Saturday 27 September 2014

Saturday Silliness

For all those racing this weekend - remember to run your own race!


Annie
Live, Laugh, Enjoy

Friday 26 September 2014

Head Quote

There are a few people taking part in various races over the weekend, including those whose hard work over the summer will come to fruition at Berlin Marathon - good luck to all.

Hopefully this piece of motivation will help you along (I saw a similar sign at London Marathon a few years ago!)

Annie
Live, Laugh, Enjoy


Saturday 6 September 2014

Saturday Silliness

Whatever your sport or your distance I know quite a few who would think this... You know who you are (and yes one would be me!)

Annie
Live, Laugh, Enjoy

Other makes are available ;-)


Friday 5 September 2014

Head Quote

Hope you're all feeling disciplined for the weekend.

Good luck to all those taking part in events this weekend and it is the Great North Run - so for those of you who are running remember you've done the hard work and now enjoy the atmosphere, the crowds, the run and remember to "Ozzie, Ozzie, Ozzie, Oi, Oi, Oi" through the tunnel!

Annie
Live, Laugh, Enjoy


Thursday 4 September 2014

Tuesday 2 September 2014

Head Quote

Had a wonderful long weekend away with the family camping in our field in Norfolk - we didn't have one of these...


But we did have a lot of fun!

Annie
Live, Laugh, Enjoy

Thursday 28 August 2014

Head Quotes

This one is for Niki and Kerry who are out in Canada representing GB at the Aquathlon World Championship and have both achieved their goals!

Congratulations

Annie
Live, Laugh, Enjoy


Monday 25 August 2014

Friday 22 August 2014

Head Quote

Whether sport or business do it for love...


Annie
Live, Laugh, Enjoy

Thursday 21 August 2014

Head Quotes

Whatever you are up to this weekend...



Annie
Live, Laugh, Enjoy

Wednesday 20 August 2014

Head Quote

Q. Five frogs sat on a lily pad. One decided to jump off. How many were left?





A. Five - all of them are still sitting there.  The one frog only decided to jump.

Make a decision then ACT on it!!

Annie
Live, Laugh, Enjoy

Tuesday 19 August 2014

Head Quote

This is especially important to remember when coming back from time off whether through choice or injury!

Annie
Live, Laugh, Enjoy


Monday 18 August 2014

Saturday 16 August 2014

Saturday Silliness

This always makes me laugh - it's all dependent on your point of view :-)

Annie
Live, Laugh, Enjoy


Friday 15 August 2014

A Poem...

"The Quitter"

When you're lost on the trail with the speed of a snail 
And defeat looks you straight in the eye
and you're needing to sit, 
your whole being says quit 
You're certain it's your time to die. 
But the code of the trail is "move forward don't fail" 
Though your knees and ego are scarred. 
All the swelling and pain is just part of the game 
In the long run it's quitting that's hard! 
"I'm sick of the pain!" 
Well, now, that's a shame 
But you're strong, you're healthy, and bright. 
So you've had a bad stretch 
and you're ready to retch, 
Shoulders back, move forward, and fight. 
It's the plugging away that will win you the day, 
Now don't be a loser my friend! 
So the goal isn't near, 
why advance to the rear. 
All struggles eventually end.
It's simple to cry that you’re finished; 
and die. 
It's easy to whimper and whine. 
Move forward and fight, 
though there's no help in sight 
you'll soon cross the lost finish line.  
You'll come out of the black, with the wind at your back, 
As the clouds start to part; there's the sun. 
Then you'll know in your heart, 
as you did at the start.  
You're not a quitter.
You've Won!!


Gene Thibeault

Annie
Live, Laugh, Enjoy

Thursday 14 August 2014

Head Quote

We can all admit to having voices in our head and sometimes the voice is loud and sometimes very quiet...  but it's still there... This is one of the fundamental parts to explore when working with people to achieve their goals!

Annie
Live, Laugh, Enjoy

Wednesday 13 August 2014

Article from Runners World

Thought this was a great article (follow link below) that popped up on my news feed - All exercise can do so many things to help us - but sometimes we need something more and we should always feel able to ask for it

Runners World - No running isn't therapy

Annie
Live, Laugh, Enjoy

Head Quote



Annie
Live, Laugh, Enjoy

Tuesday 12 August 2014

Head Quote

A tribute to Robin Williams.  We all have that little spark - its what keeps us going and helps drive us towards our goals no matter what others may say.



