Joly Smokes! Watching the Javelina Jundred from the sidelines last weekend I was witness to an amazing spectacle. I saw people from all walks of life, all shapes and sizes, and all ages get to the starting line and take on the incredible challenge of running a hundred miles or hundred kilometers in the desert, under some of the hottest conditions this race has seen.  I love this race for many reasons, most of all as a sport psychology professional I can witness people do something extremely challenging and see them all at multiple points during the race, you get to witness mental skills in action. The following are just some of what I saw from the sidelines.

Unhooking from the shoulds gets harder and harder when you get tired and fatigued, and you get tired faster when you are tense - it becomes a viscous cycle. Learning to respond and unhook from these unhelpful thoughts when you’re uncomfortable takes work…