In the last newsletter prior to the 2012 Spec-Savers Ironman I return to a topic that is a golden tread throughout all my articles – mental toughness. Bill Toomey (gold medallist in the decathlon at the 1968 Olympic) defines mental toughness as the ability to thrive on pain and adversity. In other words, “when it starts to hurt, you start to win”, because, according to Toomey, it is the conversion of stumbling blocks into stepping stones that truly sets the champion apart from the rest of society.
OVERCOMING DESPAIR
Paddy Cloete (Psychologist and Ironman)
paddycloete@mweb.co.za
082 413 6649; (041) 581 1318
Paul Huddle, a well respected triathlon coach who also competed as a top level pro for 11 years, once said, that he “came to the...
Imagine a hillside in which deep grooves, or gullies, have been cut by years of rain washing downhill. Now, whenever it rains, the water washes down the same grooves, each time cutting them deeper into the hillside. These grooves are now permanently etched into the hillside and carry down all the water that falls on the hillside.
The Rugby World Cup is in full swing and the Springboks are looking good, but this is a long tournament. The Wallabies might have lost to Ireland, but that does not mean that they are out of the tournament. The team that will raise the William Webb Ellis trophy above their heads will require, amongst other qualities, patience, persistence and perseverance (3 Ps).