Annie
Live, Laugh, Enjoy

Monday 11 August 2014

Head Quote

More congratulations for Rory McIlroy and another quote from him... although I would swap gym for training outside, but you get where I'm going with this... ;-)

Going to the gym is great for your body, but it's also great for your mind
Rory McIlroy

Annie
Live, Laugh, Enjoy

Friday 8 August 2014

Life Lessons I have learnt from Ultra Running

1. Deal with the small stuff!
That voice niggling away in your ear - stop and listen to it - what might seem small and inconsequential now could end up driving you to distraction and using up valuable mental energy.

2. Know where you are
Navigating to where you want to be means understanding and knowing where you currently are.  Write out your plan and mentally bookmark where you are on it continuously.  If you lose your place you can go back to the last place you knew for definite and then go from there.

3. Enjoy the dark
Get comfortable with not having all the answers.  Things do not always go our way.  The ways you have of navigating where you are may not work so well in the dark.  Relax, let your senses guide you, know that it is always darkest before the dawn.  Enjoy the knowledge and different view of the world you get in the dark.

4. Know You
You are the only person with you every second of every day - get happy with that.  Greater self awareness and self management means greater flexibility in our thinking, feeling and actions in a constantly changing environment.  Make decisions that work towards your goal.

5. Its ok to slow down
Slowing down can make a big difference.  You can see clearly what is happening around you and gives you some time to recover your energy.  This isn't about ambling - stay purposeful and meaningful in your actions.  You are in charge of how you are in the world.

6. Its ok to stop!
Relentless pursuit of your goal can be draining emotionally, mentally and physically on you and others around you.  You will recover if you give yourself the chance.  Acknowledge the signs that you need to stop, eat, sleep... stop chasing others - you'll catch them up.  Tell yourself the positives of what you have done so far - ask for help from others if you need it.  Have patience and be gentle on yourself.  Start up slowly as you feel ready to move on.

7. Be in the moment
Rather than focusing on the end goal - break it down into chunks.  Focus on what's in your immediate control, enjoy the moment you are in knowing it is unique and taking you where you want to go.

8. Either / Or, or somewhere in between
It's easy to get caught up with the end goal and see it as either we are on our way to achieving it or not.  Take a step back - you're in this for the long journey.  Targets set at the beginning need to be reviewed as we go - be flexible about changes as they happen - give yourself the space to make changes and not letting yourself stress when the targets move - move with them, let them go, create new ones with the knowledge you have gained so far.

9. Be a part of where you are
Take stock and fully immerse yourself in the landscape around you.  Experience it fully through all your senses.  This is not about looking at it from afar but being part of it.

10. Be organised
Thinking back to 'Know You' - you know what might stop you so do something about it at the beginning - have a plan B, C, D... keep to hand the strategies that work for you .  If you've already thought about what might a problem further down the line then you can come up with ways round it - if it happens then you're ready to deal with it.  This is your life and it's going to be a long one - which means more moments to deal with, more choices to make.

11. What goes up must come down
Prepare for the hard work of going uphill and remember to enjoy the downhills.  Be mindful of the fact you can get a little out of control the faster you go downhill and are more likely to trip and fall here than on the up!  Be purposeful!

12. Whose rules?
This is your journey, your strategy, your goal.  You set the rules for you.  If it works for you it's right for you.  What works for others is right for them.  Experiment and learn from each thing you do and develop your strategy from there.  Be curious.

13. Just one of you
You are the only you that's in this world - your journey is unique to you - remember that.

14. Finish first
This means you have to get to the finish line - not that you have to be the first to the finish line!  Achieve your goal; get to the end of this particular journey.  When you've done that then you can look back at how you achieved it and take new knowledge forward into the next one!



Thursday 7 August 2014

Wednesday 6 August 2014

Head Quote

Playing safe is not always the best policy... when are you playing too safe?
Annie
Live, Laugh, Enjoy


Tuesday 5 August 2014

Monday 4 August 2014

Head Quote

Today's quote is unashamedly taken from Geraint Thomas's own FB page - this is a man who gives tirelessly to others in his team and he absolutely deserves the accolades and the Gold medal he now has.  That puncture in the final few KMs made my heart stop - but he kept his composure and pushed on to the finish!

