Matt Fitzgerald is a runner, coach, nutritionist and acclaimed author of well over 25 books.  You may have heard of his book on mental toughness- How Bad Do you Want It.   His online training plans at 8020endurance.com have helped thousands of athletes of all experience and ability levels achieve their goals. Certified by the International Society of Sports Nutrition, Matt has consulted for numerous sports nutrition companies and he is the creator of the Diet Quality Score (DQS) smartphone app. A lifelong athlete, he speaks frequently at events throughout the United States and internationally.

Frequent topics on Matt's writing cover things like diet and ideal race weight, training intensities, mental training, and so much more.

The mental aspect of sports in relation to the perception of effort, fatigue, and whether limits live in our mind or our body have been frequent topics on this show.  It's one of my favorite things to discuss. If you enjoyed this episode and want more, check out some related episodes linked in the show notes to mental fatigue and training.

Check out his newest book: Life is a Marathon.

Topics Discussed in the Podcast 

• building his career + parental influence
• how to overcome fear of suffering
• pain v. perception of effort and how to make it seem easier
• aging as an endurance athlete
• mental fatigue & inhibitory control
• pressure and personalization of failure and social comparison
• growth mindset in sports
• race weight
• what is 80/20 training?

 

9:25 - edit out stutters

The main thing I've found is true in my experience and I have studied the subject a lot because it is of deep personal interest to me. The number one factor is intentionality. (bumbles in his speech) If you dislike the discomfort that comes with racing and even hard training, you can't just sort of bumble along vaguely hoping the next race isn't so painful or just hoping that you bring your mental A-game. You have to make a conscious decision to improve your mental game.  

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Resources

• Follow Matt on Twitter
• Matt Fitzgerald's website
• Matt's endurance coaching website
• Related episodes: Endure with Alex Hutchinson, Mental Fatigue with Dr. Walter Staiano, Mental Fatigue with Dr. Stephen Cheung

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The Grow the Good Podcast is produced by Palm Tree Pod Co.