As I mentioned in a previous blog post, Karel had his mind set on a top performance at Ironman Lake Placid. Sadly, a bad sickness (flu) knocked him off his routine and also compromised his recovery after a big peak week of training, just 2 weeks before the race. There was a lot of doubt and uncertainty during the sickness but with exceptional mental toughness and good race day management, Karel was able to put together a podium-finish race that required a lot of tools and tricks to help him get to the finish line.
Although Karel had no control over the longevity of the sickness, he had control over his mind and that is what helped he achieve greatness on race day.
In a recent Intelligent Racer podcast interview, Karel and Adam have a very insightful conversation on how to mentally manage the Ironman race and how to overcome difficult race day situations with visualization and a positive, proactive and ego-free mindset. Knowing that every athlete will likely have an obstacle to overcome before or during an important race and that the long distance triathlon requires exceptional mental strength, we hope that you find this podcast helpful and informative as mental toughness is not limited to elite or professional athletes. Athletes of all levels can use the mental skills that Karel used during Ironman Lake Placid to get to that next level or to accomplish something that is within your capability, even when you think it's not possible.