Please see below a book that we would highly recommend to help you Maximise your potential…

• The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle

I still don’t get it why Lance Armstrong did what he did to win those Tours between 1999 – 2005.

He openly said to Oprah Winfrey that cancer gave him a ‘win at all costs’ mental attitude and approach.

However, I still remember saying to a guy I know (when all the drug implications first started coming out), that ‘why would someone who has stared death in the face then feel the need to turn to drugs to win a race.’

Let’s briefly go over the situation he was facing; he had advanced testicular cancer, which had spread all over his body. He required immediate surgery and chemotherapy and even will the best medical care possible, his Doctor gave him a less than 40% chance to live.

So, I say again, ‘why would someone who has stared death in the face then feel the need to turn to drugs to win a race.’

Why do I take this stanpoint?

Simple really… I have several friends who have been in the exact same situation as Armstrong.

I also expect that the majority of people reading this article will also have a friend or two who has been in this exact situation.

For each one of these brave individuals, the change that they experienced was completely different to Armstrong, which is why I’m still not convinced that he is sharing his true motivations for taking the drugs – this sounds harsh, but I STILL think that he is living a lie.

The people I know all cited how the cancer put everything in life in a much clearer perspective than ever before. They were able to understand themselves far better than before and to understand those around them far better.

I guess you could say that they gained a heightened sense of awareness.

Yet, they have all said that they saw the value of life much more clearly – that they appreciated life and the moments within their life much more.

In summary, it appears to have made them all want to leave the ‘best version of themselves’ as a legacy to all of those who they come in contact with, knowing that they have lived a rich and fulfilled life, that has added value to everyone they come in contact with.

What I’m writing may sound a little cliché, but this is genuinely how each one of them comes across everyday – and I mean that.

So then I come back to Lance Armstrong…

It doesn’t make sense, in terms of what he did or even why he is (now) describing why he did it.

Is this the legacy he wanted to leave, knowing that the entire journey of his life was a complete lie?

No ‘Oprah’ apology will make up for, not what he did, but the fake life he has lived from that point on.

Lance Armstrong was a hero in the eyes of millions.

Now those millions will question every action that he has done and every word he has spoken…. and rightly so.

Who am I?

And, just so you know who I am…. I’m Kevin Matthews, Producer of the Maximise Potential Podcast, and from time to time I try and put my own perspective on situations I’ve faced over the years and share the lessons that I’ve learnt.

If you’re a fan of TWITTER, please come and connect with me and share your thoughts and experiences @maximisemylife!

If you missed part one of this article, please go here: anyone can be an ultra-runner, including me!

Most people in the UK will remember 2012 for the impact that the London Olympics made upon the nation. However, in the eyes of many it was the nationwide journey of the Olympic Torch prior to the start of the Games that stimulated the incredible interest in the Olympics themselves.

Each torchbearer had their own inspirational story and one such individual was 28 year old resident of Worthing, Kevin Betts who was nominated by his community for his incredible fund raising efforts for charity and also the dedication he has shown in helping others less fortunate than himself.

Here is Kevin to share his very personal and moving story with us…

Key messages from Kevin:

• You are the Architect of your own future – no one else!
• Central Governor Theory – your body is capable of going much further than you realise
• I’m an ordinary bloke – anyone can achieve what I achieve
• If you’re not failing on a regular basis, then your not setting yourself goals that are challenging enough
• If you find happiness in yourself, you’ll find that others become happier around you

Connect with Kevin:

• WEBSITE: http://www.arc2arch.co.uk/
• TWITTER: @52marathonman
• FACEBOOK: 52 marathon man fanpage

Charity details:

• re-Think mental health charity: http://www.rethink.org/

Rate the Maximise Potential Podcast on i-Tunes:

• http://bit.ly/itunes-maxpotential

Interview Transcription:

• Transcript: Kevin Betts – 52 Marathon Man (Max#44)

Sponsors:

• Jenrick Recruitment – specialists in Engineering, IT and Commercial recruitment services
• Xerxes Music

The alarm has just gone off. It’s 5am on Saturday August 11th. It’s Ultra Day and I’m off to complete the North Downs Way 50-mile trail race, organised by Centurion Running and held across Surrey and Kent.

Unlike every other runner I spoke to later that day, I think I was the only person who had slept well, having gone to bed promptly at 9.30pm the previous evening and falling asleep instantly.

When I heard that alarm I desperately wanted to pull those covers back around me and drift back into my world of slumber, but I had a race to run and not just any race, my first ultra.

I got up, stretched, showered and then began force-feeding and hydrating myself as much as possible.

We jumped in the car and headed for Farnham.

Even though the forecast was for a hot sunny day, the air felt fresh, just hinting that the season was about the change, and there was a layer of sparkly due on the grass.

It was going to be a good day!

The next bit was a blur, almost as if I was still asleep. I think the realism that this event, which had been constantly on my mind for weeks, actually months, was finally here was almost too much to take in.

I was actually here, with a number pinned to my chest. I am on the starting line for a 50mile ultra marathon. I vaguely remember just smiling, thinking to myself “you’re here, enjoy today, you’ve worked hard for it.”

Bang – the gun was off and about 100 or more of us set off, straight into the sun, blinded by the (still) low orange glow. Start the watch and let it tick.

Long day, simple strides, easy pace. I watched others as they too settled into their natural pace, and then, something that only long distance running can do, the silent bonds began to form with a small circle of other runners.

It’s weird how that happens. You don’t even bother sharing any words of greeting, yet somehow you fall into stride with some runners and not others.

Long day, simple strides, easy pace – that phrase keeps going through my mind, like an echo from Chris McDougall and his runs with Cabio Blanco.

3 hours! You’re kidding me – we’ve been running for three hours?

It was the first time I’d even looked at my watch. There were about 5 of us, just running. Sharing the odd story, watching out for rabbit holes, explaining our motivations for entering the race, but in the main, just running. Not thinking, just running.

I was approaching Ranmore Common, which is almost half way and realised I was 15, actually 20 minutes early to meet my family. They were still driving to meet me. We’d made such good time. I was feeling fresh.

What to do? Stay with my running partners with whom I’d established a steady rhythm, or meet the wife and kids. No-brainer… (Yes, I did actually ditch the running partners!).

I fed and hydrated, whilst being informed that my kids had decided to play with friends rather than see me (yeah, because I do this everyday right?). Then I kicked off again to reach Box Hill about 20mins behind the others, thinking, “no problem, I can make up this time and finish the whole course with them.”

Then I began to climb Box Hill….

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve trained here, I’ve even raced here before. I know this hill pretty well. Yet, I realised that I’ve never climbed it having already run a marathon.

It battered me plain and simple. It absolutely wiped me. I’m trying to think of other ways to describe this, but I think you get the picture.

The next 8 miles continued in that vein. By the time I reached the top of Reigate Hill (after another beast of a climb), I felt genuinely beaten.

Those 8 miles took me about 2 ½ hours.

I have to admit that I did actually contemplate stopping at that aid station, with the thought of ‘what’s the point?’ running through mind. It was just for a split second, but it was a definite thought. Then, of course, I got myself out of my little bubble, refuelled and set off again.

I tried to run but my head and legs weren’t having any of yet – they still wanted me to stop. So I walked, but I made sure that I never stopped. Then gradually both began to come back to live, or the resistance at least became less (I’m not sure which), but either way I found I could run again.

It was that period that I found to be the biggest hurdle on the day, the biggest mental challenge. I also found it particularly pleasing to come out the other side. I’d heard of other runners’ talk about this, yet to experience it myself was a very important lesson within my ultra-marathon journey.

The other lesson that I learnt was related to fuelling the body.

I did a reasonable job on the day; no dehydration issues at all, but I didn’t take on enough food and as a result my energy levels suffered. I’ve already created a strategy for my next race and I’m looking forward to seeing the impact of this.

The rest of the race passed without incident. Myself and a couple of others ground out the miles, running and walking all the way, swearing when we saw a big hill or (even worse) a style that we had to climb over!

There were several moments throughout the day when I realised how vulnerable you can be out there. One guy lost his footing on a path and totally disappeared through a hedge of thorns and nettles. He re-appeared sporting a range of gashes, nettle stings and a tender ankle. Another managed to put his foot down a rabbit hole which nearly broke his ankle, whilst someone else actually did break their shoulder, through losing their footing and going over awkwardly. My point is that you have to be on guard the entire time, being as aware and as conscious of your immediate surroundings as possible. If you break your ankle out on those trails, you are a long way from help.

As I edged closer and closer to that 50-mile mark I began to give myself the luxury of reflecting on the last 12hours and countless miles. I was going to finish this thing now, no doubt, so the question I put to myself was the following…

Will I achieve the objectives I’d initially set myself?

Firstly, my key objective was that I didn’t want to just finish the race, crawling over the line feeling beaten. I wanted to know if I was strong enough to still be running (albeit in shorter bursts) after 12+ hours and 45+ miles.

The other was to see if my body could handle this distance. I’ve suffered with a few injuries in recent years (notably the knee issue I had in the London Marathon that I spoke about in part one of this article), and I was desperate to see if my body could take this level of beating, without breaking down.

Moments later, as if the timing of those inward questions could not have been planned any better, myself and my two other running companions jogged our way into the hidden village of Knockholt Pound in Kent. The finish line was in front of me, my body was tired but still intact and we were still running – ‘yes’ I said to myself, you did meet those objectives.

It was dusk, but there were still an array of cheers and big smiles to greet us. We linked arms and all crossed the line at the same time. Then we looked at each other, held out our hands and finally introduced ourselves. “You didn’t even know each other’s names?” I heard someone mention in a completely astounded voice.

I looked round and saw my family. I made my way over and gave them all a big hug…“I did it.”

Who am I?

And, just so you know who I am…. I’m Kevin Matthews, Producer of the Maximise Potential Podcast, and from time to time I try and put my own perspective on situations I’ve faced over the years and share the lessons that I’ve learnt.

If you’re a fan of TWITTER, please come and connect with me and share your thoughts and experiences @maximisemylife!

If you missed part one of this article, please go here: anyone can be an ultra-runner, including me!

Almost two years ago David Weir, GB’s elite wheelchair racer, stated his goals for London 2012 of achieving “just one gold medal at my home games.”

When we were fortunate to conduct an in-depth interview with David, where we discussed the highs and lows of his incredible career, he opening stated that this was the goal that he desperately wanted.

Last night, at the Olympic Stadium, in front of a sell-out crowd, David achieved that goal by winning the 5,000m in a sprint finish.

From all of us at The Maximise Potential Podcast, we just want to say a MASSIVE CONGRATULATIONS to David, and his coach Jenny Archer.

David has made it clear that he wants these Games to be his farewell to the sport, so we are all eagerly awaiting his performances in the remaining events….

Have you heard David Weir’s interview on Maximise Potential?

David Weir GB Wheelchair Racer – Interview discussing his career and aspirations for London 2012

“Anyone can be an ultrarunner,” says Scott Jurek, the world’s best ever ultrarunner.

That’s easy for Scott to say. This is man that runs 50 miles for fun – when he’s racing its normally 100+ miles.

To nearly everyone else, these numbers seem crazy. I mean, just running a 26.2mile marathon is mad enough, but to double that, triple it or even quadruples it…

Nope, sorry Scott, you’re on your own here I’m afraid. This type of thing can only be for a select club of elite athletes, people who have been running at a high level since they were kids.

Or so I thought…

…up until about 48hours ago when I had just officially joined the ranks of ultrarunning, becoming an Alumni of a group of runners who have successfully completed an ultramarathon.

My ultra?

50 miles of the North Downs Way (split between Surrey & Kent in the UK), taking in several thousand feet of elevation, while running through some amazing off-road scenery, that makes you proud to be British and live in this greenest of green countries.

It took me 12 1/2hours of continuous effort, much of which I was alone, with only myself as my motivator.

It was hard, actually, it was bloody hard. But I did it.

Why did I put myself through this? Well, this is my story….

I run, but I’m not a runner.

My last attempt to do anything notable was the London Marathon in 2010, where my body broke down in training and again on the day, resulting in me hobbling from mile 10 and finally crossing over the finish line something just short of 5 ½ hours.

My body felt so shattered after that experience I doubted if I would ever run again, over any distance. I’d really hurt my left knee and I genuinely thought “that’s it, game over.”

So I put my running shoes in the cupboard and didn’t do anything for at least a year.

If people asked me if I ran, I’d answer “that I used to until I hurt my knee.”

Looking back, I can now see that I used it as a way out – some kind of way to justify the fact that I was crap at running, or at least that’s how I felt about me and running.

Saying I got injured seemed ‘manly’, letting people draw conclusions that I must have been pushing it so hard that I got injured.

Yeah right, if only. Inside, I felt like a failure and, if I’m honest, I was scared to go back for more – wouldn’t you be?

Who wants to do something that they’re clearly not good at.

So, let’s wind forward a year…

I began meeting inspirational individuals such as Andy North, Richard Hume and Chris Brisley (within the interviews I was conducting for our Podcast).

I listened to them tell their life stories and their adventures, the way they built up to these incredible events, the way they dealt with knock-backs and how they remained motivated and full of desire.

They all had this same type of ‘can-do’ attitude. They’d all had things go wrong at some point, but they just chalked these up to experience and went back for more.

These guys were pushing it – in every direction. AND – they weren’t scared. This was the big part for me.

I’ll say it one more time – THEY WEREN’T SCARED.

I felt something change. A small spark maybe, but it felt like a part that was pretty tucked away was trying to spring back into life. It was faint, but it was definitely there.

Then my mind started to wander, firstly to implant images of running trails and the feelings of completing these exciting challenges that these people were doing – it was like watching a movie but being in it at the same time.

But then, over a little more time, instead of them (Andy, Richard, Chris etc.) being in the movie – it was me.

Something was beginning to form and with it my belief slowly began to return.

I got my running shoes back out of the cupboard, yet before I put them on to run and train blindly (as I had done before), I thought about what I wanted to achieve, how I wanted to train, how long I had to build up to my goal.

Importantly, I immersed myself in research, through listening to interviews I had done, or other Podcasts, and also finding blogs, websites and people on Twitter. I listened, learned and applied.

I soon found myself reading ‘What I talk about when I talk about Running,’ then ‘The Long Run,’ then ‘The Iron War‘ and most recently ‘Born to Run.’

All of these books were inspirational stories about people, running, challenges and ultra-running.

I more I learned, the more I realised that I didn’t know. I started researching nutrition and hydration and even learning about different events.

Each page, each interview, each tweet created a more concrete image in my mind, making it closer to a reality, until one day….

I entered ‘The North Downs Way 50mile ultramarathon’

I’d done it.

Phew, I could finally let out a sigh of relief. It was all over – complete.

Some of you will get what I mean in that previous statement, others will be sitting there going huh?

Let me explain why I said it was done and over, even though the race was still a year away and I hadn’t even begun my training.

What I mean by ‘I’d done it’ was that I’d finally tackled this issue head-on and overcome it. I was no longer running away or hiding behind excuses.

I’d dealt with it in my mind.

I’d changed my mindset from someone who thought that this was impossible for ‘someone like me’ to achieve and turned it into ‘I can do this – I will do this.’

I had convinced myself that I deserved to be a part of this, that I was worthy enough to stand next to the others on the start line of this extreme event.

I will write another article on the actual event, as I know people are interested to understand what it is like to train and compete in one of these, but that is not important now.

All I want the reader of this article to consider is that overcoming my fear of entering this event was the hardest part of this entire journey.

We’ve heard many wise people say that the fist step is always the hardest. Well, I can now verify this. It is completely true.

Once you’ve plucked up the courage to take that first, almost impossible step, then the rest just seems to fall into place.

My first ultramarathon won’t break any record times, but I did it. And although I was tired at the end, I was not broken. I was still smiling and I was still running.

Importantly, I’m looking forward to 2013 and my opportunity to do it all over again…

Article notes:

Firstly, there will be a part two to this article, where I give you a synopsis of my training, preparation and the actual race itself.

For the record, The North Downs Way Ultra was organised by Centurion Running.

And, just so you know who I am…. I’m Kevin Matthews, Producer of the Maximise Potential Podcast, and from time to time I try and put my own perspective on situations I’ve faced over the years and share the lessons that I’ve learnt.

If you’re a fan of TWITTER, please come and connect with me @maximisemylife and if you want to keep up to date with the articles, podcasts and videos that we post here, subscribe to Maximise Potential here!

