failed. Pickels asks the team to recount some memorable failures in their careers and what they learned from the experience.
We’re sure that all of you have had your moments of failure as well. If you have a minute, share with us your memorable failure and what you learned on our forum at: https://forums.fasttalklabs.com/t/episode-223-share-your-stories-of-failure/7894
Get ready for some exciting conversation and let’s make you fast!