"Good things come to those that wait; better things come to those that don't give up; and the best things come to those who just believe....‪#‎teamwales‬"
Geraint Thomas, Commonwealth Gold medalist



Annie
Live, Laugh, Enjoy

Saturday 2 August 2014

Friday 1 August 2014

Thursday 31 July 2014

Head Quote

"Everything you want to do you have in your heart.  You can change your life."
Rafiki Uwimana, Mechanic, Team Rwanda, Cycling

Annie
Live, Laugh, Enjoy

Wednesday 30 July 2014

Head Quote

Just because it's not going to plan doesn't mean you won't get there... and look how much fun you can have on the way!



Annie
Live, Laugh, Enjoy

Tuesday 29 July 2014

5 top tips for Endurance Cycling

I wrote these tips for a Road Cycling Club who were taking on the challenge of cycling from John O'Groats to Lands End.  Recently a friend told me about a 300 mile cycling challenge he was taking on and so I though they might be useful to post here!

1. Before you start each day together or individually visualise the days cycling ahead - what will you:-
 - See
- Hear (both inside your head as well as externally i.e. what will you be saying to yourself)
- Feel (again both internally and externally)
and imagine how you will feel when you have accomplished that days cycling.


2. Acknowledge that there will be easy times and tough times.  Remember to enjoy the easy parts and knowing that there will be tough times means you can prepare mentally for them and they won't come as a big shock to the system!


3. Be careful of using the word don't.  i.e. 'don't stop' - our brain deletes the negative 'don't' and just understands the 'stopping' this is what it tells the body to do and you end up stopping!  Give yourself a positive mantra to repeat instead.


4. As cyclists you physically work as a team - make sure you also mentally work as a team.  Take it in turns to be navigator, cheerleader, the one who points out the amazing places you're cycling past!


5. Give yourself a pat on the back both mentally and physically at the end of each day - have a reward.


Most of all enjoy it!

Annie
Live, Laugh, Enjoy

Monday 28 July 2014

Head Quote

This weekend saw some great results from members of this group - please do share them so we can all cheer each other on - although I will mention Niki who had two days, two races, two 1st's - brilliant unleashing of potential and today's quote is dedicated Niki.

On a personal note my running achievements this weekend at Thunder Run 24 gave me a great boost in confidence for my Autumn training and getting back to the Ultra's next year!

What potential are you ready to unleash?

Annie
Live, Laugh, Enjoy






Friday 25 July 2014

Saturday Silliness... yes I know it's Friday!

As I'm going to be in a field for the next couple of days taking part in Thunder Run 24 #allin I'm not sure if I'll be able to post on here tomorrow so thought I would bring Saturday Silliness forward a day and as it's the start of the holidays for many, I thought this would be appropriate...

Annie
Live, Laugh, Enjoy


Thursday 24 July 2014

Wednesday 23 July 2014

Head Quote

"A fresh outlook is as good as a re-start button"
David Harmon, Eurosport - talking about Michael Rogers as he takes his first stage win in the Tour de France

and afterwards the man himself said

"I've tried so hard to win a stage of the tour... I've changed mentally"
Michael Rogers

Does your outlook need refreshing?

Annie
Live, Laugh, Enjoy

Tuesday 22 July 2014

Having a winning mindset

As we get ready for the start of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow I am hoping that just as at London 2012 Olympics we will have commentators, athletes and retired athletes talking about how the mind can effect sports performance and talking about it openly.  Coaching and training the mind is not just for when you have an issue it is very much about enhancing performance.  

So what can we learn from the beliefs held by elite athletes that we can take into our own sporting, life or business arena.


'I don't own winning, I wanted to win' - Carl Lewis

'Top athletes perceive pressure as a privilege' - Tom Bates

'...pressure so high at that point, all things being equal it's the person who handles that moment and the pressure at that particular time best, that's going to have their best performance' - Michael Johnson

'I'm about to go to battle' - Michael Johnson

'Four years preparation for a few moments of action' - Matthew Syed

'Control the controllables' - Sir Matthew Pinsent

'You can only control how you perform' - Michael Johnson

'Thoughts become things and what we think affects the way we feel and the way we feel ultimately affects the way that we behave and ultimately in the sporting context - performance' - Tom Bates

'Find something that works for you' - Jonathan Edwards

'That minute difference between victory and defeat on the biggest stage of all is often to be found not in skill or effort but in the recesses of the mind' - Matthew Syed


Take a moment to think about a situation or activity you have coming up where you want to be at your best.  Pick one of the quotes above and think about your situation as if you hold that thought to be true - what does it tell you now about how you see and feel about the situation - what will you do differently?  What will you do the same?

