March 17, 2021
Getting injured is as much a mental battle as it is a physical one.
In this episode of the XTERRA Podcast powered by Braveheart Coaching, Lesley Paterson and Dr. Simon Marshall dive into the mental gremlins lurking in our psyche that make us susceptible to getting injured and then derail our attempts to climb out of the rehabilitation pit quickly and effectively.
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“We wanted to jump into the topic of injury because it's been a very strange year where there's been no races and as a consequence, we have found there's been kind of two camps athletes fall into,” said Paterson, who has a long and complex history with injuries herself.
“There's those who have over-trained because there's been no races to taper for, and they probably haven't taken care of their bodies because there's not been therapists around. And then those who have lost motivation in general, and maybe not trained at all. And now, we're going to have racing, I would imagine from the summer, at least, onwards. And athletes are going to jump in there, full of excitement, full of vigor, jump back into their training and of course, our bodies are not going to be able to handle it. And that's when injury is going to set in.”
To help athletes prepare for the season ahead Lesley and Simon recruited two experts in the field, physical rehabilitation guru Llewellyn Holmes and Carrie Jackson-Cheadle, the author of Rebound: Train Your Mind to Bounce Back Stronger from Sports Injuries.
“You might be thinking, well, I'm not injured now so this isn't really that applicable to me, but here's a crazy thing we learned from some of this research… your ability to cope with injury affects your likelihood of getting injured.” said Dr. Marshall.
“Yeah, it's really interesting,” added Jackson-Cheadle, who focuses on the psychology of injury and has a whole practice devoted to helping athletes resolve, help, and manage the emotional roller coaster that comes with injury. “There's one personality construct that stands out above all the rest and it affects both whether athletes have a higher predisposition for getting injured, as well as predicts better success outcomes from injury.”
ABOUT THE GUESTS
Carrie Jackson Cheadle
Carrie Jackson Cheadle is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant in Northern California and has been a professional in the field since 2002. Carrie has worked with athletes and performers of all ages and at every level, from recreational athletes to elite and professional athletes competing at national and international levels. She is author of the book On Top of Your Game: Mental Skills to Maximize Your Athletic Performance and co-author of Rebound: Train Your Mind to Bounce Back Stronger from Sports Injuries, as well as the co-host of the podcast The Injured Athletes Club. She has been interviewed as an expert resource for articles that have appeared in publications such as New York Times, Huffington Post, US News and World Report, Outside Magazine, Shape Magazine, Men’s Fitness, Women’s Health, Runner’s World, and Women’s Running Magazine.
Instagram: @feedtheathlete
Twitter: @feedtheathlete
Facebook: Mental Skills Training for Athlete's
Llewellyn Holmes
Llewellyn Holmes is a professional XTERRA athlete, myoskeletal soft tissue specialist, and strength and conditioning coach. He began competing as an elite mountain bike athlete at age 19 before transitioning to triathlon where he has competed professionally for 12 years. Llewellyn holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sports Science and Anatomy from the University of Swansea and currently does strength and conditioning, and injury rehabilitation for Swansea Neath Ospreys professional rugby team, the Wales international hockey squad, GB Paralympic athletics, World Champion triathletes, as well as numerous elderly clients to help them stay mobile, active, and movement-happy. Llewellyn is owner/operator of Studio Base, a strength and conditioning facility in Bath, UK where he continues to train and help rehabilitate world class elite athletes and squads, including the British Olympic Synchronized Swimming team, the current male World Champion squash player, professional cyclists, and elite long-distance swimmers.
Instagram: @coach_base
Twitter: @Llewellynholmes
ABOUT THE PODCAST
Hosted by five-time off-road triathlon world champion Lesley Paterson and her husband Dr. Simon Marshall, the new XTERRA Podcast explores the stories and science behind the quest to Live More. The XTERRA Podcast will feature guests who live, work, and play off the beaten path, share first-person accounts of epic outdoor adventures, and provide valuable tips from industry leaders in the physical and mental health industries.
Find The XTERRA Podcast on major platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, Stitcher, and iHeartRadio. You can always look here as well to use our embedded player to listen to every episode.
Learn more about the podcast here: xterraplanet.com/podcast
YOUR HOSTS
Lesley Paterson & Simon Marshall
Lesley Paterson is a five-time world champion triathlete, professional mountain biker, coach, motivational speaker, reluctant fitness model, and foul-mouthed Scotts lassie. Growing up in Scotland, Lesley was the only girl who played rugby on an all-boys team. When boobs appeared she was banned from playing with the boys so she started competing in running and triathlon. Lesley went on to become a national champion in cross country and an international triathlete.
Dr. Simon Marshall grew up in Africa and the UK. He spent his childhood playing rugby, soccer and tennis before finding competitive cycling. He started training and racing at age 12 and hasn't stopped. Simon has a bachelor’s degree in Sports Science, a master’s degree in Kinesiology, and a PhD in Sport and Exercise psychology. He is a former Professor of Sport and Exercise Psychology at San Diego State University and Professor of Behavioral Medicine at the University of California, San Diego.
Simon and Lesley own Braveheart Coaching – a San Diego based company that trains endurance athletes to be faster and happier. Together they wrote the best-selling book, The Brave Athlete - Calm the F*ck Down and Rise to the Occasion (VeloPress, 2017).