A young runner asks his coach, “What do I need to do to become one of the best long distance runners in the world?” and the coach gives a simple answer of “move to Bekoji.”

The youngster looks insulted, thinking that the coach must have said “Baloney” to them, insinuating that they’ll never be good at running. The coach picks up on this and repeats what he said. This time the youngster just looks confused.

I can imagine this scene playing out all over the world right now for aspiring long distance athletes…. so, allow me to help take away your potentially puzzled or insulted expressions.

Ethiopia’s Tiki Gelana has just won the gold medal at London 2012 in the marathon.

Gelana a runner from the relatively small (17,000 population) town of Bekoji, which is famous for …. errr …. absolutely nothing, apart from the fact that it’s tiny population has produced six world champions, 10 world records and five Olympic gold medalists.

Bekoji, is a “talent hotbed” – a concept that I was first introduced to by Daniel Coyle, within his amazing book “The Talent Code.” Coyle’s objective in the book is to unravel why such clusters of ‘talent’ appear to exist within a select number of very specific locations. He wanted to ascertain if it was simply a concentration of genetics, or whether something else was contributing.

In short, ‘genetics’ has been a term that has been over-relied upon and mis-used on far too many occasions to explain ‘success.’

We’ve all been at fault for this – every single one of us, and it has nothing to do with sport. How many times have we made statements like “he’s such a natural”, “they’re gifted in a way I’ll never be”, or “she was born with a silver spoon in her mouth.”

These are all expressions of the same belief – that genes have led to the perceived success of the person.

So, basically what we are saying is, if we find something difficult and someone else makes it look easier, then it must be it down to genetics.

OK, back to our little talent hotbed in Ethiopia, which, by the way, is A RUNNING-MAD TOWN.

Yep, pretty much the entire town runs – or at least all the kids. It’s as important to them as going to school, actually, it’s probably more important. Each morning they are up and (yes) RUNNING!

They train, they compete, they live for running.

They run in their hundreds and complete more technical running and physical conditioning training before they are 10, than most people would do in a lifetime.

I can hear people still saying the “G” word…. so, let me continue.

I haven’t completed the full stat’s yet, but let me also highlight that it is not the WHOLE OF ETHIOPIA that is creating this concentration of running success (nearly 90 million total population), if it was there would be no medals left for anyone, it is just this little area.

Just 17,000 people within a huge country of 90 million.

So, before we make our next sweeping judgment, just pause for a second and think about the small town of Bekoji and then decide whether there is more to the story than someone simply having ‘better genetics.’

Want to know more, watch this….

Who am I?

And, just so you know who I am…. I’m Kevin Matthews, Producer of the Maximise Potential Podcast, and from time to time I try and put my own perspective on situations I’ve faced over the years and share the lessons that I’ve learnt.

If you’re a fan of TWITTER, please come and connect with me and share your thoughts and experiences @maximisemylife!

By winning the US Open Gold championship, Webb Simpson (who I hear you ask?) became the 15th different winner of the last 15 major golf championships.

In that winning list there are names such as Lucas Glover, Yang Yong-eun, Keegan Bradley, Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel. Yet again, I can hear you all again saying ‘who are they?’

Notably in that same list there was not one Tiger, Phil Mickelson, Els, VJ Singh or Pádraig Harrington, who were all multiple Major winners in the period up until 2008.

So what has changed?

Well, we know that Tiger has had some well-documented personal issues, but basically he is still the same golf player that has been setting records since the day he started on the Tour.

In actual fact, in 2010 (at the height of his low, so to speak) he was still the highest-paid professional athlete in the world, having earned an estimated US$90.5 million from winnings and endorsements.

Also, as I look at the World Rankings, Tiger is currently #4 in the world and most recently won the Jack Nicklaus Memorial Tournament, to take him to second in all-time tournament wins (behind Sam Snead).

So, it’s not like he’s given up or become a bad player – so what is it?

Enter a well-documented NLP model: T + F + A = R

Translated….

THOUGHTS (lead to) FEELINGS (which in turn, influence your) ACTIONS (which create) RESULTS

Up until the point where Tiger began to lose control of his personal life, he believed and so did everyone else on the Golf Tour, that he (Tiger) was invincible. I mean, if Tiger was close to the top of a leaderboard going into the 3rd round of a tournament, especially a major, everyone thought ‘oh well, that’s going to be Tiger’s.’

He’d even wear his customary RED T-shirt on the final round if he felt he was going to win – just think, you’re up against him on the final round and he shows up at the first tee with his red T-shirt; game over.

Yet, when his personal affairs came out, I think everyone realised one very important point – Tiger was a PERSON.

He was not a machine, some indestructible robot.

He showed he was fallible, he could make mistakes… that he actually had weaknesses.

So, when you put that into the TFAR model, you start reaching a different outcome – one, where you genuinely believe that YOU CAN WIN.

Equally, as I mentioned, I believe that this also impacted Tiger in the same way. I believe that up until this point he was also convinced that he was untouchable, yet a year of two later his beliefs were no longer as strong.

What can we learn from this?

That mindset plays an incredible role in whether we succeed or fail (at work, at home, in sport…).

Prior to 2008 those golfers clearly believed that they were second best to Tiger, as frequently as Tiger believed he was their superior. Post 2008, they began to believe that they were an equal, that they could hit the ball and win tournaments like him.

So, when you look at an outcome that didn’t go your way, analyse it and consider what thoughts and feelings you had going into the situation, you’ll be amazed at what you learn about yourself.

I use this model more and more now within all aspects of my life and the more I use it, the more I understand about myself.

There were great omens in Paralympic year as, for the first time in five years, British athletes claimed a double victory in both the men’s and women’s wheelchair races. On Sunday, it was David Weir and Shelly Woods, Britain’s leading two wheelchair racers on road and track, having first won the double in 2007.

Great Britain’s David Weir (featured on episode 19 of the Maximise Potential Podcast) won the wheelchair race at the London Marathon for a record-equalling sixth time. The 32-year-old won a sprint finish to take the title in 1:32:26 and equal Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson’s record.

“This is my favourite win ever because the field was so strong,” Weir told BBC Radio 5 live.

Weir beat Switzerland’s Marcel Hug by a second, with American Krige Schabort a further second adrift.

However, with increasing family commitments, the 32-year-old suggested Sunday’s London Marathon could be his last.

“Maybe,” Weir said. “I’ve got an eight-month-old baby boy and I’ve got another one on the way in October, so I need a bit of time at home.

“There’s not a lot of goals left. I’ll definitely take a year out after the [Paralympics] because I want to spend some time with my family.”

The Londoner admitted it was a “great privilege” to match Grey-Thompson, whom Weir described as a role model.

“She was the one who got me back into the sport when I had a little dip,” said Weir.

“I wasn’t enjoying the sport but watching her in Sydney [at the 2000 Olympics] brought me back, so it is great to equal her record.

“I was quite emotional when I crossed the line because it could be my last one for a while.”

Woods, 26, finished almost three minutes ahead of Japan’s Wakako Tsuchida, while Canadian Diane Roy took third.

“I’m really happy,” Woods told BBC Radio 5 live. “I can’t believe it.

“To win a Paralympic gold medal is my ambition as an athlete. If I could do it in London would be amazing. I wouldn’t say I’m now favourite for a Paralympic gold but that’s the ambition in my career.”

Well done David, from everyone at Maximise Potential!

FURTHER INFORMATION

• Click here to view more inspiring articles and resources on David Weir
• Click here to listen to the motivating interview with David Weir

Article Source: bbc.co.uk

The British record holder will be up against three former London champions, including the 54-year-old Frei, a London winner three times in the late 1990s, David Weir will defend his Virgin London Marathon title on Sunday 22 April against the strongest field ever assembled as he seeks to match the six London Marathons won by Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson on his 12th consecutive appearance.

“It’s gives me a real boost to know I can equal Tanni’s record this year,” said Weir, who last year became the first man to win five London Wheelchair Marathons.

“Tanni is such a fantastic ambassador for the sport so to match one her achievements will be fabulous. I love the London Marathon. I haven’t missed one for 12 years and I wouldn’t miss this one for the world,” he added.

Weir is certainly in form, having broken the world half marathon record in Lisbon just a month ago.

In London last year he won a thrilling sprint finish beating Switzerland’s Heinz Frei by two seconds, and the Briton will face the veteran world record holder again when 17 of the world’s elite men takes to the start line just four months before the 2012 Paralympic Games.

The British record holder will be up against three former London champions, including the 54-year-old Frei, a London winner three times in the late 1990s, the 2010 winner, Josh Cassidy of Canada, who was fifth last year, and Frenchman Denis Lemeunier, the 2001 champion, racing in London for the 11th time.

However, Weir’s sternest challenge could come from the two fastest men in the field – South African Ernst van Dyk who has won the prestigious Boston Marathon a record nine times, and the in-form Japanese racer, Masazumi Soejima, who won marathons in Tokyo, Boston and New York last year, and clocked the world’s leading time of 1 hour 18 minutes 50 seconds.

“Training’s been going really well and I feel in good shape.”

Weir will appear at a press conference along with a number of the London Marathon’s elite wheelchair racers at the Tower Hotel, London, on Friday 20 April. The field also includes Marcel Hug of Switzerland, who was second in 2010, and Poland’s Tomasz Hamerlak, the 2011 bronze medallist.

“I know I’m the man to beat in London but whoever is there on the day that’s fine by me,” said Weir, who became a father for the second time last August.

Further Articles and Resources

Article Source: germanroadraces.de

David Weir, who gave an inspiring interview on episode 19 of The Maximise Potential Podcast, is now in the run-up to the most important event of his life – the 2012 London Olympics. The games will arguably be David’s last in the sport, and the man who has re-written all the record books is keen to ensure his build up is as thorough as possible……

David, five-times London Marathon wheelchair champion, turning out in his first race at the Adidas Silverstone Half Marathon wheelchair event, was overwhelming favourite to win his first Silverstone title and delivered accordingly. David broke the course record finishing in 45:20 taking nearly eight minutes off the course record, previously held by Brian Alldis at 53:00 set in 2010.

David led the wheelchair field all the way and is coached by Jenny Archer. David who will be racing in this year’s Virgin London Marathon Wheelchair event in six weeks time against a tough field, and hopes to equal Tanni Grey-Thompson’s six tiles in London, said of his win today,

‘I was pleased with my time for the course, which was a bit twisty. My goal for the Paralympics is to get at least one gold medal, and looking forward to taking part in the Virgin London Marathon as preparation for this. Winning is all I want to do, I train to win’.

David now holds British records at all distances up to 5000m on the track as well as at 10k, half marathon and marathon on the road and a double Paralympic medalist on the track from Beijing at 800 and 1500 metres.

Source: About My Area.co.uk

Tom Daley is one of Team GB’s greatest medal prospects for London 2012.

I just read a very interesting article on him, probably paying more attention to it than I would have done before meeting Chris Brisley (@TakeaChallenge), who was one of the diving coaches in Plymouth, with Andy Banks, when Tom was a young lad learning the trade.

He made an extremely interesting and mature comment when asked about why his performances in the World Championships had (apparently) gone backwards – Tom won Gold in 2009, yet only finished 5th in 2011.

This was his response:

“I raised my degree of difficulty by a lot and it was one of those things where I just had to use them at a World Championships to get the experience before the Olympic Games,” Daley said.

So let’s get this right, this is a 17 year old who was willing to give up a World Championship Gold medal, not to mention face all the questions from the media and his peers, in order to ‘prepare himself’ for the Olympic Games.

I’ll say it again – he gave up winning a World Championship Gold Medal.

What amazing discipline and focus he has showed and I wish him all the very best for London 2012.

P.S. A certain Pete Sampras did exactly the same according to Andre Agassi’s book. Sampras was apparently willing to go right back to basics, when all around him (Agassi, Courier, Martin, Chang etc.) were all taking the tennis world by storm. He accepted loss after loss while he re-built himself and his game. We all know what happened after that . . .

Comedian John Bishop is to undertake a gruelling triathlon for charity.

Starting on February 27, he will attempt to cycle, row and run 290 miles from Paris to London in five days.

He will start his BT Sport Relief Challenge by the Eiffel Tower in the French capital, and cycle 185 miles to the coast in less than 24 hours. For the second leg, he is hoping to row from mainland Europe to the UK – an ambitious task for anyone, let alone someone who suffers with bad seasickness.

He will be joined by a team of celebrity rowers including Andrew Flintoff, Davina McCall and Denise Lewis.

The final stage of his epic journey will see him take on three marathons in three days, finishing in Trafalgar Square in London on Friday March 2. Celebrity friends including Dermot O’Leary, Frank Skinner and Robbie Savage will provide motivation when they run alongside him.

He is hoping to raise enough money not only to pay for a vaccine against five deadly diseases for 250,000 children in Africa, but also help people living tough lives in the UK.

He said: “I must be mad. I’m a man in my mid 40s, a bit thicker round the middle than I’d like to be and I’m about to take on the biggest physical challenge of my life. Up until a few weeks ago I’d never even sat in a rowing boat and now I’ve got miles of water to cover, then there’s the cycle and don’t even mention the word marathon to me.

“I know there will be times during the challenge when I’ll be freezing cold and fed up but when I’m down I will think back to the people I met in Sierra Leone earlier this year and I’ll know every penny I raise really will make a massive difference to people’s lives.”

Bishop’s Week Of Hell will be shown in a BBC documentary to be broadcast in the build up to Sport Relief Weekend, which takes place from March 23 to March 25.

Good luck John from all of us at the Maximise Potential Podcast!

2012 is set to be a record-breaking year in the UK with the arrival of the Olympic and Paralympic Team GB Games. Here is a excellent article from Baroness Grey-Thompson, Great Britain’s 11-time Paralympic champion, on the Games…

Although it is only one day and a training session or two closer to the Games, something feels slightly mystical about the change in the year.

I know it sounds a bit dramatic, but I remember so clearly the feeling of entering a Paralympic year and, in each of my five Games, at that point you know as an athlete there is no turning back.

Even the most rational mind accepts that not being able to talk about the Games as being “next year” makes it feel different.

New Year’s Day will be another training day for many, but the festive period is probably also the last time athletes will have any real chance to spend some quality time with their families before the hectic period ahead.

A couple of weeks ago I was out at Olympic Park with some Paralympic and Olympic athletes from Team 2012 who are hoping to make it to the London Games, and to see it all through their eyes was incredibly exciting.

It is also the closest time in the five years since I retired that I have had those nerves right in the pit of my stomach. There is no doubt that while the exterior and interior of the venues are stunning, it is the finishing touches – things like the trees and plants as well the Games branding, flags and signposting – that will bring it alive.

London 2012 Paralympics

• Opening ceremony: 29 August
• Closing ceremony: 9 September
• 20 sports
• 4,300 athletes from 162 countries, including 300 on Team GB
• 500 gold medals up for grabs

It is important for the British team, which will number around 300, to be impressed with the facilities, but not blown away by them. They have to concentrate on performing – and winning the medals expected from them

Athletes like wheelchair racers David Weir and Shelly Woods, cyclists Jody Cundy and Sarah Storey, rower Tom Aggar, swimmers Ellie Simmonds, Sascha Kindred and Susie Rodgers and so many others will be targeting glory in front of their home crowd and hoping to impress the nation with their skill, power, athleticism and determination to win.

A home Games is going to bring some different challenges for all athletes.

For seasoned campaigners, the constant “good luck” from strangers needs to avoid becoming overpowering. For those first-timers, ParalympicGB is working hard to demystify the whole experience, but walking into the village for the first time, even for the most experienced athlete, can bring you to a stop.

I have always said the Games are going to be the best Paralympics we will have seen, and there is nothing that has moved me from that view.

Much is expected of the GB team in London but I am confident they will deliver and we will see some great performances and lots of medals.

One massive success already has been in ticketing for the Games, where there has been unprecedented demand. I applied for the maximum number of 10 sessions and only got tickets for two of them. This is great.

There has never been a Games that has sold tickets this early. We can still do with more spectators but I think that will come.

Although there are many positives, there are still some issues that should not be forgotten when the Games are over.

I’m sure the debate around legacy will continue and, while it can be planned for, not much more can be done until the Games is over.

For me, a better measure of change is the amount of access for the disabled as well as improving attitudes towards disabled people. Accessibility in the built environment still needs much improvement, but I also hope the Games can help ensure the public sees disabled people as included in society.

