Thinkin on your feet, for yourself

Life can be so trying. but the key is, to keep trying. As you have all noticed, I'm sure, this is my first post in over a year. In that last year, I have added a number of National Championship Qualifiers and racers, a downhill National Champion, and a few more first-timer Ironmen and women breaking into the sport with top-30 results, in very competitive age groups, with large number of competitors. On a personal side, I have added just a mere 50 miles of riding in that time, numerous hours of Physical therapy, a couple of MRI's, and a broken date with the surgeons knife. What an incredible 15 months. I've learned so much more about myself in that time, and the true effect on performance, in and out of sport, that ones psychological abilities has. While I can say that my mental strengths before this life adventure was matched extremely well to the "normal" training cycle for a competitive basketball season (for a coach) of 10 months, I can also say, that I found out a lot about myself I didn't know....like how much I truly LOVE cycling, running, and the active lifestyle that accompanies it, and while I THOUGHT I was eating a truly healthy diet, I was just a product of the advertising and mainstream media that we have all become. I don't mean this to say I've gone off the deep end and only eat things that have roots (which for a little while I did, just ask my girlfriend), but rather to say that all too often today, we just take what we hear and see as fact, and don't question it. Some of the best athletes that I coach, are ALWAYs out there, reading, researching, and looking for more information and knowledge, which they then in turn pass along to me, and challenge how I as a coach think, and change how I coach all of my athletes. I think we all need to start opening our eyes, challenge the information pushed to us, and shoved in our ears and eyes, and figure out what works for us, and WHY. There are over 7 BILLION people on this earth. What makes YOU different? Are you thinking for yourself? Are you working WITH your coach, or just taking letter as law?