In this article I’m showing you what’s going on in my head during endurance challenges. In this specific case, I’ll dive into the sentences I kept on saying to myself during my self-supported IronMan challenge. Sometimes I said them out loud, sometimes I just kept thinking them to myself. You’ll see it’s quite simple and you might think: Is that it? Is this really all?

I can’t emphasise enough how important your mindset is. That’s why training your mind is an integral part of all my coaching plans. I practice them daily myself to cultivate a strong, resilient mind. The words you say and think to yourself are extremely powerful! They’ll be the determining factor what you’re going to do when things get hard. That’s why I’m so fascinated with hypnotherapy because what hypnosis differentiates from a guided meditation is the positive suggestions you keep repeating to yourself during trance. The simpler, the more positive, the more specific and the more often you repeat them, the better. Your subconscious will start believing it - if you truly want to believe it.

So here’s what I kept telling myself during my 3.9 km swim, 181 km bike ride and 42.2 km run - and yes, I kept repeating these statements to myself pretty much constantly for over 15 hours (okay, okay, at the end of the run I kept them mumbling to myself because my speech was a bit blurry by then ;)

• During the swim:

  • The power is under the water.

  • Groyne by groyne.

  • Stroke by stroke.

  • Don’t swallow the sea salt water.

• On the bike:

  • Save and smooth. Keep it save and smooth.

  • I’m allowed to enjoy it.

  • It’s just an easy, lovely, short 30 km morning bike ride. Easy.

• On the run:

  • My mind is my strongest muscle.

  • This is ridiculous, insane, unreal. Believe in the impossible. Think of everything you’ve put into this for this moment. Think of the people who are thinking of me, supporting me, who were so understanding throughout the year when I had to cut down on social times. Do it for them. Do it for yourself. Send the message you want to send. Lead by example.

  • I’m doing this for myself but this is bigger than me. People are counting on you. Show some inspiration that anything is possible.

  • Come on. Keep going. Keep going. I can do this. You can do this.

These sentences helped me to stay focused and positive. They kept me present and only focused on the here and now. Focused on one stroke, focused on one pedal stroke, focused on one step on the run. That’s how I do it: Keeping my focus on the present moment and not looking backwards or thinking ahead. This will only evoke the big picture and make it seem impossible to achieve. It sounds easy but it honestly does take a lot of strength and practice to keep your mind in high and positive spirits in tough situations.

PS: The above is how my mind works. That doesn’t mean that it’ll work for everyone. Everybody is different and some of my clients like to start counting down the miles once they reached the half-point. That’s why I dedicate a whole section of different mindset practices in all my coaching plans so we can figure out what works best for every individual. Get in touch if you’re interested in (online) 121 coaching with me. I’d be happy to set up a free consultation call with you.