In the Games arena there will be the ongoing challenges around athlete reclassification. Classification is nowhere near as clear cut as you might assume and there is the potential for negativity in the press if an athlete is moved, especially if they are British.

Yes, there may be athletes who try to push the boundaries, but there are also ones who are genuine borderline cases, and it is a tough call for the authorities to make.

I can understand why a lot work is going on to stop reclassification at Games time, but I think there needs to be some form of sanction to ratchet up the importance of this issue and concentrate each country’s mind on getting it right in the first place.

We also need to keep the pressure on regarding funding beyond the Games. It is important to remember the London Games is not the end of the cycle. It is the a step along the way and it is important to ensure funding is maintained to ensure success in Rio in 2016 and beyond.

Source: news.bbc.co.uk

FURTHER ARTICLES AND RESOURCES:

• INSPIRING INTERVIEW: Click here to listen to an inspiring interview with David Weir, most successful wheelchair racer in marathon history
• ARTICLES AND RESOURCES: Click here to view more articles and resources on London 2012 Paralympics

Bonita Norris, youngest british woman to climb Mount Everest has featured on the Maximise Potential Podcast, not once but twice!

Here is an article we found recently regarding how she and other female explorers are setting a good example to young girls today:

The arrival of Amelia Hempleman-Adams, 16, at the South Pole last week was an arresting sight. Since Roald Amundsen’s conquering of the bottom of the Earth exactly 100 years ago, polar adventuring has largely been the preserve of rugged, bearded men.

But since the female polar pioneers of the 1980s, more and more women have trekked to the poles. The latest group to take up the challenge are noticeable by their youth – not to mention their good looks.

Taking on the ice caps is by no means a young woman’s game just yet but the new female explorers have told the Standard they are proud of the example they are setting to girls growing up.

Bonita Norris, 24

On her blog Bonita Norris, left, describes herself as “an average girl” but the stories of daring the 24-year-old already has to tell suggest otherwise.

In May last year she became the youngest British woman ever to climb Everest, having previously become the youngest woman to scale Nepal’s Mount Manaslu, the world’s eighth-highest mountain.

Her triumph on Everest brought fame and lucrative contracts for the telegenic Norris, but it almost ended in disaster. On the way down from the summit she slipped badly, hurting her back; her legs quickly froze until she couldn’t feel her feet, leaving her in danger of frostbite. Kenton Cool, the professional mountaineer who helped her reach the summit, described her state as “a shocking situation”.

After extra sherpas were sent up the mountain with oxygen and medical equipment she was bound up with her legs tied together and lowered down by her climbing harness. Cool described it as “one of the most harrowing things I’ve experienced” and Norris told the Standard the experience was “like nothing on Earth”.

Norris survived to tell her tale to a receptive media and to garner the rewards of an expedition that had raised thousands for children’s charity Global Angels. Within months she had signed up to front an advertising campaign for car manufacturer Nissan and was speaking in schools about her dramatic fall in Everest’s “dead zone”.

In May this year she reached the North Pole with Alan Chambers and is now planning for her next big adventure, the one that would complete “the trilogy” of exploring – a trip to the South Pole with the Karrimor team next winter.

The not-so-average Norris – whose father works in the roofing business and who went to school at The Holt, a girls’ comprehensive in Wokingham – told the Standard the previous lack of female participation in extreme exploration was due more to lack of interest than physical aptitude.

“I don’t think many women have wanted to take on challenges like this. I went to a girls’ school and we were encouraged to go and achieve things as an individual. Maybe that had an effect on me.”

Article Source: London evening standard.co.uk

FURTHER ARTICLES AND RESOURCES:

• Inspiring Interview: Bonita Norris – How I became the youngest british woman to climb Mount Everest (Max#18)
• Inspiring Interview: Bonita Norris – How I set goals (Max#33)
• Articles and Resources: Click here to view more articles and resources about Bonita Norris

Music

Kevin: Welcome to Maximise Potential the podcast to educate and motivate through a range of original interviews designed to help you maximise your potential. Brought to you in association with the award winning recruitment group Jenrick.

Okay welcome back to episode 36 of the Maximise Potential Podcast and the second instalment of our interview with Richard Hume. The first question that most of you will be asking is how on earth Richard can top an event which was as extreme as the triple Ironman. Well Richard is also one of a very select group of people to have completed the Atlantic Ocean rowing race. This gruelling 3000 mile event which can take over 80 days to complete challenges competitors in ways not comparable to most other endurance events. Dealing with the isolation, the monotony, the sickness in addition to the extreme elements of the Atlantic Ocean can all prove too much for so many people who attempt this incredible event. Yet as Richard will describe in his interview competing in a race of this magnitude is only one of the many challenges that an amateur athlete has to overcome.

Here is Richard once again to take us on another of his incredible journeys.

Music

Okay Richard I am going to carry on with this very interesting interview now after you have just left me well quite stunned as to how long that triple Ironman event actually took but equally I was also left with how well you performed in it which I just find phenomenal. I mean you are still sitting here just saying well I am an average guy and I look up to these other people and I am sitting here right now going this is pretty incredible. But we are now going to talk about another incredible event that you have done which is the transatlantic row. Two people in a rowing boat you start off from I believe just off Tenerife and you just row right across the Atlantic.

Richard: Yeah through to Antigua.

Kevin: And this is exactly the same row that I know was very publicised when it was James Cracknel and Ben Fogel did it.

Richard: Yeah the same organisation, the same race. They took 50 days and had, it is very weather dependable, they had 50 days of beautiful weather and we had 72 days of different weather. But yeah it was three years in the making or three years in the process of planning and raising the money and getting to the start line. Yeah the race itself was an interesting experience.

Kevin: Well before we get on to that lets talk about the three years in the making. I think most people struggle to commit themselves to goals that are anything beyond a month so let’s talk a bit about.

Richard: When I came upon the race and saw it in an article it was about two New Zealanders who were about to do the first race in ’97 decided there and then that that was going to be one of the races I wanted to do.

Kevin: That was on your original list.

Richard: That was on my list yeah. And I made a few enquiries about it because I just wanted to see what was going on and actually on one of my enquiries with the company that did it they sent me a poster that then sat on my bedroom wall at either school or university or wherever it went it just sat there. Weirdly I met the guy who was on the boat in the photo the other day which was kind of cool, he thought I was weird. Anyway the preparation for that was that I had a few false starts in terms I was telling everybody I was going to row the Atlantic and then they, I got told ‘that’s stupid you are 17/18/19′ whenever I was saying it and then I also had a lot of people who wanted to do it with me because I was actively trying to find a partner. But when you then, people say ‘yeah I want to do it, I want to do it’ and then say well right okay lets go to the pub and sit down and talk about finance and stuff ‘oh I don’t think I can do it’ you know all that kind of stuff. And it was in December 2005 I think it was that I went through all my email addresses and just wrote them the final, final email. And I wrote a few and had no responses back nothing, no replied whatsoever.

So I was like oh okay this is not going too well I am actually going to have to do this on my own. I also then got a phone call in early January from my then, from a guy who was four years above me at university who for some reason I had his email address and just said ‘hi Rich you have completely ruined my Christmas’ and I was like ‘oh hi Tom how are you what have you been up to why have I ruined your Christmas?’ ‘I can’t stop thinking about rowing the Atlantic’ and that was when the process then began.

Kevin: Incredible. I still find it stunning that this was something that you completed pretty much a year ago but you started sending those emails in 2005. It just really again confirms to me the way your, if we want to call it, your mind works in terms of the way you have set these goals for yourself or you have set targets going back all those years coming off the issue with your back and it really ever since then has acted almost like a barometer for the rest of your life.

Richard: Yeah rowing the Atlantic was a very abnormal event to try and pass through people. It took a while to just get people round the idea that you were thinking about doing it. You then go through a stage of not even asking people whether you can do it, it is telling them that you are going to go and do it. You know mum and dad if I said ‘I am thinking about rowing the Atlantic’ it would be a firm ‘No’. If I just turn round and say ‘I am rowing the Atlantic’ they haven’t got much ground to stand on, on either side.

It is also a very expensive project to do. The provisional budget for it is about £60,000 and we saw it as a sort of building project. So we thought it was going to be about an £80,000 project. I had just come out of university I had very few contacts in the business world; I had very little money behind me I knew that I had to start that early to do it. And that is where you know coming back from the last interview it is about amateurs and professionals. But the professionals will have that sponsorship behind them the amateurs don’t and we have to really graft in terms of trying to find the funds. Just trying to get somebody to believe in you and even just to get to the number two of a company you have got to go through the secretary and if the secretary doesn’t believe in you, you are never going to get to the person you need to talk to.

Kevin: Can I ask you it is along this subject but do you actually find that this bit of the process is actually harder than actually doing the events themselves?

Richard: The rowing was the first event that I had ever asked anybody for sponsorship. Some people had very kindly helped for the triple Ironman but they were more we are going to sponsor you I never asked them for it because I knew that at some point the rowing was going to happen and I knew that at some point I was going to have to badger every single one of my friends for ten quid or fifteen, twenty quid and I knew that if I had done that for a marathon or an Ironman or something like that I would be on quite touchy grounds. It is definitely the hardest part of the event; the event is always the cherry on top of the cake. Getting to the start line is the hard part and if you ever turn up to an event and you don’t think that you are going to finish because you are under prepared there is no point even starting. So that really is the hardest part. The rowing is slightly different because it is so long to be out at sea but if you haven’t got the food on board you are not going to last very long.

Kevin: No.

Richard: If you haven’t got the safety equipment on board you are not going to last very long.

Kevin: So where did that sponsorship money I mean you are saying friends but it must, I mean there is no way friends can come up with all of that so?

Richard: Our biggest donation was £5,000 and that was through a friend of mine who had been put in charge of his grandfathers trust fund to be used for charitable causes and we were very fortunate that we were raising money for a charity called Ataxia UK and anything that was given on Just Giving they very kindly gave half back to us to help us cover our costs which is very unusual for a charity to do but a really great way for them to pull in these bigger events for lesser charities. So we raised a bit of money from that. The key one for us was that Tom works for a big company that has a big turnover of mobile phones and they let us have all their second hand mobile phones for a period of time and we sold them on to these companies that buy mobile phones and I think we made about £15,000 and it is staggering the amount, I think it is like £120 for a Blackberry and how many businesses use Blackberrys – hundreds. So it is a really creative way of doing it.

From personal sponsorship we knew we didn’t have anything more than £1,500. Our biggest company on its own was £3,000. So it was lots of little ones. But no we were lucky and we have still got to sell the boat now and if we sell the boat we would have, myself and Tom would have put in about £2,500 so we are still going to be short but we were away from home for five months and you know we raised £20,000 for charity.

Kevin: Exactly.

Richard: So you know it does, we did run an expensive project but it was well worth it. You know only 500 odd people have ever rowed an ocean before but this is something that I have done and not many other people have.

Kevin: So let’s talk about that. How did it happen? How did you train for this?

Richard: The training side of it I was always quite fit and of course the preparation for the rowing took place whilst I was doing the triple Ironman. So the core foundation of fitness was definitely there. Not that you have to be very fit to do the rowing because it is much more of a mental game but I did spend a lot of time putting a lot of weight on. I put a lot of effort into trying to make myself stronger because doing things like the triple Ironman you get weaker and weaker and weaker. And I spent a lot of time in the rowing machine. That was my main principal. I decided it would be quite a good thing to perhaps learn how to row so I had ten one hour lessons so that was a key to it.

Kevin: How much did that help you? Did it open your eyes up to the technicalities of rowing?

Richard: Well rowing an ocean rowing boat is very different. So an ocean rowing boat is a ton once it is fully laden and also little things like on a boat that you would have on a river your hands cross over one another. They never do on an ocean rowing boat because if a wave hits the oar it will smash up into the second oar and you will end up with a broken hand after the first 30 seconds. So there is very different things in terms of technique to it. I also used it as a way to get over my sea sickness because I get horrifically sea sick. And in fact when you go to La Gomera which is where we started and you fly to Tenerife and then you get the ferry across, I was on that ferry with my ‘I am rowing the Atlantic’ t-shirt on and I came off the boat to be greeted by an ITN crew who were filming for another team who were out there holding two sick bags. I had spent the last half hour just being chronically ill. And when I came home I took a friend from Waterloo to Greenwich on the ferry and I got sea sick on that. So I am horrific when it comes to sea sickness.

Kevin: Maybe you have got a unique place in history.

Richard: Even the triple Ironman the last half an hour of the swim when all the pleasure boats came out I started to get sea sick. I mean I am awful absolutely awful. So that was another thing I had to try and get over but didn’t. And then the rest of it was we just had meeting after meeting after meeting. There is so much stuff that has to go on. We had to find a boat to begin with. We then had to refit it, respray it, get all the food, get all the safety gear, get all the medical gear, get all the sun cream, get all the electrics done. I mean the list is endless, absolutely endless. And we were very lucky that my rowing partners father who was semi retired was a similar mindset to me in terms of he likes to get his teeth set into things, he didn’t want to row the Atlantic but he was happy to be our sort of team manager which meant that it took the work load of myself and Tom massively. You know we could literally send him an email saying we need to sort this out off you go and he was worth a million dollars.

Kevin: Incredible you’ve touched on I would say time and time again about the importance of and I think you used the expression how lucky you have been to have people around you to actually shoulder some of this burden, to support you, support crews and what not. Can I ask why you think that they have been so dedicated.

Richard: Because I am an outstandingly nice guy. No, um, I don’t really know I don’t want to tempt fate because they might all disappear but I think people like living with the idea that they have done something. And if they can’t do it they like the idea of knowing they have been heavily involved in it. I mean Julian who helped me with the triple Ironman he’s so clean and so organised it just irritates the crap out of me. But when you are doing a triple Ironman you need somebody there sharp the whole time. You know if I sort of say I would like a ham and cheese sandwich it is made 30 seconds later absolutely perfectly how I like it. That is worth a million dollars. Like I say I don’t want to tempt fate and say that they are all going to be here forever because they won’t.

Kevin: Yeah definitely and I am sure that a lot of it comes back to the effort that they can see you putting in, the dedication that they see you and they know that you are not in, that you are in for this in for a penny in for a pound. You are in this 100% committed and they obviously see that and they say well I am not wasting my time here.

Richard: But most people can’t relate to say rowing the Atlantic until I say I can’t row and I get seasick. And all of a sudden they start thinking oh okay this is obviously a little bit more normal than perhaps it was before I met this guy. And I think then people then want to get involved. We were amazed at the amount of people who you know the guy who did our electrics on the boat he had spent 50 years putting electrical systems in people’s houses he had never done an ocean rowing boat before. He was so intrigued it wasn’t a big job he was just happy to spend hours on our rowing boat just fascinated by the whole process. So yeah the more unique the event gets the better.

Kevin: So let’s talk about the event itself apart from the fact that you know seasick and everything else talk us through what it is like to actually row across the Atlantic.

Richard: Mentally I found it very, very hard. Day four I rang home I wasn’t planning to the first week they said how are you getting on, I was absolutely fine and then I started crying and from that day onwards I realised that if I cried for half an hour a day I could get all that frustration, all the anxiety, all the stress out of my system in that one half hour period and then I would okay for the rest of the day. So bar a very few days I cried every single day pretty much. I learnt little tricks along the way so we took a lot of tinned fruit to begin with because I knew that seasickness was going to be a big problem for me but if I could take something that was easy to go down it was also easy to come back up again. That makes the whole seasickness thing a little bit less daunting and because there is a lot of liquid in fruit you are still absorbing something.

A little claim to fame on the rowing is that we were the only crew that experienced seasickness that carried on rowing. So a lot of other crews stopped waited for the seasickness to be normal again and then they started rowing. So that was a real bonus for us. I got very horrific sort of stage fright with being so near Tom the whole time. It took me 21 days to do a poo just because I just couldn’t, I had nowhere to go, I had no privacy. It was just awful. We took about I think it was about 6000 calories of food per day for 60 days and then 2000 for the remaining 30 days. We took 90 days worth of food. I got stuck on about 1000 I just couldn’t eat the dried sort of astronaut food that we were having. So I ended up eating soup, noodles, haribo and hobnobs. That was what we had onboard.

So you know little things like that just start to grind you down but I always made sure that I was clean. So you know when you do eventually go to the loo or salt sores just make sure that you are clean the whole time. That sort of takes the physical side out of it. I cleaned my teeth every day. You know little things that actually make a big difference. You slowly get into a routine and that routine builds into each day and day in day out it just goes quite quickly.

