It's a deeply flawed belief that more is always better when it comes to training. We've heard it all so many times.

"I have to run the full distance to know that I can do it".

"I need to swim 2.4 in the pool so I know I can finish the swim".

"I need to bike over 112 miles to make sure I can make the cut offs".

"I need to do more to get stronger".

No, no, no and no. Any athlete who believes these types of statements and brings them into their physical training would be best served by increasing their mental training. What every single one of the statements screams to us is "I don't believe in myself". Belief is the number one element to hold close as we race towards our goals.

Jim Vance is what I would consider a master of training his athletes to believe in themselves. He knows which buttons to push and when to push them. He garners their trust through his results-producing training recipe. He understands that each athlete has a metric that is a gateway to their success. His job is to identify that metric and utilize it to his athlete's greatest advantage by creating victories throughout their training and racing journey.

Jim is the coach to Professional Triathlete and Olympian Ben Kanute. Ben came to Jim following the Rio Olympics a bit beat down and looking for a new direction. By identifying his metrics and cultivating his trust, Jim reduced Ben's physical training and in the process created an unstoppable champion. Ben is on the top right now and the biggest difference is that Ben fully believes in himself as a champion. He knows he can go faster and win more.

Coach Vance has been coined as the data guy and certainly he relies on the data but only as a reference point. He knows that mental health is the most important piece of an athlete's success. 90% is the amount that he reminds us of during this conversation. If we do not believe, we will never reach our highest potential.

To take this into a YogiTriathlete spin, belief comes from deepening our relationship with the present moment. It is only in the present moment that change can occur. It is only when we are fully awake to the moment that we are living that can we see the thoughts that are driving our lives. Present moment awareness creates a space between the thoughts and our focus. This space is where we can choose new thoughts. Ones that align us with our goals and our highest potential to believe in our abilities to reach those goals.

Hands down this is one of my favorite podcasts yet. Data guy turned mindfulness guru, Coach Vance is a master at his art. He has assisted countless athletes to great successes and I believe that his ability to fine-tune the mental game is only going to get stronger. When we tap into the power of the mind and learn how to train it, we open up a vault of unlimited potential for learning and achievement.

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