Act as if...

I have studied goal setting extensively, read a ton of books on the subject, gone to seminars and practiced setting goals and helping others set goals and making them come true. One of the rules that I learned in order for a goal to come true is you must "ACT AS If..." If your goal is to lose 30 pounds you have to act as if you have already lost the 30 pounds, have the behaviours you will have when you are 30 pounds lighter. Same with money if your goal is to have a certain amount of money you should act as if you already have that money. How would you act, what would your confidence be like? Acting as if eventually becomes your reality and you aren't acting anymore.

What does this have to do with my Ironman training? Everything, with triathlon you have to have mixed personalities...somedays you are a cyclist, other days you are a runner and then maybe within the same day you are a swimmer. I have learned that I seem to have more productive workouts if I dress for whichever sport I am doing and act as if that is the only sport I do. So when I head out on a run, I wear clothes a runner would wear(not baggy sweats I would wear in the gym), I put my running shoes on and I look like a runner and I act as if I am a marathon runner. When I head out for a ride I wear all of those silly spandex bright colored outfits you see cyclists wearing and I turn myself into Lance Armstrong and become a competitor in the Tour De France. Swimming is the hardest for me because I learned to swim for triathlon but when I get my head into it and believe that I am a swimmer and I am training to compete and picture myself doing perfect flip turns my swimming suddenly feels much more fluid and I actually feel like a swimmer. In the gym I am a weightlifter who is strong physically. This may sound silly but next time you head out for a run or show up at the gym get an image in your head of who you want to become and act as if you are already there and you'll see how different your workout will feel.

So, my point is, decide who you want to be and act as if...if you decide you want to run a marathon, guess what you have to become a marathon runner. That is who you are. Do not head out on a run with thoughts in your head of "I am not meant to run, I am so slow, this will take forever." But instead think about how you would act and feel if you were already an elite marathon runner. You'll enjoy the run so much more and you'll get more out of it!

Enjoy your workouts and act as if!