Kevin: Is that really how it is?

Richard: That is how it is you just have to get a routine. It then gets disrupted when the weather is very bad and you have to go and anchor and you can’t row because the weather is going too strong against you. Then you need to use that period to rest. Really interestingly my back for the first time in my life didn’t hurt once when I was actually rowing it was when I stopped rowing and I was stuck in a cabin for three or four days that it was just horrific it was so painful. So we just did little things like that. You know every day we would jump in the water. Well Tom after day one but after sort of three weeks I built up the confidence to jump into the sea. So after each day we would just jump into the water wash or freshen ourselves up, come back onboard then we would wash ourselves with fresh water because we had a water maker that changed salt water to fresh water and if we did that every single day we just felt a lot more sort of refreshed and reenergised and alive.
The wildlife was fantastic and that was something that really kept me going.

Kevin: Go on what did you see talk about it.

Richard: We saw whales, dolphins. We had what I thought was a tuna fish and so we called it ‘Terry the Tuna’ hanging around us for just week after week and he arrived on about day three and he left us with about two days to go and so I mean that was just staggering. Of course it could have been a different fish but it looked the same. So we had all those fish, we had ‘Terrance the Turtle. I went through a phase of naming everything and so we had ‘Willie and Wilma the Whales’, ‘Bertie the Bird’. We had quite a few birds that we just could not work out where they went at night time because there was nothing around. I mean there was one point where the nearest point of land was about 1500 miles away. And we had ‘Nemo and Nema’ who were two little funny Nemo fish that used to hang around underneath the boat. So that was a real eye opener for me. That was really amazing and to see wild dolphins, to see a wild whale knowing that if the whale decides to swim into you he is probably going to break the boat up you know was amazing things to see.

The tankers we saw were huge, absolutely massive and to see them chugging along knowing that you are there but not being able to see you is again quite daunting. The flat calms seas, the really big seas that we had, the massively hot days and then the horrible sort of dark skies at night time so you couldn’t see where the water started and where the sky finished sort of thing. You know all those sorts of things were just amazing.

Kevin: How vulnerable did you feel?

Richard: Not at all, no we, you know if you go to a new country you go into the airport and you feel instantly comfortable or you don’t. It is a little bit like that and when we went to have a look for the different rowing boats because we bought a second hand rowing boat. We had a look at a few of them and we were kind of like yeah this is good, this is not good, don’t feel very comfortable. We found one that we got in and I just turned around to Tom and said this is it; this is the boat we are going to do it in. So I never felt vulnerable. I felt unsure of myself at times you know we got hit by a really big wave on the third week I think it was and arguably that should have tipped us over even though the rowing boat was self right you still lose a lot of kit. Had it done that and we were only three weeks in so we weren’t a million miles away from land it could have been a different story but the boat just rode the wave and we kept on going and that was a real confidence booster for me. I mean I am not a sea person I have never really spent any time in the sea whatsoever so everything was a learning curve but because I am so strict on myself for preparation I knew how every system worked on that boat. I knew how everything could be fixed if it would break. The preparation was so key I never, ever felt unsure of what we were doing.

Kevin: This is, I mean preparation is something.

Richard: It is such a key because you are doing events that can ultimately kill you and I don’t like the idea of doing an event that is going to kill me. I wanted to make sure that when I went across the Atlantic I felt completely at ease with what I was doing. It doesn’t mean I found it easy but yeah that was.

Kevin: And hence that’s why you didn’t feel vulnerable because you felt prepared. You felt.

Richard: Yeah the only time we felt slightly vulnerable I guess was when a massive great tanker was coming towards us and it didn’t pick us up on the radio or anything and it was just going straight for us. And I was rowing at the time and I ended up turning the boat sort of side on and then just sort of rowing for my life and the boat missed us by about 400 meters. Now 400 meters might seem like quite a lot but when you have got an 800 meter long tanker weight a gazillion tons that if they hit you and went through you would not even know they have hit anything you are not going to play chicken with it. That was probably the only time that, vulnerable is probably not the right word but maybe a little bit scared, apprehensive is slightly better. That was the only time and then we did, the weather was really poor and then when we did eventually hit Antiga it was weirdly an anticlimax but also amazing.

Kevin: Before you do talk about that lets talk about the fact that, that was the first goal pretty much that you wrote down on that list going right back when you were a teenager. If you can remember how did you think that you were going to feel all those years later by doing it and how did the actual event live up to that?

Richard: I don’t think I ever believed I would actually do it. I mean everybody has these goals and aspirations but how many of us actually achieve them. Not very many. So here I just don’t think I ever really believed until the day that we arrived that we were actually going to row the Atlantic. And even when we were arriving we got told that we would see Antiga about 80 miles from land which is ridiculous because the horizon is only about seven miles away. Well we saw it with only about nine miles to go and we were thinking for every single one of those miles between mile nine and mile 80 have we come to the right place, is our compass reading the right direction you know is it there, is it there. And then of course you do see it and you have got a landmark to see how slowly you are going. You know we saw it at six in the morning and we didn’t get there until eight at night, it was only nine miles just because we were fighting against the currents and everything else that was going. So it was a real kind of catch 22. It was fantastic we had seen Antiga but it was also a bit of a pain because we suddenly realised how slow we were going in those last couple of days because the current was so strong going against us.

Kevin: Yeah and when you are out at sea of course without that to influence.

Richard: Yeah we had no idea, we knew how far we were going but you lose concept on how far a mile is because all you see is horizon after horizon after horizon. You get a bit of a reality check sometimes when you see a boat on the horizon and before you know it it’s on the horizon on the other side of the boat. Yes that was a bit of an interesting experience. And then when we actually crossed the finish line there was the boat which had the race organiser on to say we had crossed the finish line. He honked his horn and there was nobody else there we were kind of like hooray there is nobody here what do we do. And we were knackered by that point because we rowed two of us together. Because during the actual race you just row one up the whole time but for the last three days we had rowed together pretty much nonstop because our friends and family were in Antiga we had been delayed so much that they were having to miss work and not get paid for missing work or whatever their situation was. So we got offered a tow in from the finish line the port which was about a mile away and then we got in there and all hell broke loose and we hadn’t seen anybody for the best part of 80 days or 70 days and all of a sudden there was 50 or 60 people there all wanting to see us and cheer us in. And Ben Fogle happened to be on holiday and he had never seen a rowing boat come in so he came down and saw us in. You know my mum was there, all of Tom’s family was there. You are jumping on to dry land and it is kind of like wow the land is firm under my feet which is you know, you then get seasick again from being land sick. Which is a whole different experience.

Yeah we had been radioed into the boat the night before saying what would we like when we crossed the finish line and we said crunchy nut cornflakes and a burger. And we got there and there was a little romantic meal for two of us. I mean me and my rowing partner we got on fine but the last thing I wanted to do was then sit and have a meal with him whilst I hit dry land sort of thing and there we were having a burger and crunchy nut cornflakes. The food was fresh, we had a meal and only 48 hours beforehand we couldn’t see land. All that we thought was in the world was ocean.

Kevin: Is that hence where the anticlimax came because all of a sudden.

Richard: Yes I think it was I mean it was three years of planning and 72 days of actual rowing but for me it was about 15 years of actual dreaming or kind of believing that wow one day I am going to row the Atlantic. It was very emotional. I got off the boat and I spoke to my dad on the telephone, he was back in London and I just started crying. He was like ‘are you there, are you there?’ and I was like ‘yeah I am hear’ sort of thing and it was amazing. And again I remember we had M People on our radio playing as we came in and I went and did a presentation at a school for their sports day about four months later and the choir completely unknown to them sang that song as three of their songs for motivating the kids and that kind of stuff. And I was just sitting there with almost tears dripping down my eyes and I couldn’t let on why I was sort of getting quite emotional because you know I hadn’t been introduced or anything at that point. And of course I got on stage and said ‘guys the song you sang was the song we had when we were coming into Antiga you just made everything flash back to me’. Yeah it was crazy. Just seeing people eating proper food again, toilet paper was just brilliant, diet coke with ice cubes was fantastic. And yeah we finished on the Thursday back in the UK on Saturday and I was back to work on Monday morning.

Kevin: Wow.

Richard: Which was a big mistake I should have taken a lot longer off but I had to go, I mean you know I had bills to pay.

Kevin: Back to the reality.

Richard: Back to reality and I think that in itself was probably a mistake because it never really sunk in. But what was also quite difficult was when you go to the pub and you talk to your friends they are really intrigued and they want to hear about it, that one time that you see them. The following day when you go and see them again they’ve taken in what they wanted to take in, it’s got no relevance to them at all and quite rightly so I would be exactly the same. But then you know I was having to deal with the reality off I have done this thing and nobody really cares. I mean I don’t do it for other people I do it for myself but I would like somebody to at least step up to the plate and say ‘wow you’ve really inspired me to do this or do that’. And that was quite difficult just getting my head around and it took me a long time to get over. I still find going to a night club with lots of people in a small space very difficult. The underground at rush hour I still find very difficult. But I now feel very comfortable when I’ve got my gym kit on and I’m going to the gym which for five or six months at the back end of last year where mentally I was just very drained from everything I didn’t enjoy so that sort of fire in the belly is now coming back.

Kevin: It is interesting that it hung over for so long.

Richard: I think it’s we haven’t sold the boat yet and that is, until we sell the boat all my life savings are in that boat. So once the boat is sold I think I will be able to let go of the whole thing. But I did speak to Ben Fogle about two or three months ago and I just wanted to sort of say thank you for coming. He asked me how I was getting on and I said you know what I have been really struggling mentally to get my head around this because nobody really cares and he said to me, I have never told anybody in the press or anything but I really struggled, really, really struggled and of course he had the advantage of being able to talk about it and writing a book and you know if he was struggling then what’s the random person going to do. It does play havoc with your mind it really does. But it was a great experience I wouldn’t change it for anything and you know when I next really, really, really push myself hopefully I will be able to draw on that experience.

Kevin: Now it’s a year on when you think back to you know how does it feel inside you?

Richard: I am very proud that I’ve done it. There is definitely a little bit of unfinished business and I don’t know what it is. I think it’s you know I rowed the Atlantic with my rowing partner with endless amount of food onboard and I got stuck on 1000 calories. Had we not had all that food on board and actually had food that I found edible could we have done it four/five/six days faster. You know we took endless amounts of sun cream we didn’t use half of it. You know we set up the boat in order to get across the Atlantic and quite soon into it I wanted to do better than just cross it. I felt so comfortable I thought we could do better. And our boat wasn’t set up for doing that. Not that I would change anything structurally about the boat or where we had things or anything like that. There is just something a little bit about unfinished business but because I don’t want to do the same event twice if I were to do it again I would do it as a solo. I think I am just better, I wouldn’t get stage fright. And if I did I would then be really worried.

Kevin: Unfinished business you have said that a few times now. Where is the unfinished business taking you now?

Richard: I want to go number five on the list is bad water ultra marathon which is 135 miles through Death Valley which is 140o heat in California and not only that.

Kevin: Can I ask why?

Richard: I see it as probably the hardest foot race out there. There is lots of variations of what is hard and what is not hard but I think the heat will be a real challenge and to come from a south of England where it doesn’t really get much hotter than 90o to then go out in that sort of heat I think will be a real achievement. But not only is it hot it starts at 280 ft below sea level, it returns to sea level on two other occasions and has three 500ft passes in between so it is a really hilly one as well. But in order to do that I have got to do three 100 mile runs and I don’t have any. So I have got three 100 milers to hopefully apply and then have the right to qualify.

Kevin: Incredible.

Richard: So that is the next one.

Kevin: I am going to wind this down now because I think we have touched on a load of amazing points. What I would be intrigued to know and maybe you can share some of this is breaking events down seems to be a huge part of your mindset of enabling you to achieve these great feats and also having a clear game plan attached to it. I think if there is anything that you can sum up to maybe help other people attack big events and big objectives in their lives maybe I think anything you can bottle up on that?

Richard: I think talking to people about what they’ve done is hugely important and if it’s in the same field even better. But you have got to tackle these things on your terms. You know it would be very easy for me to go and copy somebody’s training plan to go and do the same event that they’ve done but it might not work for me. And I think to have that kind of confidence and boldness I guess to just feed off people who keep telling you, you can’t do it I think is the key. It gets boring when people say ‘oh that’s ridiculous, that’s stupid’ and yet they are the first people to say ‘well done’ when you are finished. But at the same time because they don’t believe in me it feeds me to try that bit harder. That probably doesn’t answer your question at all but yeah I just go out and do it. If you enjoy it and you like the look of it why not.

Kevin: Richard that is a great way to finish thank you for your time.

Richard: Okay you are welcome thank you.

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Kevin: So there we go our second and final instalment at least for the time being from Richard Hume. When you consider that Richard and Tom raised over £80,000 for this event and yet the largest donation was £5,000 it really shows what can be accomplished by consistent and persistent activity. If you would like to learn more about Richard please visit his website at www.challengechaser.com and I will put a link to that website on the show notes.

Thank you again Richard for joining us on Maximise Potential and again to Elliott Cole for putting us in touch. So on to a few news updates. Firstly thank you all very much for voting for us in the European Podcast Awards. The judging is currently under way and fingers crossed we will find out if we have been successful in the New Year.

Next up any regulars to the site will see we have added a new section titled ‘Your Stories’. We have done this in response to an increasing number of tweets, emails and phone calls that we are receiving from you all explaining how the podcasts are inspiring you to take on bigger challenges in your lives. So please if you have got a story to share with the audience about how the podcasts have helped you please send it in to us as we would love to add it to the site.

Thank you again to everyone in Jenrick Recruitment for their amazing support and I will be leaving you with another track from Xerxes to finish on and it’s called ‘Thank you’. Tune in soon and thanks again for downloading the Maximise Potential Podcast.

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Kevin: Welcome to Maximise Potential the podcast to educate and motivate through a range of original interviews designed to help you maximise your potential. Brought to you in association with the award winning recruitment group Jenrick.

Welcome back to Episode 35 of the Maximise Potential podcast. Being able to complete an ironman event is said to be one of the most extreme tests of mental and physical endurance on the planet. Competing continuously for over 12 hours; swimming 2 ½ miles, then cycling for 112 miles before completing a 26 mile marathon, will push anyone to their absolute limits.
However, now try and imagine how you would feel if those figures were tripled.
Richard Hume, completed a gruelling 7.2-mile swim, 336-mile bike ride and 78.6-mile run, finishing in just over 52 hours and in the process becoming one of the fastest ever triple ironman finishers for his age group.

Here is Richard to tell you how he became a triple Ironman.

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Richard thank you very much for joining us on the podcast today.

Richard: Thank you for having me.

Kevin: Our pleasure. Now we are very fortunate we are actually going to do two interviews with you because there are two particular events that you have achieved in your relatively short years of doing endurance events. And we are going to start off with one that just blew my mind and that was a triple Ironman event. What possessed you to want to do that?

Richard: The triple Ironman was a series of different events that accumulated in the triple Ironman. When I was 13 I was diagnosed with a spinal problem called kyphosis and scoliosis one of which was a 93o curvature of the spine. So my lower part of my spine and my top part of my spine were at a 90 degree angle to each other. If you imagine a lamppost is at 90o and then see how severe the curvature was.

Kevin: It’s incredible.

Richard: So that then meant that I had to wear a solid plastic back brace from the age of 13 to 17 whilst at school and was told that I wouldn’t play sport for the foreseeable future. I got away with playing cricket and golf whilst wearing the back brace but rugby was a no go. I then officially became ‘normal’ which is a between 20 – 50o curvature in your spine and so a University I started to play a bit more rugby, carried on my cricket and due to the whole Lawrence Armstrong effect I bought a bike with my last student loan check, which in the end was very well worth it, and slowly got cycling.

Then it was a matter of being in the gym back at home.

Kevin: Can I just ask you a question before we go on to that were you not worried to death about doing things like rugby after what you had actually gone through just so that you could have in essence a ‘normal’ life and a safe life I mean?

Richard: Naivety is not a great thing but it does help in certain situations. I actually played, I ended up playing rugby league at University because in rugby union you have got a lot of scrummaging, ruck smalls and all that kind of stuff and that does put a lot of pressure on your back. Rugby league is purely about tackling and running with the ball so actually there is not a huge among of pressure put on your back. Whilst I was wearing my back brace I actually lost quite a lot of weight and then started to strengthen my back up a little bit.

Kevin: Right.