Whether you are an athlete or in business, competing in any arena you needs to have mind and body working together and mental coaching techniques will help you achieve your goals and perform in the most competitive of environments.

The model below I use with athletes so they can see the different areas that coaching can work with - these are as relevant for business as they are for sport.  Using this model means we can  pick an area to work on, rather than 'everything' - which can feel overwhelming





So which area do you want to concentrate on and what winning mentality will you have today?

Annie
Live, Laugh,Enjoy

Monday 21 July 2014

Head Quote

Congratulations to Rory Mcllroy for his Open win yesterday.  While being interviewed on Friday this is what he had to say about his second round and coming back from a bogey on the first hole...

'Stick to your game plan, stick to what you know you can do' Rory Mcllroy

Annie
Live, Laugh, Enjoy

Saturday 19 July 2014

Saturday Silliness

I think at one time or other I've done all of these - especially lists... I do love a list :-)

Annie
Live, Laugh, Enjoy



Friday 18 July 2014

Getting your mind in your sport

With so much sport on at the moment people are feeling inspired and so I thought a short piece from my book (shameless plug) about how we can get started, whether as a newbie or coming back from injury or time off.  So here is an extract from my e-book 'How to get off the Sofa and Start Running'.

Getting your mind in your run
"There are people who have no bodies, only heads. And many athletes have no heads, only bodies. A champion is a man who has trained his body and his mind"
- Coach Sam Dee The Olympian


However much your body might want to go for a run, if your mind isn’t interested it’s unlikely that you will get out the door.

We can be very good at talking ourselves out of doing something and so when you first start running it’s really good to think of some outcomes that you want to achieve.

You can break these down from your long term outcome and then smaller ones in order to keep you on track.

For instance a long term outcome maybe to take part in a race, do a particular time, fit into a particular pair of jeans.

Your short term outcomes can then be to run 3 times a week, to do a certain amount of mileage in a week, or spend a certain amount of time running each week.

Our brains work really well when it knows what we want to achieve and so if you have a good outcome in place this can help on those days it seems more tricky to get out the door!

To create a great outcome think about what you want to achieve and then build up a movie of it in your mind, what can you see happening when you have this outcome, what can you hear and how do you feel.  The more detail you can put into this visualisation the more compelling it becomes and the more likely you are to achieve it.

By building this vision at the beginning it can mean that on those odd days when you can’t be bothered you can bring this vision to the fore and it will help you get out the door.

I have a philosophy that on any given day running can be 10% physical and 90% mental.  If you are going to spend time training your body to do what you want it to do, surely the same thinking goes for training your brain!

And that’s not just for running…..

If you want to read the whole book which includes a 12 week Sofa to 5K plan you can order through:-

Thursday 17 July 2014

Head Quote

In recognition of the start of the Open 2014 - a great reminder that we need to train our brain and emotional centre as well as our physical!

Annie
Live, Laugh, Enjoy


Wednesday 16 July 2014

Head Quote

For those times when the voice of doubt starts creeping in...

Annie
Live, Laugh, Enjoy


Tuesday 15 July 2014

Head Quote

Do you remember why you started?

Annie
Live, Laugh, Enjoy


Monday 14 July 2014

Head Quote



What's important to you today?

Annie
Live, Laugh, Enjoy

Saturday 12 July 2014

Saturday Silliness

Just in case anyone was wondering how to make sure they got their 5 a day...


Annie
Live, Laugh, Enjoy

Wednesday 9 July 2014

Head Quote

Final part of Understanding Change can be found at.. Essentii and Annie Page Blog


Annie
Live, Laugh, Enjoy


Tuesday 8 July 2014

Head Quote


Are you using your positive thinking!

Annie
Live, Laugh, Enjoy

Monday 7 July 2014

Head Quote

Life is like riding a bicycle.  To keep your balance you must keep moving.
Albert Einstein - letter to his son Eduard 1930

Annie
Live, Laugh, Enjoy

Saturday 5 July 2014

Saturday Silliness

Very excited about the start of the TdF!!


