In SUPER fast world, having patience is often the key to success as an athlete and many other areas of life.

Slowing down, finding perspective and harnessing your inner ‘ZEN’ while it feels as if the world is flying by can be tough. It’s challenging mentally and sometimes physically. It can feel as if you’re almost moving backwards instead of forwards. Going at a proper pace and rhythm can really help you make long lasting improvements.

Here are THREE how to tips for practicing patience as an athlete 😉

PLAN IT OUT – We know planning out a long run or ride is smart…and helps to keep you from getting lost…but planning out your goals and desires as an athlete helps you see and stay focused on the big picture. Feel free to geek out on the details and make it fun. Fantasize a few areas of the plan and see where it leads you with motivation. It sounds cliché, but it works!

FAILURE IS YOUR FRIEND – Seriously. Setbacks and failures allow you the chance to slow down, regroup and maybe gain some fresh perspective on where you’re at in your journey. Failing DOES NOT mean you are a failure. Read that again… Crap happens and the quicker you accept and embrace that the quicker you can recover from whatever failure pops up as part of your path.

ADD IN TIME – Give yourself the benefit of the doubt and plan in extra time with as much as you can. Having to cram a 4 hour bike ride into 3 hours and 50 minutes can create so much stress it’s actually more detrimental to your physical gains compared to shorter ride. Really….go look it up! If you’re on a daily or weekly time budget for training focus on quality NOT quantity. A 2 hour training session that hit markers and heart rate goals vs a rushed 4 hour ride that was riddled with stress and high cortisol will be so much more effective for your body and mind as an athlete!

Practice patience in your training and watch how much FASTER your racing can become without all the stress and anxiety.