Richard: I was told I needed another year in my back brace but I sort of bargained with my doctors that if I did the hard work in the gym then perhaps I could get away with not wearing it. It did result in a few days when I had to sleep on the floor on a hard surface rather than the bed to make sure my back was nice and flat. Essentially the problem with a back brace is yes you grow taller but your muscles don’t develop so actually you get weaker and weaker and weaker. But if you put the hard work in there it just straightens the whole thing out. And it is by no means completely normal again now by about sort of midday onwards it feels like somebody sort of stabbing me in the back.

Kevin: That’s every day?

Richard: Pretty much every day especially if I have been on my feet the whole time. But you just learn to manage it. You learn to sort of manage the pain and you learn to, it is just another thing, it is just another thing that I do you know I am ginger so I get sunburnt very easily. It is just another thing I have to cope with you know it is just one of those things. See the back brace was the catalyst for everything in terms of I am not a great fan of being told I can’t do something. And if I do get told I can’t do something and it is something that actually interests me then I am going to go off and give it my best shot and that was how the whole process started.

Kevin: It is interesting isn’t it several people that I have spoken to there always seems to be a trigger event and often the trigger event being that they were told ‘No’ in some degree and again you are someone else that is saying straight away you know it was like a rag to a bull if you tell me no then that is going to provide determination.

Richard: Yeah I think everybody has experienced it, they might just not realise it. I was at a school called Cranleigh and we had a very steep slope on our cricket pitch and nobody would want to bowl up the hill because it was just so hard work but I absolutely loved it so obviously the core kind of endurance was obviously always there I just didn’t know that it was there until I started to get just a little bit more interested in cycling events or long distance running. I wasn’t that interested that somebody had broken you know 10 seconds for 100m I was more interested in somebody almost breaking two hours for the marathon.

Kevin: Yeah.

Richard: Even though I had no idea that I wanted to go off and do these things it was just a matter that kind of what interested me. So I think the seed is always there it is just whether you are willing to give it a go and I think for me it is not about how fast you can do things it is about how long you can carry on going for. And then once you get to that stage you can get your head around all the distances of all these events that I enjoy doing it is then just a matter of working to a process. With the back brace for me in terms of the recovery really set in stone the idea that the preparation for everything is key. And fortunately I have just been able to harness that and put it into a direction that I want to go in.

Kevin: Definitely and sorry I dragged you off because you were mid way through saying that Lawrence Armstrong really got you going on the bike and then.

Richard: Yeah it was the Lawrence Armstrong effect that bought me the bike and then I was in the gym at home and a guy who was 60 I think he was 68 and he still did Ironman and he was always going to Cona and Hawaii to do the World Championships there purely because he was the only person in his age group so he was always going to qualify as long as he finished. He said I bet you can’t do an Ironman so off I went to do a marathon because I figured it would be a good, I should get a marathon under my belt before I did an Ironman. And I went off and did the Isle of Wight marathon which is regarded as one of the hardest it is so hilly, got to mile 21 being arrogant and thinking I could do a sub 3 hour marathon because training was going so well. I ended up sitting on a wall in front of somebody’s house couldn’t move at all. So I turn up to my first Ironman having never done a triathlon ever before, having never finished a marathon. I had only really taught myself to swim sort of two years beforehand, I could swim but I would do breast stroke kick with a front crawl arms, not particularly pretty. From that Ironman I did which was August 2005 it has just gone from strength to strength.

Kevin: So let’s just stop here for a second because that has just absolutely blown my mind. So you have gone in for your first Ironman because a 67 or 68 year old gentleman has just challenged you to it in the gym. You haven’t completed a marathon, you’ve cycled a bit and your swimming is let’s say.

Richard: Average.

Kevin: Not desirable yeah in terms of its finesse and everything else.

Richard: I actually rang up the organisers of Ironman UK in March and told them my position and the guy said to me ‘do you know how hard a triathlon is?’ and I said no and he said ‘well that is the best place to be in to do an Ironman.’ If you do an Olympic or a sprint and you know how hard it is towards the end of one of those races you will never do an Ironman. So naivety was fantastic. I am not going to say I didn’t walk a lot of it but I got round in 12 hours 45 minutes which is perfectly reasonable. I think I did a four hour 45 marathon on a relatively hilly course down near Sherbourne. Yeah I mean I just got hooked from the day I even turned up.

Kevin: And what changed between you not being able to complete a marathon the first time and then you managing to complete an Ironman event? What changed?

Richard: I got my ass kicked in the Isle of Wight and I knew straight away that weirdly I kind of enjoyed it and I just knew that if I didn’t take it a bit more seriously I would have to step up basically otherwise I wouldn’t finish the Ironman.

Kevin: That’s interesting actually so you getting beaten in the Isle of Wight was the best thing that could have happened to you.

Richard: Was the best thing that could have happened. And actually doing an Ironman you do do a lot of Olympic triathlons in your training. So I am a massive believer if the race isn’t too long then about three weeks prior to the race I will do the race distance over the course of a weekend. So I knew that in a 48 hour period I could do an Ironman. And that was a fantastic experience.

Kevin: Incredible and so from that moment onwards that was it.

Richard: That was it yeah I sort of, so I then did the London Marathon that year and I then did Ironman France, no sorry I did the London Durathlon in September 2006 and then I went on and signed up for my next Ironman in 2007 which was France. I then did the double Ironman that October and then it was 2008 that I did Ironman Switzerland and then the triple Ironman.

Kevin: And so let’s just talk a little bit about the, I suppose it is the preparation that you go through for this I mean first of all what do you get out of doing this?

Richard: I, where do I start, when I was about 19 or 20 just before I bought my bike I made up a list of what I sore as the seven biggest amateur endurance sports you can have. So number one was a marathon, number two was an Ironman, number three was a triple Ironman, number four was rowing the Atlantic and bear in mind I didn’t really know that other events existed these were just the ones I sort of knew about.

Kevin: Sure yeah.

Richard: Then there was bad water which is 135 miles through Death Valley in America, then there was Ram which is a Race Across America on a bike so you start in San Diego I think it is and you officially finish in Boston somewhere. And then the seventh one is a thing called the Arc to Arc now that is you run from Marble Arch to Dover, swim the channel and then you cycle from Calais to the Arc de Triumph. Those for me are some of the biggest amateur sports you can do. And the second you have a list like that everything else becomes a process.

Having done the Ironman and knowing that naivety was a good thing for that one I knew that I couldn’t jump to a triple I had to do a double beforehand. So that is the initial process to get things going.

Kevin: So it was very much just putting down goals.

Richard: Yeah that’s what it is. I gave myself a target and off I went and did it. And this is before you start thinking about the actual physical logistics of doing it either a preparing to do the race or b actually getting yourself to the race. You know once you get to the double Ironman fact you had to have a support crew there. The triple Ironman you do and then you are having to you know fit in somebody’s or persuade somebody to take a holiday and pay for it to come and support you. It is a hard bargain to try and do and fortunately I have got a few friends who are willing to do that.

Kevin: Well I think this is worth actually brining in at this point because as you said the events that you wrote down on your goal list were amateur events and the important thing to state here is that you work fulltime, you are not a paid athlete, you are not a professional athlete this is something you do out of the sheer love of it.

Richard: Yeah the people who, well I am like everybody you know when Roger Fedora wins Wimbledon I get quite emotional but the really inspirational people for me are the ones who have to work full time and do these very abnormal events, the top, top amateurs for me are the most inspirational people.

Kevin: They are the ones you really look at.

Richard: Yeah and I think the list that I have yes you will have some people who have got sponsorship, who are there to make a living, but it is what goes on further down the field which is the really, you know everybody has got their own story to be there they may have beaten cancer you know they may have lost a limb at war. Whatever it is, it is those people that are kind of like really going against the norm.

Kevin: I think the funny thing is you wouldn’t probably class yourself as the person that others are probably looking up to and getting inspired by.

Richard: Oh not at all, not at all. I get on with my job and you know my gym bag is packed every single night you know in the hope that I get some time the following day to go. I do have a process in my head of where I want to be and you know I am training today I won’t train tomorrow because I am doing a 40 mile run on Sunday. So I do have this process. It is not ideal running on Sunday but it is my girlfriend’s day off tomorrow so I am not going to train on that day. The problem with running on Sunday is that I will probably finish about seven o’clock in the evening I have got to go on the 5:58 train Monday morning to get back to work; I am not going to be able to move. But work for me comes first but I do bend my work a little bit in order to do my hobby because you have to.

Kevin: How do you keep yourself on track? How do you keep yourself motivated when as you say work is the most important thing?

Richard: It is very easy in some respects. Once you have set yourself a target it has never been a problem. Motivation is just not something that really affects me. I obviously have days when you know it is raining outside I am like not going to happen today. And then I have other days when it was really snowing back in February I went for a run in the snow knowing too well that if I run in the snow then the next time I am not feeling too motivated to run in the rain I can turn round and go ‘oh come on you’ve done it in the snow you can do it in the rain’. So when I want to do it I go and do it, when I don’t I am like everybody else I will go and get a pizza and sit at home in front of the telly but I think you have to have that down time.

Kevin: I was going to ask do you think that is the art to who much you have been able to enjoy it particularly with the endurance aspect of what you do?

Richard: Yeah I think that is probably right. I also have this silly attitude that people always ask me who fit is being fit. Now for some people it is if they can walk up the escalator at the underground station others it is about you know if their child wants to go and kick a football for an hour are they fit enough to go and do that. I want to be able to walk down the high street and somebody come up to me and say ‘right you are running a marathon in an hour’s time’ and I can wholeheartedly turn round and go ‘alright that is fine’. That is where I deem as being at a reasonable level of fitness. Obviously once I then start focussing on a specific event from about three or four months out you are then very specialised you can’t just do everything. For the triple Ironman for instance I was actually quite strong when I started doing the training. By the time I had finished doing the training and you know a week before the actual race I couldn’t do more than two or three press-ups but I had no need to have that upper body strength because it was all going through my legs. Having said that one of the reasons hopefully it will continue that I don’t get injured so much is because I am doing a little bit of everything. If I want to do an endurance session but I am interested in how strong I am I might do three hours on the rowing machine because not only does that work your strength it also is a great cardio workout. So I sort of twin it a little bit. But essentially there is just not a whole lot going on upstairs and I can just switch off.

Kevin: Well let’s talk about that.

Richard: Some days I will start running and like everybody else five minutes later I will have a stitch and throw a bit of a hissy fit and just decide enough is enough and other days I can just go on forever.

Kevin: Do you think the answer is just listening to your body in your case anyway?

Richard: Yes I think it is. If you train and train and train and don’t actually rest you are running a slight gauntlet especially if you haven’t got a medical team behind you and all that kind of thing. And that’s what comes back to the whole amateur professional thing. Professionals and if anybody is a professional listening to this I don’t want to offend them but as far as I can work out they get out of bed and train, have breakfast, train again, have lunch, rest, train, sleep and then do it all over again. Don’t get me wrong it is a very hard lifestyle but they do generally have physios at their disposals, nutritionists you know all that kind of thing. For an amateur they are trying to fit it all around their day job so they do have their pros and cons. Motivation has never been a problem, preparation for me is key to all these events so I just try and structure my training to a way that I know that I can cope with. You know if I am going on holiday and I know I can’t cycle and I know I can’t swim you can always run. So I may not run for two weeks leading up to that holiday knowing that week is going to be purely going out for an hour’s run a day just to keep things ticking over so when I come home I don’t feel like I have lost a whole week.

I also in my training schedule whatever I am training for I always do six weeks on and one week off. So I always have one week where I can just do nothing and that is another way of me breaking it up into small little targets. You know in six weeks time I want to be able to ride 100 miles and then I get a week off. That’s just the way that I do it.

Kevin: You’ve already said about the importance of writing down your list of goals. Do you also do the same when you are actually training?

Richard: I don’t have so many goals but I have targets, it’s slightly different.

Kevin: Okay.

Richard: For me goals are kind of like achievements whereas targets are kind of a way to achieve your achievements.

Kevin: Interesting.

Richard: I knew doing the triple Ironman that I couldn’t do the cycle ride unless I got to 180 miles in my training. 180 miles is my target finishing the bike leg of the triple Ironman was my goal. That’s how I kind of look at it. You know when you are on your bike for six/seven hours a day you have a lot of time to think about you know the following week what training are you going to do, how you are feeling. You know some days you will go out and blitz a two/three hour bike ride other days half an hour into the wind will be a nightmare. You probably know that if you have done that half hour into the wind you need a day off the following day just to freshen your mind up. You know targets and goals are slightly different in my mind. The thing about all this stuff is that everybody is going to have a slightly different variation and that’s why people get quite cagy about what they are training for or what their training schedule is. Nutrition is very important but if you are working full time having to eat the calories then you have just got to stuff it however you want to. You know if I can get 1000 calories from an Easter egg or 1000 calories from a massive bowl of pasta which takes 20 minutes to prepare I will probably go for the Easter egg. Everything has to be considered into what is working for you. Everybody thinks I am going to be very healthy and that kind of thing and I generally am but I know I don’t eat enough fruit and veg and I also drink quite a lot of diet coke. You know those are two what you might think are quite fundamental things to either have or not have in your diet but I am an amateur. I go to a petrol station I look at the sweets and think I am going to have a few of those. Fortunately I can get away with the calories but yeah the sugars aren’t great.

Kevin: You said when we were preparing for the interview; you said what sort of calories you were taking in when you were actually full blown into that triple Ironman.

Richard: Yeah the triple Ironman was insane I was working about 35 – 40 hours a week, the race was in October and my biggest training months were July and august but I was training about 30 hours a week for that eight week period but I was also having to eat about 7000 calories a day and that was quite hard. That was really hard just to get it in you. Things like chocolate milkshakes, ice cream doesn’t sound great but chocolate bars. Basically when you do a triple Ironman if you enjoy your food it’s the best thing to do in the world because you just get to eat yourself silly every single day. It is like Christmas Day every day. And yeah there are some very calorie rich foods that you can have. You want to try and stay away from as much fat as possible. Sugars are not ideal but at the same time if you are burning the sugars then they are not too bad it is if they then become fats then it gets harder. But at the same time you do need some kind of reserves in your body. You know your body has a certain amount of calories in store it won’t allow you to get below a certain level because they reserve the brain but your body does need fuel the whole time. You never, ever go on your bike ride without taking ten pounds in your back pocket because you never know when you are going to pass that petrol station and you just need a flapjack, you just need a sandwich, you just need an orange juice whatever it is. And those are things that you just pick up as you go along and you talk to a lot of people, you find out what works for them and you just take bits and bobs of it and then you come up with your own strategy.

Kevin: Yeah. And let’s actually just talk about the event now itself. So I thought, so I guess I naively thought that when we were going to sit down for this you were going to say that you do very intensive mental exercises to prepare your mind for competitions and blah, blah, blah but it actually sounds that you just sort of, well as you said earlier, you switch off.

Richard: Yeah the hard thing about the visualisation which say Johnny Wilkinson uses a lot is all about seeing what is going to happen before it actually happens. It is very difficult to do that when you are doing an event for the first time and you are going to a location for a first time you can’t visualise the bike ride because you don’t know what the bike ride has in store. So the visualisation of things doesn’t really happen that much for me. I do think about what I am doing and I do imagine what it will be like but I can’t actually visualise exactly what it is going to be like. I then have a plan and I actually break the races down. So the triple Ironman was a 7.2 mile swim which was 18 laps of a lake so I broke that down into three lots of six. I knew that if I could do that then I could put it in more manageable chunks that I could relate to. The plan was to then have a two minutes drink break between each one and that worked very well. I then, I think I came out the water in about three and a half hours which was second out of a field of about 18 – 19. Then I jumped on the bike and the bike was a five mile loop that you just kept going round and around. Now that might sound really boring for 336 miles but again it is a kind of three laps to go then I have some food, two laps to go then I get a sleep whatever, however you are going to break it down. For me that works very, very well.

Kevin: Interesting and each time breaking it down into measurable chunks.

Richard: Just breaking it down so I never looked at the bike as a 336 mile bike ride. I just took that straight out of my mind and I think I broke it down into three hours or 50 miles whichever came first. What I hadn’t anticipated was how hilly it was going to be. It was quite a hilly five mile course which meant that I never did 50 miles in three hours I was always about 48 or 47 miles. So every three hours I would stop and have some food, sit down, maybe get a slight massage on my legs and it was really important to have a game plan and stick to it from the beginning. There is no point, and this is across the board in any sport, to go as far as you can and then start to slow down because eventually you will come to a standstill. You have got to start slow and just keep on going at that race and you will increase your distance tenfold over quite happily.

