Sonia O’Sullivan has set out her philosophy on why learning to be more relaxed enhances performance. Pictured with world masters champion Orla Hendron.
Some of the most popular stories we do on stickybottle are coaching pieces that focus on the things we love; sleeping, recovering and going for coffee on a ride.
It seems many readers want to get better at the indulgences in life rather brush up on training hard for long hours in the cold and wet of winter.
But being relaxed enough to recover and to race or ride sportives to the best of our ability is vital.
There’s no point in working hard and having the form of your life if you get so stressed or nervous either just before or during your event that you don’t get nearly the best out of yourself.
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True, some riders are winter warriors more interested in showing off when there is no race to win.
But for some athletes who train much better than they race, the inability to relax into what they are doing and to actually enjoy it (imagine that) is sabotaging their performance.
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In The Irish Times today, Thursday, there’s a fantastic piece by former world athletics champion Sonia O’Sullivan about the performance and enjoyment enhancing benefits of relaxation.
She also believes the ability to hold back – to prioritise some training sessions and events over others rather than trying as hard as you can every time – is vital to success.
And she suggests it’s much easier if the athlete is more relaxed.
The piece is vital reading for any cyclist or coach and can be found by clicking on the link below:
Sonia O’Sullivan: Learning to relax is vital for any successful athlete
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