F.L.A.S.H.


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F.L.A.S.H.... It’s There, Then Gone

Greg Spindler, LMT, CSET

All athletes train and work out for the ability to compete and accomplish race goals. Each has his/her own background, talents, and goals. They sacrifice a lot to a make things happen to their advantage for their own individual success. But on race day, all competitors have one thing in common. Each athlete is human (even those who we sometimes think aren’t due to the times they produce) and, therefore, carry 5 different emotions: FEAR, LOVE, ANGER, SADNESS, and HAPPINESS, also known as F.L.A.S.H. They are all there.

Before, during, and after the race we face one or several of these. Some help the athlete, and some are very destructive to the psyche for performance. Let me give some examples. You just might find yourself in some of these:

Race day morning, an athlete may overhear others talk of their training regimen for the race. Comparing himself to others, this athlete now begins to doubt his training. This instills FEAR into the body, thus starting the effect of negative thinking which results in poor performance. On the other hand, fear in race can also enhance motivation. For example, the fear of being caught or left behind by another competitor is a great tool. “Go,go,go, they are catching me!” one would say to his/herself.

Having passion for your sport or LOVE creates autonomic response for the athlete. It never seems to take an effort to stay the course of training and racing. This is the highly motivated athlete who can do things on their own, if needed. Consistency in routine usually pays off well on race day. As someone once said, “When love is in the air, breathing is so dear.”

During a race or even during group training, I’ve seen athletes (including myself) get frustrated with a particular situation and take hold of the sensation of ANGER. This athlete takes off on rage and, soon after, falls off pace, never to return to the rehearsed or achievable pace. This is a sure way to blow up. Controlling anger is practiced by the best athletes. Let it go.

SADNESS or depression can come in a variety of ways. The weather. A flat tire. Having your training partner not show up. An uncontrollable circumstance can affect your attitude. Sadness leads to undesirable performance. Bummed out? You’d be better off staying home. There is no way to have a great performance under the influence of sadness.

Reaching the finish line, you see tears of joy. This is HAPPINESS, the emotion we all strive to experience. Goals reached and PR’s made bring out happiness. In turn, happiness can also lead to ideal outcomes. Nothing hurts, life is good within the release of this emotion. All systems go! Feeling it at just the right time to optimize performance can be a mystery. We all wish it was easy.

So, as you can see, emotions always play a role. Some are advantageous to an athlete, and others are best avoided (or better yet, dealt with). Learning to effectively handle emotions can make a big difference in achieving your goals.