Annie
Live, Laugh, Enjoy

Friday 4 July 2014

Head Quote

"If the going is real easy, beware, you may be headed down hill." - Anonymous

I think it's important to take time out to enjoy that down hill moment as where there's a down hill there is always an up... It just depends on your direction...

Annie
Live, Laugh, Enjoy

Thursday 3 July 2014

Head Quotes

If your goal feels too big then remember it's one step at a time and one small change at a time!


Annie
Live, Laugh, Enjoy

Monday 30 June 2014

Head Quote

"You must take personal responsibility.

You cannot change the circumstances,

the seasons, or the wind, but

you can change yourself"

- Jim Rohn


and as Matthew Pinsent put it

"Control the Controllables"

Annie
Live, Laugh, Enjoy

Friday 27 June 2014

Head Quote

"If you don't have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?"
John Wooden

Annie
Live, Laugh, Enjoy

Thursday 26 June 2014

Head Quote

"It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities."
J. K. Rowling

What choices are you making today?

Annie
Live, Laugh, Enjoy

Wednesday 25 June 2014

Head Quote

"Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new."
Albert Einstein

Annie
Live, Laugh, Enjoy

Tuesday 24 June 2014

Head Quote

"You are a living magnet.  What you attract into your life is in harmony with your dominant thoughts."
Brian Tracy

What has been your dominant thought today and is it moving you towards your goal?

Annie
Live, Laugh, Enjoy

Monday 23 June 2014

Head Quote

"The indispensable first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: decide what you want"
Ben Stein

Huge congratulations to Niki Rouse and Kerry Large who will be representing GB at the World Aquathlon Championships in Canada in August.

Have you decided what you want?

Annie
Live, Laugh, Enjoy


Saturday 21 June 2014

Saturday Silliness

One for all those who get 'that look' from their pets!

Annie
Live, Laugh, Enjoy

Friday 20 June 2014

Head Quote

"You can be a doctor or nurse or policeman or woman.  A bit of hard work and determination and you can achieve anything, you've just to have that in your heart.

Nicola Adams, Boxer

Annie
Live, Laugh, Enjoy

Thursday 19 June 2014

Head Quote

"People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing."
Dale Carnegie

Annie
Live, Laugh, Enjoy

Wednesday 18 June 2014

Head Quote

"You have to enjoy yourself when you're out there, which I try to do as much as possible"
Chris Jordan, Cricket - after taking 5 - 29

(for those that don't follow cricket that means he took 5 wickets for only 29 runs!!)

Annie
Live, Laugh, Enjoy


Monday 16 June 2014

Head Quote

"You can't put a limit on anything.  The more you dream the further you get"
Michael Phelps, Swimmer

Annie
Live, Laugh, Enjoy

Friday 13 June 2014

Head Quote

Obsessed is just a word the lazy use to describe the DEDICATED
Unknown

Have a great weekend being dedicated!

Annie
Live, Laugh, Enjoy

Thursday 12 June 2014

What's your Learning Style?

Have you ever considered how you learn?  Do you prefer to listen to instructions before trying a new task or do you prefer to go straight into it, learning as you go along?

A couple of years ago I was asked to run a interactive workshop at Bisham Abbey with sports coaches to explore how they could identify the different learning styles of their athletes and therefore be able to coach more effectively.

It is always useful to know where you start your learning cycle from and therefore be able to make sure you do have a fully rounded learning experience.  The following is just under 10 minutes of audio with slides which is the condensed version of the full workshop (and obviously no interaction!!)

The learning styles covered here are by Honey and Mumford and if anyone is interested in doing the questionnaire and finding out more about their preferences and how to use the information then please do let me know.



Annie
Live, Laugh, Enjoy

Wednesday 11 June 2014

Head Quote

"You don't win tournaments by playing well and thinking poorly".
Lee Westwood, Golf

How is your thinking helping or hindering you?

Annie
Live, Laugh, Enjoy

Tuesday 10 June 2014

Head Quotes

"I'm glad we don't have to play in the shade..."
Bobby Jones, Golf
Taking part in a tournament and told that it was 105 degrees in the shade!

As we get some long hot summer days do look after yourselves in the sun, put on the sun cream, wear a hat and sun glasses and make sure you stay hydrated!

Something many people forget is they do need salt (sodium) in their system so make sure you are getting enough and not diluting it in your system by just drinking water.  You can make your own easy sports energy drink with water, full fat squash and a sprinkling of salt!