So I had this sort of plan got to about midnight on the first night because we started at seven in the morning and it was over in Washington and I hadn’t given myself enough time for the time difference because I went with the attitude that if I didn’t get over the jetlag when it was three in the morning their time it was going to be as far as I was concerned eight in the morning my time and I would be ready to go. Whereas when it was light there I would imagine it was dark at home at three o’clock in the morning at home. So I figured that the jetlag might actually play to my advantage it didn’t. So I really struggled about midnight I started to find myself falling asleep whilst peddling. I took a 20 minute catnap round the start/finish area because I bought myself a tent and had a tent there. I had two of those with 20 minutes cycling in between and that cycling in between I kept falling asleep. After second catnap of 20 minutes I started peddling again and I think I managed half an hour – 40 minutes and just turned around to my crew and said I have got to sleep for an hour I was just dying, absolutely dying and I knew that if I tried to struggle through it would come back and kick me in the backside during the run.

So I took a sleep for an hour and I got back on the bike I was actually not too bad I just sort of stuck to my guns every three hours or 50 miles I would stop have some food, made sure that certainly through the night and the early part of the morning I had some hot food because it was getting quite cold at night time and early morning. And I came off the bike in 27 hours and was back down at 13th or 14th position. I was devastated I had done all the hard work in the swim. I thought the bike I was quite strong at and I messed up completely I was way down the field and I was upset. The leader at the time was a guy called Tom he had met me during the double Ironman the year before and he was running quite hard and I said to Tom why are you running you have got hours ahead of everybody, he was about three hours ahead. And he said to me I know you are coming. And I was like what do you mean by that and he said I know how fast you can run and I am worried that you are going to catch me. That for me was worth a million dollars because no one had ever taken any notice of what I was trying to do. I am just a regular person you know I run a four hour marathon it is nothing fast but to have the leader of an event like that be worried that I might catch him was a massive privilege. I was like ‘alright something is a bit wrong in your head but come on let’s keep going’ and I stuck to my guns. It was a two mile loop the run and there was quite a steep 400 meter hill to begin with. So I decided to walk the hill every single lap on that walk I would take in all my calories, all my water and then I would run the rest. And I did that for the first 50 odd miles having had a few people beginning to drop out because you know the sheer fatigue and not being able to finish. I then had a slightly dodgy period when I got a horrific bleeding nose about two o’clock in the second night which is a sign in my mind that your blood is beginning to thin and your organs are beginning to say you know what I’ve kind of had enough here. And I knew the doctor was around and I knew that if he saw me the chances are he was going to pull me out. Well after 44 hours of going I wasn’t going to stop so I actually put a couple of bits of tissue up my nose ran into my little tent and told my crew to wake me up in half an hour. Got up half an hour later which felt like just a second, I remember going in there and then all of a sudden Julian was pulling my legs saying right time to get up and I was like ‘l’ve only just got in here’ and he was like no you have been asleep for half an hour. Took the tissue out my nose, fortunately it had stopped bleeding that was all I needed that half an hour, started running again and crossed the finish line in fourth position over all with a think, I think it was a 19 or 20 hour run split which was actually one of the fastest in the world that year for the triple Ironman event. And when I did come home everybody said you are just walking differently you have just got your head held so much higher because I never really achieved anything that I felt was that much different to what the normal person does. I know that sounds silly but that is just how it was.

The race was in Washington and you know you run down the final straights and the little kids would run up to you with a Union Jack flag and then the Americans would get the national anthem playing whilst you were going down so you know I was the first Brit home and God Save the Queen was on and I was holding my flag and stuff and it just made you feel like a million dollars and even when I go to somewhere like Twickenham now or any kind of sporting event and the National Anthem comes on I always get a little goose bumps at the back of my neck from doing the triple Ironman. It was by far the hardest thing I have ever done and hopefully it won’t be the hardest thing that I will ever have done by the end but yeah that was a real eye opener. And to be 25/26 you know certainly one of the top ten youngest people to ever have finished it. Because endurance as well which probably should have said earlier is not about a 12 week training camp it is an accumulation over the years. So the peak for triple Ironman, this is what’s kind of scary for me, is that it is probably about 42 – 48 something like that and to think that I am 28 now if I was to come back in ten years time just how much faster could I go. Could I actually start becoming the fastest person ever. It is a very strange concept to get your head around but then maybe when I am 40 I will be like had enough I have done what I wanted to do and that was it so.

Kevin: Do you think that’s somehow deep inside you is that driving you right now the thought that you could be the best?

Richard: It’s the excuse I use why people say to me why you are training on a Saturday night. I don’t know I would like to think that I would never do the same event twice just because there are so many amazing things out there. Ideally I would like to do something that nobody has ever done before by the end. If I do that I would like to think that I would just hang my boots up.

Kevin: Well the interesting thing is that we are about to come on to something else that is very interesting that you have done so Richard what I would like to do that was a lovely synopsis of your triple Ironman event and the events leading up to that so let’s take a break for a minute and then we will come back and do part two of this interview.

Richard: Sounds good.

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Kevin: Richard thank you very much for joining us on the Podcast and sharing your incredible story. Yet again we have found an individual who consider themselves very normal yet a person who has consistently applied themselves to accomplish a very extraordinary feat. Time and time again Richard referred to the importance of creating a series of realistic targets in his training and in the events that would take him to his end goal. And lets also not forget how Richard overcame a great personal challenge in the process in this case his back problem explaining how whenever he was told ‘no you can’t’ he channelled those negative messages into positive motivation.

I will keep this nice and short as I am sure you are all very keen to listen to part two of Richard’s interview which will be Episode 36 of the Podcast. Thanks again to everyone at Jenrick Recruitment for their amazing support and to Elliot Cole for introducing us to Richard. I will leave you with a great track from Xerxes to finish with today and it’s called ‘BA1′.

Music

As well as being a triple ironman finisher, Richard Hume is also one a very select group of people to have completed the Atlantic Ocean Rowing Race.

This gruelling 3,000 mile event, which can take over 80 days to complete, challenges competitors in ways not comparible to most other endurance events.

Dealing with the isolation, the monotony, the sickness, in addition to the extreme elements of the Altantic Ocean, can all prove too much for so many people who attempt this incredible event.

Yet, as Richard will describe in his interview, competing in a race of this magnitude is only one of the many challenges that an amateur athlete has to overcome.

Key messages from Richard:

• Time and time again Richard referred to the importance of creating a series of realistic targets, in his training and in the events, that would take him to his end goal.
• Let’s not also forget how Richard overcame a great personal challenge in the process, in this case his back problem, explaining how, whenever he was told ‘no you can’t', he channelled those negative messages into positive motivation.

Additional notes and resources (just click on the links for more information):

• Richard Hume’s website - CLICK HERE to visit the ‘Challenge Chaser’ website
• Wikipedia – CLICK HERE to visit wikipedia’s ultra-ironman page
  

Interview Transcription:

• Transcript: How I rowed the Atlantic – Richard Hume (Max#36)
  

Being able to complete an ironman event is said to be one of the most extreme tests of mental and physical endurance on the planet.

Competing continuously for over 12 hours; swimming 2 ½ miles, then cycling for 112 miles before completing a 26 mile marathon, will push anyone to their absolute limits.

However, now try and imagine how you would feel if those figures were tripled.

Richard Hume, completed a grueling 7.2-mile swim, 336-mile bike ride and 78.6-mile run, finishing in just over 52 hours and in the process became one of the fastest ever triple ironman finishers for his age group.

Key messages from Richard:

• Time and time again Richard referred to the importance of creating a series of realistic targets, in his training and in the events, that would take him to his end goal.
• Let’s not also forget how Richard overcame a great personal challenge in the process, in this case his back problem, explaining how, whenever he was told ‘no you can’t', he channelled those negative messages into positive motivation.

Additional notes and resources (just click on the links for more information):

• Richard Hume’s website - CLICK HERE to visit the ‘Challenge Chaser’ website
• Wikipedia – CLICK HERE to visit wikipedia’s ultra-ironman page
  

Interview Transcription:

• Transcript: Becoming a Triple Ironman – Richard Hume (Max#35)
  

Bonita Norris, as featured on the Maximise Potential Podcast has added a third Himalayan peak to her tally.

Bonita Norris, the youngest British woman to have climbed Mount Everest, has now also successfully climbed Ama Dablam (6,856m) in the Nepalese Himalaya.

Reaching the peak of Ama Dablam is a fantastic achievement for Bonita. She promised herself to take on the mountain, often named the world’s most beautiful, after admiring it on her Everest expedition last year.

Bonita said:

“I made a pact with myself last year that I would return to Khumbu to attempt Ama Dablam, looking at it from afar it is simply a beautiful mountain and a great route requiring a fair amount of skill to climb.”

Bonita was the first of her team to reach the summit at 11.45am on 17 November with her climbing Sherpa, Lakpa Onju, who also accompanied her on her record-breaking Everest expedition.

“Ama Dablam is the most beautiful mountain I have ever seen. I had my doubts whether I would be able to get to the top as it is a challenging climb but when we got onto the mountain things just felt right. I have been working hard on my climbing technique and fitness this year and the hard work paid off. I was with my climbing Sherpa from Everest, Lakpa, and together we stormed the summit and got back to camp safely and in quick time. The whole experience was brilliant and I felt very lucky to be there.”

“On the summit Lakpa and I were alone – we were the first to the top that day and felt like we had the whole mountain to ourselves. We sat down with Everest right behind us and I finally got to thank him properly for helping to save my life after exactly 18 months to the day when he helped me down Everest when I was injured. It was a moment I will never forget.”

Bonita and her Sherpa summated the mountain five days after leaving base camp, and returned to camp 3 two hours after reaching the top.

“There is nothing that makes me feel more alive than to be climbing towards a summit that has taken months of work and preparation. It is only when you stop to catch your breath that you can take in the incredible views and reflect on all the hard work that has got you to that moment. Feeling the warm sun on your face and watching the tiny shards of ice sparkle in the light is a reminder of how high up you are and that the top is not far off. It is definitely these moments that make all the suffering, cold and homesickness that accompany an expedition such as this worthwhile. It was just like on Ama Dablam – just incredible.”

“After sustaining an injury during the descent of Everest, I was determined to get down Ama Dablam without any problems. I felt like I had something to prove to myself and especially to Lakpa that I was capable of climbing big peaks without suffering from injuries. It was the fire that I needed to get up and down as fast and as safely as possible.”

Article Source: outdoorsmagic.com

FURTHER RESOURCES:

Double Paralympic gold medalist David Weir missed the New York Marathon earlier this month all in the name of London 2012 glory, writes Ben Baker.

The 32-year-old wheelchair racer from Wallington had a 12 months to remember last season, with triple gold at the IPC World Championships in New Zealand over 800m, 1500m and 5000m added to by London Marathon and New York Marathon success.

But he opted to miss the race in the Big Apple earlier this month with his focus turning to winning gold at the Olympic Stadium in Stratford in September.

“A good block of winter training is something I have missed in the past, because I am either at a World Championships or I’ve been injured or ill,” he said.

“So I just wanted to get in there early this year to get me going towards next year.

“Last season was a long season and I started from September with the Great North Run and then New York and then the World Championships and a full track season and a full road season so it was very tough.

“But that is what we do every year so I was alright about it, but I did need that break around August time when our baby was born.

“New York was maybe in the plan for this year but realistically I didn’t want to push my shoulder too much and 2012 is the big one for me so I can’t really mess about and do other races, even though I love New York.

“Because I won it last year I really wanted to go back and defend my title but London 2012 is the big one and I have to make some sacrifices along the way.”

Having been the only member of the British team to claim track gold at the Beijing 2008 Paralympics, Weir is only too aware that the spotlight will be on him to deliver in the capital next year.

“I thrive on the pressure that is on me for London 2012 and I have got used to it now,” he added.

“It took me a long time to get to the top and once you are at the top it is hard to stay there so you learn to deal with it and I deal with it every year.”

The Aviva and Daily Telegraph School Sport Matters Awards recognise outstanding achievements in school sport across the country, and are part of Aviva’s wider commitment to support the next generation of British sporting talent. For more information go to aviva.co.uk/athletics

ARTICLE SOURCE:

• Wimbledon Guardian.co.uk
  

FURTHER ARTICLES AND RESOURCES

• Exclusive Interview: Click here to listen to an inspiring interview with David Weir

• Articles: Click here to read more articles on David Weir
  

I just watched the replay of Dia Greene storming the victory in the IAAF Athletic World Championships, capturing Great Britain’s first Gold Medal of the Championships on his way to becoming the Men’s 400 metre hurdle champion.

Dia was probably the least known of all of GB’s medal hopefuls; yet, he turned in a performance, which has now elevated him to a special place in history.

I’ve followed athletics all my life, and have had the pleasure of meeting and interviewing some of our athletic greats, such as Dean Macey and David Weir, however, what blew me away with Dia’s performance was the strength of his finish.

On the final bend he was lying in 5th place, and even with 60 meters to go, he was third or forth. However, off the final hurdle he hit the accelerator and produced the most powerful finish I’ve ever witnessed, and in the process completely changing the colour of his medal.

Amazing!

I was reading up on Dia and found some wonderful extracts from Tom Fordyce’s Blog on BBC Sport, which I wanted to share with you.

In my mind, the extracts and statements below, confirm exactly why Dai was able to put in that Gold Medal performance, just when it was required, and why he is someone clearly dedicated to doing everything possible to maximise his potential:

Etched on the glass windows at the Bath University track where Greene trains is a three-line quotation: “Winning means you are willing to go longer, work harder and give more than anyone else.”

“We’re not gimmicky down here,” Greene told Fordyce, “A lot of our confidence comes from knowing that we put the hard work in.

“In my discipline, it’s the person who puts that hard work in who wins. All these months on this cold, wet hill in Bath pay off in the big championships.”

You are all well aware that Maximise Potential dedicates itself to bringing you real life success stories that confirm that reaching the pinnacle of your career or field of expertise and interest, is down to hard work, perseverance and strength of mind.

In Dai’s statements, he makes no reference to being ‘naturally-talented’ or having a ‘gift’ for running or even ‘inheriting my strengths from my parents.’

Not one bit – for Dai (and everyone else I interviewed for the Maximise Potential Podcast), it is about putting in the hours and hours of hard work and effort.

So, if you want to be the Dai Greene of your field, go find your own cold, wet hill and start climbing it again, again and again.

Now here is another great example of someone Maximising their Potential, and really testing themselves to see how far they can go . . .

Comedian David Walliams is set to swim about 140 miles of the River Thames in just eight days for Sport Relief.

Starting on 5 September, the Little Britain star will swim from Lechlade in Gloucestershire to Big Ben in London. The bid is part of the Big Splash campaign to get the nation swimming.

Swimming up to 8 hours everyday, Walliams, 40, will pass through several major towns en route, including Oxford, Reading, Henley, Maidenhead, Windsor, Kingston and Richmond.

In 2006, Walliams completed a swim across the English Channel, raising £1m for Sport Relief. He later received a special award at the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year for completing the 21-mile distance.

He swam the Strait of Gibraltar from Spain to Morocco for Sport Relief in 2008, and last year cycled from John O’Groats to Land’s End.

In his latest challenge the comedian is again raising money for the BBC-backed charity, which helps vulnerable people in the UK and in some of the world’s poorest countries.

“Most people in the UK know the Thames, and most people think the idea of swimming in it is horrifying,” Walliams said of the challenge.

“And it is. It’ll be relentless. It’s a huge distance so I’ll need all the support I can get.”

How can I pledge my support?

If you wish to support David, then please click on the following link: Sponsor David Walliams on his River Thames Challenge.

Walliams vs The Thames will be filmed for a documentary to be broadcast in the build up to Sport Relief in March next year.

Best of luck David, from everyone at The Maximise Potential Podcast – I’m going to cross my fingers and hope that you’ll be able to find some time in your diary in the near future to share the experience with us on the Podcast.

Music

Kevin: Welcome to Maximise Potential the podcast to educate and motivate through a range of original interviews designed to help you maximise your potential. Brought to you in association with the award winning recruitment group Jenrick.

