How often do you start an event or even a workout and you tell yourself:

Just don’t lose.

Don’t come in last.

Don’t hurt yourself.

Don’t fall.

Don’t fail...

The fear of failure can make us risk adverse.

We start to play not to lose. We don’t push ourselves as hard as we could because there is a risk of not being successful in the task.

The challenge is in responding in a way that is congruent with your values, goals, and aspirations. Responding in a way that includes a growth mindset - the idea that our abilities and intelligence can be developed and improved over time, as opposed to the idea that our abilities are fixed traits and can’t be changed.

Responding in a way that we see the punch as a challenge, not a threat.

You can have a huge VO2max, great running economy, process lactate like no one’s business, consume a gazillion calories without an ounce of GI issues, not have a single ache, perfect weather, have a solid taper, and still have a shitty performance in an ultramarathon, not because of anything other than where your mental energy is and has been.