Annie
Live, Laugh, Enjoy

Monday 9 June 2014

Head Quote

"Practice does not make Perfect, Practice makes Permanent..."
Larry Gelwix

When did you last think about, in specific detail, your daily practices?  What are you making permanent?

Annie
Live, Laugh, Enjoy

Saturday 7 June 2014

Friday 6 June 2014

Flexibility and Learning

Following on from out Outcome Thinking which we looked at on May 8th (in case you have forgotten...) This article looks at how we learn from what we do and how being flexible in thought will help us achieve our Outcomes that we have set.


What is Flexibility?

One of the core beliefs in NLP is that the person with the most flexibility has the most influence in any given interaction.  This belief comes from the Law of Requisite Variety, which is from systems theory.

What this means is that it is important to be able to vary your response to possible change and uncertainty around you, so that you have alternative choices available to you.  By knowing your outcome from the start will mean that you can decide what choices you might need so that you can respond immediately with a reaction that has been thought through rather than reflexively and possible chaotically!



Why is it useful

If we understand that what we are doing (in thought or behaviours) isn't working it is much more useful to already have thought through more choices so that we can quickly and effectively change what we are doing in order to reach our outcome.  It is said that 'if what you are doing isn't working do something different - do anything different!'  If what you are doing has proved to not be effective then it does not seem a good use of time and energy to continually prove this to yourself.

It is useful to think about the implication that if you come across resistance in another person then it is probable that there is inflexibility in you in this particular situation.  So if you are confronting resistance in others then look to yourself to see where you are not being flexible.


How to use it

If you are getting stuck in your communication or when using particular techniques, because they worked before, then take a step back and look at coming at the issue from another approach. - Remember if something is not working then do something, anything differently.




We also need flexibility when we are looking at how we learn and there are two frameworks to keep in mind.

The first model is from the work of Chris Argyris.  He described the concept of single loop and double loop learning.  With single loop learning we continually attempt to work out a way of achieving our goal using the same method of thinking and behaviours and without questioning the goal we are working towards.  With double loop learning an individual or organisation is able, having attempted to achieve a goal on different occasions, to modify the goal in the light of experience or possibly even reject the goal.



The second model you may have seen as a learning ladder looking from moving between unconscious and conscious competence and incompetence.  The version below takes into account mature reflection and practice throughout the process and is courtesy of Will Taylor, Chair, Department of Homeopathic Medicine, National College of Natural Medicine, Portland, Oregon, USA, March 2007

"We revisit conscious incompetence, making discoveries in the holes in our knowledge and skills, becoming discouraged, which fuels incentive to proceed (when it does not defeat). We perpetually learn, inviting ongoing tutelage, mentoring and self-study (ongoing conscious competence). We continually challenge our 'unconscious competence' in the face of complacency, areas of ignorance, unconscious errors, and the changing world and knowledge base: We challenge our unconscious competence when we recognize that a return to unconscious incompetence would be inevitable. We do this in part by self-study and use of peer review - such that mature practice encompasses the entire 'conscious competence' model, rather than supersedes it as the hierarchical model might suggest."




By understanding these models and how we learn we can raise our ability to be flexible in our thinking which means we can create and achieve our goals and outcomes.

Thursday 5 June 2014

Head Quotes

Happy Birthday to David Weir, wheelchair athlete legend. And so today's quotes are from the man himself!

"If you're having a dark day in training you imagine your rivals pushing you to the limit.  I scream at myself to get going then."

"I was meant to have retired by now.  But I've changed my mind.  I thought I wouldn't have the motivation to keep going.  But I'm doing the marathon again next year.  I'm going back to training in Richmond Park. It's going to be cold, dark and lonely but you know what? I just want more. I'm far from done." (Dec 2012)

"In your mind - desire to win."

Annie
Live, Laugh, Enjoy

Wednesday 4 June 2014

Head Quote




This was me at 37 miles into my 100 mile ultra run.  The only point in time I doubted I could do it.  By taking some extra time at this checkpoint it allowed me to remembered why I was doing this and the fact that I really wanted to do it!

Annie
Live Laugh, Enjoy

Tuesday 3 June 2014

Head Quote

"If you always do what you've always done then you'll always get what you always got"

Henry Ford

This is most undoubtedly true of my golf swing - which after today's lesson will hopefully now improve!