Welcome to episode 31 of the Maximise Potential podcast. In our last episode with Bremont Watches Andy English used an expression which I believe is the perfect introduction to our guest on today’s episode. Nick was referring to the Bremont Ambassadors when he spoke of ordinary people achieving extraordinary things. Andy North is a perfect example of this. This fifty year old Yorkshire man is about to embark on one of the most intense endurance events I have ever heard off. What I find particularly inspirational about Andy’s story is that he has managed to train for this incredible event whilst juggling family commitments, running a business and also attempting to reach his goal of raising £50,000 for two Armed Forces Charities. As you can probably tell I am resisting revealing what Andy’s actual challenge is at this stage and also the challenges he has already completed however what I will say is that anyone who is interested in understanding how someone like Andy prepared mentally for taking on an event like this is in for a real treat with today’s interview. Please enjoy.

Music

Andy North welcome to the Maximise Potential podcast.

Andy: Hi there Kevin.

Kevin: I’ve been introduced to you, I gave you a random phone call just because I was informed that you are undertaking pretty much the most incredible endurance event that I’ve heard of and it involves you leaving Yorkshire and ending up in Gibraltar and yet you are not using a plane or a boat or a car or anything. Do you want to just introduce exactly what you are doing?

Andy: Yeah sure usually we fly from Yorkshire to Spain, in south of Spain and I am always looking out of the window and wondering you know wouldn’t it be amazing to do it in different means. So what we decided to do this year is to run each morning and to cycle in an afternoon. So we are going to run 20 miles each morning and we are going to cycle 45 miles in an afternoon from Catterick Garrison down to London. We are going to do some kayaking on the Thames we are then going to continue with 20 miles in a morning 45 miles in an afternoon down to Dover. We are going to then kayak over the English Channel and then continue through France running and cycling. We are going to cycle two of the Tour de France peaks one of them is called d’Aubisque which is 6,000ft high and then we carry on through Spain cycling and running which is a total of 25 marathons and 1500 miles of cycling and the kayaking over the channel.

Kevin: How long is this going to take you?

Andy: About 42 days. That’s actually allowing a few days leeway for the channel crossing because of the weather.

Kevin: That’s incredible and where the heck did this come from?

Andy: It’s built up basically over time I would say. But you know over the years bringing your family up just going out jogging on a weekend or on an evening when you get back from work you know 1, 2, 3 miles over many, many years. Going through busy periods in your life where it phases out and then you bring it back in. You get a bit of a focus because somebody you know might be doing a 10k or a half marathon. And then really what I have realised is there is a stack of books underneath my bed that I have read, people like Jim Fix who was in that late 1950s and he popularised a book called ‘The Complete Book of Running’ and somebody gave me his book to read. And then reading Mark Beaumont who cycled round the world, broke the world record but actually cycled Lands End to John O’Groats when he was only 14 years old. Stuart Mickleman the first guy to run across America, he ran two marathons each day. You know reading all these books over time you don’t realise but there is a little pictures going in your mind and you are building these images up. Bit by bit you begin to realise that some of these guys are not all international athletes.

Kevin: See this is the interesting bit where we are coming to now because I think just through talking it through all of a sudden it is not just something that has come from nowhere that you have just thought okay I will do this. It sounds like something that has almost been a fire that has been stoked over years and years and now all of a sudden it is rising to the surface.

Andy: Yeah I guess it is really and you know I was flying out to Spain about three or four years ago now and I was reading a newspaper article and ironically I buys the paper and opens it up middle page is about this guy Ray Mountie, one of his children was ill and he started running in his late 40s realised he quite like it, had this old pair of shoes, smokes, drinks Guinness, doesn’t drink water, started running and decided to run round the middle east. I think it was he ran 12 marathons one after the other. Ran through Death Valley, did all these amazing things and he had never run before and he’s not an athlete. So it just leaves you to believe can ordinary Joe do these things.

Kevin: And so when you started breaking it down did it just take away this fear, this myth, this impossibility do you think?

Andy: Yeah because you just think that running a long way or cycling or doing these amazing things is just meant for these elite athletes, the younger ones and people that are just getting into that at an early age. And what you really realise is it doesn’t it just takes a little bit of planning and organisation and building up. You know building up your knowledge understanding diet, food, nutrition and just writing bits down making it real.

Kevin: And just talk to me I am going to ask you to try and cast your mind back a bit actually. At that moment where it went from being something that you thought other people did to something that you then realised that you could do. And whether it was opening that paper, because it sounded to me that that was that moment where you are on the plane, you have got nowhere else to go, you are captive at that moment, your mind is switching off and you are reading this. Something tipped over the edge from going someone else to me.

Andy: Absolutely I think that is a good point. I think it was that newspaper article and I got, I have kept it and I have got photocopies of it now and when I talk to people and I show them I am not making this up. That was inspirational for me and it was like a ping moment where you think yeah I can do something like that.

Kevin: That’s interesting because there is a book which you have heard me speak about which was ‘Bounce’ by a gentleman called Mathew Syed who we had the pleasure of interviewing and he spoke about trigger moments. Trigger moments when all of a sudden something goes, clicks in, you go I can do this, I can do this.

Andy: Yeah I think my first point was probably about eight years ago. There is a marathon called ‘The Yorkshire man off road Marathon’ which is run in September. And I came back from holiday and thought I am going to do this and entered it and did quite well with it and really enjoyed it. It was 4,000 ft of ascent if I remember rightly but it was just amazing countryside and I did that.

Kevin: How come you enjoyed it so much had you trained really hard for it or was it just a mindset of why you were entering it or what was it?

Andy: I think it was partly the mindset I think you are right. I think the mindset was where it was at. It was a nice day across the Yorkshire Moors you know there are a lot of hills involved. I was at the back, I was not at the front at all but I actually completed it and finishing it was amazing. And then followed by another one that follows on from that which was an Ultra marathon and this was stepping up to a 33m. That again just sort of stepped it up to the next level.

Kevin: And how did you feel inside yourself when you were achieving each one of these?

Andy: It is just building that picture all the time. Once your mind knows I can do a 10k, I can do a half marathon, I can do a marathon, I can do a ultra marathon or the smaller ultra marathon which is 30 odd miles. If you carry that training on and use that level that you have now reached and you carry on at that level so you keep your training moving you can then nudge it up to the next level. If you leave it two or three months and drop back and loose it you are starting again but if you can keep that level rising all the time you are able to stretch, your mind accepts it, you have got the muscle memory and you know you are able to move it on.

Kevin: So you are just building on what small foundations all the time?

Andy: Absolutely and I think the next one after that was the Dales Way which is 90m over three days. And again this was just a chance meeting with a retired postman outside a pub in village nearby. He explained that the next morning he was getting up at two or three in the morning and he was off to the Lake District. And I said why are you getting up so early when it is only like two hours drive away. And he says that’s because I’m walking. And I said well what do you mean you are walking. And he said well lucky enough our house is on the riverbank and there is a path from there, this is Ilkley in Yorkshire to Boness in the Lake District. Right your walk how long is that going to take you. He said a day or something, you know a day or a half or something and he enjoyed doing this. So that set, I just can remember that setting my mind on fire really thinking right 90 miles, 30 miles a day, Dales Way, bed and breakfast two nights right summer I am going to do it on my own.

So about three weeks later I bought a map, booked a couple of B&Bs, bought a bum bag and then off we went. So I took three days then running most of it and walking the last bit of it on each day but I was fantastic, it was amazing, it was out you are in the fresh air you know and you get there and that is the most amazing feeling. To do it on your own as well and getting there and finished it and met my wife at the end and we had a couple of days in the Lakes then, that was brilliant you know.

Kevin: And talk to me about that feeling, you said it felt fantastic but break that down a bit if you can.

Andy: Well it’s just motivational. It’s just to be outdoors and be doing these things, being free. You know it is just that sense of being out there.

Kevin: There’s this expression you have used a couple of times I don’t know whether you have used it consciously or not but you have actually said about completing the picture. What does that mean, what is that picture?

Andy: Well the picture is just the memory, I think it is just the memory of it, the event of what happened and the things where you go through and the pain barriers you go through on days where it is a challenge. You know you have broken that barrier I think you have been through it, you have gone through that pain, you have gone through that barrier, you know your mind accepts it and then you are ready for another one or you are ready for the next challenge because life is full of challenges and once you have achieved one. It is not the end is it, it is not a stop it is just a journey, it is part of the journey that you are going on. But the Dales Way for me is the benchmark it is a beautiful route and you know.

Kevin: Like you said the fact that you did that by yourself that must have given an extra special twist to it mustn’t it in terms of what did you learn about yourself?

Andy: What did I learn about myself? You are just focused on the task, on what you are doing. Your mind goes into wandering mode I think a lot and you create a lot in your mind. And this might sound stupid but I can remember creating this song in my mind and then as I was getting tired later in the day singing this song.

Kevin: Just repeating it to yourself.

Andy: Just repeating it to myself this sort of song and it was berserk. And I just remember I was walking a long and jogging a bit and it was quite sunny it was nice you know. Your mind just wanders off a lot. And the other interesting thing is when you are in that thought process for that period of time you feel no pain and you feel no aches or anything, you are not out of breath but as soon as you come out of it you start feeling the aches in your muscles and it starts, it is quite an amazing thing really.

Kevin: If I was to have spoken to a 30 year old Andy North do you think 30 year old Andy North would have thought that he was capable of doing any of these events that he has either done or is about to do in the near future?

Andy: Absolutely not, no way.

Kevin: Because the reason I ask that is you know there is a lot of people who probably think you know what if you have not already set something in motion by the age of 30 just forget about it, it’s too late.

Andy: No that is absolute not right that at all. You just, well I am 50 now, I have just gone 50 this year and we are entering into this challenge.

Kevin: So what would you say to someone who is 30?

Andy: Well what I have learnt now and what I can see clearly now is that by giving yourself your own challenge outside. There is three key elements in your life – your career, your work, your family who give a natural momentum, a natural routine, a natural pull, a natural demand. They will pull all of your time, 100% of your time just naturally if you allow it. But if you, as you do at work focus, and focus on yourself, give yourself a focus, give yourself a little challenge. Give yourself something that you want to do. Take the picture; get the image, read a book, little bit or research, start writing it down you can make it real. I don’t regret not doing those when I am 30 but I think if I had know what I know now where could I be now, how far could I be going this time.

Kevin: Yeah and that is hopefully what we are trying to show on this podcast aren’t we. That is hopefully what we are trying to do. You said it again take the picture. Are you taking a picture of where you are now or where you want to be, or where you see yourself?

Andy: You are taking a picture of your end product.

Kevin: Right that is what I wanted to get to. So you are actually seeing yourself. So if I say to you what’s this picture you have taken with regards to your Yorkshire to Gibraltar what is the picture?

Andy: Well I see myself setting off at Catterick Garrison in Yorkshire on 19 August when we set off with the Garrison Commander and about 200 – 300 soldiers because that’s what he has promised us when we set off.

Kevin: And you can see that?

Andy: I can see that. And we have got two Landover lead vehicles. We have got family and friends and anybody else who wants to join in whether it is people walking their dogs, roller-skates, cycling whilst we are running whatever. I have seen that picture, I can see Gibraltar. I have never been to France or Spain but I see it in my mind. You have to see it; you have to make it real. You know people say take a picture.

Kevin: why, why?

Andy: Because that gives you the image of where you are going to go. It shows you your end product. You can see yourself, visualising yourself achieving whatever it is you want to achieve.

Kevin: I know this and I am sorry if what I am asking almost sounds I don’t know like sucking eggs to you but this is what you have that enables you to achieve what you do. And this is the little bit that I am trying to extract to just bottle into this interview because it is this bit that you have managed to develop over the years from starting off just reading those books, you have been able to plant these as you rightly say you plant pictures in your mind and somehow those pictures relate to something in you. And then you manage to turn those pictures into somewhere where you are going to be.

Andy: I am a great believer in writing things down, cutting pictures out of magazines. If you see something and think oh I love that, I’d love to do that, I’d love to be there, I want to be that. If you cut the pictures out stick them in a book, stick them on your fridge you start to get the pictures in your mind, you begin to make it reality.

Kevin: Have you got scrapbooks and things like that, do you do this?

Andy: I have got boxes under my bed with magazines in and runner’s world and you know tear the pictures out if it’s like one that is awesome. You know I will tear it out and put it on the fridge or I’ll just put it in my pile on the desk.

Kevin: So it just stays around you.

Andy: Yeah I’ll give you one example I bought a triathlon magazine. There is two of these guys running they have obviously come off doing their other exercise they have gone through transition they are in the running and their figures, the bodies, I mean these guys are not young they look like they are 40ish something like that but the figures on them are physically fit. I like the kit they are wearing you know the peak hats the shoes everything you know. And I think actually when I am running in Spain I’d like to look like that, I want to feel like that and look like that.

Kevin: Interesting.

Andy: So I have actually cut that out and that is next to my PC on a little thing.

Kevin: So all of a sudden you are turning that into a picture.

Andy: So I am starting to see that now.

Kevin: Sorry I did interrupt you we were talking about finding that inner drive.

Andy: A few years ago now Dave Edwards, Dave and I, we call ourselves the Yorkshire Duo, we both met and decided about the running and about sort of getting things together with that. And we had this idea of doing Lands End to John O’Groats. Not that that’s unique and thousands of people haven’t done it but it was a good challenge. And I remember thinking with him yeah let’s do it but we won’t be able to do it will we. Will we be able to run from Lands End to John O’Groats?

Kevin: How far is that?

Andy: Well you can do it in the shortest route about 750m, or 760m. We did it in 1000m because we wanted to come through Yorkshire and go through the North East.

Kevin: 1000m of just running.

Andy: That was the original thought and I am also a member of the Academy of Chief Executives which runs throughout the UK in groups which you have come out of your business and you meet other business owners and Chief Execs, CEOs and you have a retreat each year and in that retreat you do personal goals and business goals. I plotted this with the team and you set your goals and then they are absolutely pulled to bits and analysed and regurgated into some realistic plan. So my challenge was wanting to do Lands End to John O’Groats want to run it all. But the challenge was I didn’t really have three or four weeks to take off to do it. So the suggestion, well one of the guys was why don’t you cycle some of it. To which I answered but I am now 47 and I have not been on a bike since I were 14 or something like that.

So I made that plan and that lived with me for a couple of years we reviewed it the year after and I put the same thing down again and the same challenges were there. And in the end that became the plan that we would cycle. We would run in the morning, we would do a marathon each morning and then we would cycle 60 odd miles, 65 miles in the afternoon to do the 1000m.

Kevin: Every day?

Andy: For 12 days consecutively yeah without a days’ rest. And we did raise £31,000 last year.

Kevin: That’s phenomenal.

Andy: Yeah we just did various different things. We got some sponsors. The challenge with this as ever is because you are working and you have got a family. You know you have just got to focus your time. You have got your to do list for home, your to do list for work and your to do list for the charity and the challenge you know.

Kevin: And is that the art to it just really focussing, making sure that you are paying attention to each part of your life as it is and having those to do lists. How does it work?

Andy: Well you need an understanding wife to start off with and family support on something like this. And it’s just keeping focussed on these things. You know I would say you have got the picture, you have got the dream, you have got the drive, you have got the feeling. I mean what is this going to be like just being outdoors for two weeks, you know doing this in 12 days so that’s like two weeks outdoors getting down to Lands End preparing and then setting off running. And being outdoors which is what you like doing.

Kevin: But you said

Andy: You have got a buzz haven’t you; it’s just like that feeling this is fantastic you know. You are doing it for a fantastic cause, the hard work has been done and the one thing you can’t ever forget is you cannot kid your body you have got to do the training. Whatever you are doing a 10k, half marathon, marathon whatever you can’t do it without the training.

Kevin: And so just before we leave that Lands End to John O’Groats when you were having the downers, not in the best mental place what do you use to try and get yourself back?

Andy: Food probably. What you realise is your body is a machine and it needs to be fed with the right type of, you know you need energy that is important that you are getting the right food. So coming off a big event like running a marathon in the morning and doing 60m in an afternoon on a bike that night it is vital that you get some good food inside you so you have got your protein, you have got chicken, salmon, fresh food vegetables. Two or three different vegetables you know.

Kevin: That’s interesting so it really showed you that for you the relationship between what is going into your body and then how the body responds.

