How do the top athletes think about their physical struggles – pain, exhaustion, thirst – when competing?
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How do the top athletes push their bodies to the absolute limit over hours or days of competition? ​
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When feeling under significant pressure or in high stakes situations, it’s natural that our mind jumps to conclusions about what’s going on or what’s going to happen.
It’s natural that our mind comes up with thinking traps. It’s natural that our mind compares our performance with others’ performance. It’s natural that our mind pushes us to stop trying, to give up, and to stop competing.
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I had the honor of interviewing Alex Hutchinson, a journalist, former Canadian national team distance runner, current award-winning science journalist, and author of the book Endure.
Table of Contents
Key Takeaways
In this conversation Alex kindly shares:
- His writing process
- How he decided to write Endure
- How he maintains a scientific approach to his writing
- How he handles the uncertainty of not knowing
- How to think about physical sensations during a high athletic performance
- How to relate to physical discomfort when competing at a professional level
This conversation has reminded me, once again, about the importance of scientific humbleness.