Annie
Live, Laugh, Enjoy

Monday 2 June 2014

Head Quote

"To uncover your true potential you must first find our own limits and then you have to have the courage to blow past them."

Picabo Street, Skier

Today's quote is for all those who pushed past their limits over the months of training and then on the day.  This weekend saw some amazing performances by people on this page.  Representing GB at the European Aquathon Championships in Cologne and those taking part in the Outlaw Half Triathlon.

Congratulations to your all!!

Our roll call of honour is

Niki Rouse - European Aquathon Championships
Mark Fisher - Outlaw
Paresh Aaktar - Outlaw
Julie Prichett - Outlaw
Clive Barnes - Outlaw

Annie
Live, Laugh, Enjoy

Friday 30 May 2014

Head Quote

Always go out to be your best...

"When I go out and race, I'm not trying to beat opponents, I'm trying to beat what I have done... to beat myself, basically.  People find that hard to believe because we've had such a bias to always strive to win things.  If you win something and you haven't put everything into it, you haven't actually achieved anything at all.  When you've had to work hard for something and you've got the best you can out of yourself on that given day, that's where you get satisfaction from."

Ian Thorpe, Swimmer

Annie
Live, Laugh, Enjoy


Thursday 29 May 2014

Head Quotes

As a tribute to Maya Angelou todays quotes is from her...

"If you are always trying to be normal, you will never know how amazing you can be"

So for those of you taking part in European Aquathon Champs, Outlaw and whatever else you are all doing - go out and believe in being amazing.

Annie
Live, Laugh, Enjoy

Wednesday 28 May 2014

Expectation Vs Ability

There are those times that we raise our expectations and then realise we perhaps don’t have quite the ability to get our outcome and we then know what we need to do, learn or work on to achieve that outcome. Well what happens when it works the other way round?

I was racing the other day when my brain was telling me what I was capable of and the minutes per mile I 'should' be running. Training had been going well and I was going to feel happy to keep an even pace throughout the 10 miles.  Well one mile in and I’m feeling good and check the time and I’m nearly a minute quicker than I was planning.  ‘Oh dear – I’d better slow down or I’ll never last!’  So slow down I did, or so I thought and the next mile was a few seconds quicker than the first.  I felt fine and yet over the next 3 miles I continually told myself to slow down and that I would never last the distance, and yet I stayed within a couple of seconds of the time I had run the first mile.  I was supposed to be doing the first half slowly and seeing what I had left for the next couple of miles before upping the pace for the last couple.

But ability had other ideas and decided it didn’t care what expectation thought - it was going to run as it felt – not following a timetable and I decided a change of plan was needed and I would reverse what I was going to do and run the first half quicker and then I could slow up in the second half and still hit my expectations…..Ability had a good giggle at this and continued to run as it felt. At around mile 6 I decided it would be more helpful to stop arguing between expectation and ability – I could put the energy I was using up to much better use!

And so I continued on and enjoyed the fact that I was running better than I expected and congratulated myself on an excellent training plan for this year as taking it slowly and building back up from injury was most definitely working. I crossed the line 10 minutes quicker than expected.


One Nil to Ability!


A few days later was the first cross country race of the season and having run all three days from the race above to this one I was looking to run evenly and easily – and obviously expectation was putting some limits in - did my legs still feel heavy from the previous race? Had I recovered enough? Should I have run each day since…...? Luckily for me ability had an ally in that my friend Becs was running alongside (normally much faster and had done 20 miles the day before in preparation for the New York Marathon) and kept me going all the way round and I finished again much quicker than I expected especially for a cross country. So the stamina is there to keep going even on tired heavy legs and we even had enough for a sprint finish!!


Two Nil to Ability…..


My question now is how often do we let expectation talk ability out of performing and what would we achieve if we gave ability a free reign?


First published in October 2010


Tuesday 27 May 2014

Head Quote

"Just keep going.  Everybody gets better if they keep at it."
Ted Williams, Baseball

Sometimes we can feel like we're going backwards, sometimes we can feel like we've plateau'd, through all these we need to keep going and our bodies will catch up to where our minds want to go.

Annie
Live, Laugh, Enjoy





Saturday 24 May 2014

Saturday Silliness

I just love this picture it always makes me laugh! Something to raise a smile for all those out training in the rain today!

Sometimes you love the lamp, sometimes you are the lamp...