Andy: Fine tuned, absolutely fine tuned is your body on something like this. So one night we are supposed to be in by sort of seven/eight o’clock max but I was getting in at nine/half nine some days when it was a tough day so then you didn’t eat much one particular day and we stayed in, we didn’t get much food out and then you are up again at six the next morning. And within an hour I was shaking, sat on the side of the road thinking I don’t know what’s wrong with me here and we had taken a snack with us each day so we have got running with a bum bag with a scone in it. With a buttered scone or wholemeal bread or something like that with some marmalade in it or something.

Kevin: Just something sweet and stodgy.

Andy: Just something there to keep you going if you need it. And this was planned for another couple of hours so I absolutely devoured this food and straight away I was fine I was right as reign so I was up and off again. I was okay within sort of 20 minutes. So you just begin to realise that this, it is getting the right balance. But you get the right balance and you get into your routine and you know its okay.

Kevin: And has this rubbed off on how you’ve maybe changed or evolved in business?

Andy: Yeah I mean it is very similar you know in business a lot of what I learn in business I use with this. You know a lot of being focussed looking for sponsors, you know taking knocks. It is almost like running a business you know you are having a plan, logging your progress, making sure you have got a focus where you need to be next week with your training. It is very, very similar.

Kevin: We are going to start winding down now but talk to me about Yorkshire to Gibraltar. How are you feeling about the intensity of this because I mean this takes what you have achieved so far in your life to a whole other level doesn’t it?

Andy: Absolutely. Again you know it is an exciting prospect. There is a lot planned in and it’s a big journey that we are going on and we have been on you know. We have just done a big charity event this last weekend. We have just done a series of backpacking with family and friends to help out. We have just done three supermarket collections there with the backpacking and made about £2,000 over those three. Within a week we have raised like £3,500 just with those backpacking the one charity evening that we have done. You know and then in between that it is doing the training and making sure that you’ve, got a log on my computer that sits there all the time I leave it live and you know if I’ve done anything like this morning did a 30m run so that has gone on there you know. And I’ve got it adding up as well so that I can see straight away so far this month look at last months. You know it’s not where it needs to be or it is I’m doing okay. So you keep a check on your progress.

Another key thing with this is I think to have some benchmarks so that going to France next week and we are doing some training in the Alps. And then we are benchmarking again I am going out to Spain in July which is about three weeks before we start the challenge just to get some training in the heat as well there so that will help. And then obviously it is working with the charities now to get you know the strategic planned out through the UK. We have got a meeting this weekend so we are planning the route so we can get collections going along there as well.

Kevin: I am just thinking how is it going to feel and how does already feel when you know that you are going to finish this challenge? Because I know that you already know how it is going to feel don’t you.

Andy: I do but again just contradicting what I have said earlier actually it isn’t the finishing that is important with this it is actually the journey that you are going to go on and I have met other people who have said similar things who have done bigger things than this before who have said the same. And it is you have got to enjoy the journey. It has got to be important that that journey as challenging as it is going to be it has got to be enjoyable and you have got to capture that. So it is not really the finishing the Lands End to John O’Groats – we got to John O’Groats and yeah we had a nice reception from some lovely people but the day before was the best day of the whole thing going through the mountains in Scotland you know and that was awesome. It is the journey that you have got to enjoy and it’s the same with any running or racing that you do it’s that journey. Yeah it’s nice to get over the finish line; yeah I’ve done that what a fantastic tick you know.

Kevin: Is there a certain element of it that is an anticlimax because you then know that that journey is over that there is a gap now?

Andy: Last year’s Lands End to John O’Groats it was yeah that was there but straight away my mind had clicked onto this challenge. I hadn’t told anybody but this was planning in my mind then even though nobody knew it this was there ticking. So I have got to try and temper the next one.

Kevin: Interesting. Yeah I know it is going to be very interesting to hear what you say when you finish the next one. I am going to wind this; this is the final thing I want to ask you. I like to ask everybody how they maximise their own potential, what they do that they would like to try and share with others and help inspire them to take that next step in their development in their lives.

Andy: It’s a really hard one this one. I would say think of something that excites you and will stretch you and start to look at it and think about it to make it real and it will become real. If you want it to become real it will become real even as farfetched as it might seem whatever it is whether it is in work business life whatever you can do because there is absolutely no way that I thought I would have thought when I was younger that I would be doing something like this. I know now I can do this even though it is a long way and there are big challenges there.

Kevin: And how do you feel now whenever you now think of something that could be considered a challenge?

Andy: What’s the plan to make it real. And if it doesn’t excite me and doesn’t turn me on then let’s not start going down that road.

Kevin: But if you get excited about it then in your mind that is it it can be accomplished.

Andy: Yeah absolutely.

Kevin: Andy North thanks very much.

Andy: Thank you take care.

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Kevin: Andy North thank you very much for casting such an insight into how you successfully prepare, plan and complete these amazing feats of endurance. The way Andy described how he uses visualisation is incredibly empowering and has actually led to an excellent discussion within the Maximise Potential group on LinkedIn. It goes without saying that Andy is still actively seeking support to help him reach his target of £50,000 for the Children’s Forces Trust and the ABF the Soldiers Charity. So if Andy’s story has inspired you then please just click through to the show notes and you will find a link to Andy’s just giving page. The adventure starts on August 19th and on August 26th I have pledged my own support by joining Andy on one of his 20m running legs. I also know that he is very keen to welcome other people to join him either running or cycling any or as many legs of the route as you may wish. So I have added the route to the show notes with Andy’s contact details for anyone that is interested. So there we go another excellent insight into the life of someone who is truly striving to maximise their potential.

Now a quick news update regarding the goings on at Maximise Potential. Firstly the Maximise Potential podcast has just been nominated for the European Podcasting Awards for best business podcast. The voting is taking place right now so if you would like to see our podcast scoop this highly coveted award please visit the show notes and click on the link to vote. We would really appreciate your support. We would also love to hear your feedback on this episode as well as your suggestions for future episodes. So please come to the site leave a comment, connect with us on Facebook or LinkedIn or pop over to ITunes and leave a rating and a comment there. And please remember if you are considering a career change then check out our sponsors Jenrick who specialise in engineering, IT and commercial recruitment.

Thanks again for tuning in and here is another mellow track from Xerxes to finish on and it’s called ‘Slide’ enjoy and we will be back very soon thank you.

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As most of you are aware, at Maximise Potential we are seeking to understand the mindset and approach of what drives people to success within their chosen discipline.

I recently interviewed Endurance Athelete, Andy North (Max#31), who is about to embark on the ‘sunshine challenge’ where he will run a total of 25 marathons and cycle over 1,500 miles within the period of 42 days.

Within the interview Andy gave us an amazing insight into the mental techniques he applies to prepare (and complete) challenges like this.

After posing some discussions on Linked IN, regarding Andy approach, I received a very interesting reply from Greg Layton, High Performance Coach and Founder of InteViva:

“I thought I’d share a couple of things. I work with quite a few professional athletes including ultra marathoners in Melbourne, Australia and have done quite a bit of training and work directly with John Grinder. Together, with the likes of Chris Collingwood and Ian Snape in Aus we are exploring some of the key physiological triggers that allow athletes to stay in the zone (safely) for long periods.

Recently, I worked with Samantha Gash after meeting her when I was competing in The Atacama Crossing. (250km ultra in the desert in Chile). We were able to elicit some of the key attributes of her high performance state. Probably the most common component I have seen with ultra runners is that they tend to run in a slightly dissociated state, i.e. they are outside their own bodies (3rd position).

The main triggers for this have been a combination of the following with the athletes that I have worked with and in my own personal experience when battling 40 knot, 45 degree headwinds across salt flats. 1. Some part of the body goes completely slack as if disconnected from the body – hands, jaw most common, a particular rhythm that comes from their step cadence and a softening of the vision to more open.

I find that athletes in different sports require very different high performance states. We’ve been playing with rhythm in particular as a particlar trigger and I use it in sports and also in Exec Coaching as the trigger for my state in that context. Real powerful…an easy test is to play some different music and what how the rhythm of the music changes your state.

I’ve trained a number of athletes in how to access these states and maintain them for long periods. Often using the “Lifeline” pattern (setup unconscious signal system and get the unconscious to control maintaining the state unless there is something calls into question the athletes well being. )

Anyway, its interesting stuff.

Good luck with the ultra guys in the UK.”

Excellent insight Greg – thank you so much!

I’ve just come across this motivating article on British Olympian, Derek Redmond, which ties in very nicely with the inspiring video about him already featured on the Maximise Potential website.

School children nationwide have voted Derek Redmond as the Ultimate Olympian.

Primary and secondary schools across the nation, including West Sussex and Derby, experienced a vast array of sports for this year’s National Sports Week.

The West Sussex West School Sport Partnership hosted a sensational event promoting both National School Sports Week and next year’s Olympics and Paralympics games. Many schools celebrated with their own sports day.

Schools were merged and students divided into groups to represent the competing countries of the Olympics.

Each group was sent to 5 different posts to take part in a variety of sports such as golf, hurdling, Judo, and Volleyball. The final post asked the children to each vote for their “Ultimate Olympian”. Derek Redmond came out on top as the children decided that his courage, determination, drive for excellence and inspirational story made him a role model and an icon of the Olympic values.

As London 2012 draws closer, the Olympics will continue to be used to inspire young people.

Bourne Community College Year 7 student Samuel Hoolihan said:

“I loved the hurdles, but enjoyed throwing my friend around in judo more!”

Phil Fowler, assistant director of learning for PE at Bourne, said:

“What a positive day! It was so great to see so many talented students get such a memorable experience of what the Olympics are all about.”

FURTHER RESOURCES & RELATED ARTICLES:

• Watch the inspiring video of Derek Redmond on Maximise Potential
• Listen to an exclusive interview with inspiring sports star, Dean Macey
• Listen to an exclusive interview with inspiring sports star, Greg Searle
• Listen to an exclusive interview with inspiring sports star, David Weir
• Read articles on inspiring sports stars

Article Source: Parliment Speakers.com

Hi everyone! As you know, we had the pleasure of interviewing former Olympic & World Champion Rower Greg Searle, on the podcast last year.

I just saw an article from him in the Wall Street Journal Blog and felt is was well worth posting on the site:

British rowing athlete Greg Searle first won gold at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics with his brother Jonny. In the 1996 Atlanta Olympics he finished third in the coxless four event. After a fourth-place finish in Sydney in 2000 he retired from top-level rowing to concentrate on his career as a practice director of performance development consultancy, Lane4.

Now at the age of 39 he is back in exhaustive training to qualify for London 2012 and the chance to once again compete for Olympic gold.

He describes how the strategies used by elite athletes are very much the same employed by business leaders to compete at the very top.

1. Find a vision; set short term goals to achieve overall success.

I am in the midst of training for an Olympic comeback 20 years to the day after I won gold in 1992. Winning that medal is the compelling vision that sits above everything else. I was also inspired by London winning the games and I thought, “I want to be a part of that.”

I thought I still have the raw potential to be an athlete for the 2012 games so took the risk and started training again with that goal in mind. Another big part was imagining winning a gold medal 20 years after winning my first, which no one else has ever done.

However, the real work is to achieve smaller goals before that overall target is within reach, such as rowing 2,000 meters in six minutes on a rowing machine, performing well in trials, sticking painstakingly to my training program and getting enough rest. These day-to-day behaviors may sometimes be difficultâ??but because there is the compelling vision of competing at London 2012 Olympics, it provides the inspiration for the difficult things I need to do.

So many leaders talk about goals and talk about a vision but they don’t make it exciting, compelling or engaging enough for people to want to achieve it. The great leaders are the ones that can create that enthusiasm for long term success which drives everyday behaviors in their team.

Rowing on a machine is really tough, and in itself it isn’t exciting. What “is” exciting is knowing and seeing the benefit of the hard work once I get into the boat, or at the next training session.

2. Feedback is your best friend.

The difference now in British sport compared to when I first competed is astonishing. We have the chance to win several gold medals next year while in 1996 we only won just one.

The major difference is the amount of support we get from our coaching teams. This is an important point for businesses and their leaders as many companies don’t use the support function as well as they ought to.

I receive constant feedback measured against the goals that I set at the beginning of the year. Everything is meticulously measured: nutrition, psychology, and physiology, but it’s the personal feedback regarding my impactâ??how I behave around the team and influence them, as well as how I move the boatâ??that I receive from my coach and fellow athletes that is most valuable.

It’s not always the case that this has been done well. I remember on one occasion I received feedback that caused me to jump out of the boat, swim to the bank and say I would never row with that person again.

Now however, feedback is given in a much more sophisticated way and people are asked to comment on their own individual performance. The people who want to improve are ready to identify their weaknesses and ask others for constructive criticism.

In a corporate environment however, people can be reluctant to invite feedback because they are nervous about how they are going to be judged.

In sport, the higher the level you perform at, the greater the level of support. But in business the higher you are in an organization the less support you receive, or people will not offer feedback as they may be wary of you. You might employ someone outside the company who can give impartial feedback that might not otherwise be possible.

3. Unshakeable self-belief: Self-confidence versus self-esteem

When I came fourth in Sydney in 2000, I had the feeling that I had failed. I had to be helped to recognize that I hadn’t become a bad performerâ??or even a bad personâ??because I lost a race.

The respect you earn as a sportsman or in your career has been gained over the course of years. It’s important to remember that respect can’t be lost in the blink of an eye.

Many of you will have experienced the “school of hard knocks” and you must expect to lose as often as you winâ??maybe more. But you have to put those performances into context as steps toward the ultimate goal.

On an individual basis, self-esteem is deep lying and built upon successes and setbacks over the course of a lifetime. As such it will not be affected by things that happen day-to-day but will be swayed over longer periods of time.

Self-confidence however, is affected in the short-term by everyday events. Self confidence can afford to take a few knocks, but it’s vital to maintain self-esteem by reminding yourself of your successes in the past and that overall, your quality will shine through.

4. Controlling the controllable.

As a leader or a sportsman it’s important to be prepared by addressing the things that are within your control. There is so much out there that you think could be relevant to make you perform, but, the real trick is to recognize the things that will really make a difference and make them your focus.

After that, it is simply a case of controlling your reaction to everything else.

In my sport it is a case of moving the boat as fast as you can down your lane. What the other boats do in their lanes is their concern.

Any strategy needs to be based upon what we can do to make a difference to our performance to get the best result.

I must admit that in Sydney in 2000, I thought our boat was inferior to our competitors’ boats. I remember that I let my mind drift and think about other things that were beyond my control.

We came fourth. It was a lesson learned.

5. Recognizing pressure as a positive

I know that I can perform at my best when I am under pressure. I don’t necessarily like it. I still get racked with self-doubt and nervesâ??but I know when I am in that situation I have to accept that feeling as it produces the best from me.

It’s only halfway through the race that I realize I have found strength that I didn’t know was there.

In a business environment there are high pressure situations to be dealt with every day, but often that pressure can help you become focused, sharp and at your best. The key is to recognize the symptoms and embrace them. You have to reframe the situation so it ceases to be a threat and becomes an opportunity.

A vital coping strategy is to ensure you have other things in your life. I am a father with two kids. I can keep pressure in perspective. As I sit on the start line, I think about my daughter who was recently in her first swimming gala. When it comes to the Olympics, I will be in a boat with eight of my mates doing something that I have been doing for the last 20 years. I think that what I do isn’t tough compared to a 10 year-old facing the world and competing for the first time.

Greg Searle director of performance development at consultancy Lane4. He draws upon his commercial experience and elite sporting background to deliver programs in the fields of leadership and team development.

There are some excellent points in the article which nicely complement the Greg’s inspiring interview on Maximise Potential. Hope you found it useful and I’ll keep you updated with Greg’s progress as we work towards the London 2012 Olympics.

Article Source: Wall Street Journal Blog

Whichever direction I turn right now, I keep bumping into one name in particular – John Wooden.

I have found him referenced in books such as Mindset (Carol Dweck), The Talent Code (Daniel Coyle) and Bounce (Matthew Syed).

Quite simply, as well as being known as probably the best basketball coach (if not sports coach) there has ever been – he is arguable the finest manager of people in general.

The motivational techniques that Wooden honed over years and years of practise and refinement, enabled individuals to perform at a level which was consistently beyond their expectations. Yet, Wooden also managed to transcend these techniques across entire teams – so that the collective group performed at an extremely high level.

He was renowned for his short, simple inspirational messages to his players, including his “Pyramid of Success.” These often were directed at how to be a success in life as well as in basketball.

Wooden’s approach, according to Carol Dweck, is a perfect example of someone who is commited to the growth mindset ideal and also complements Coyle’s research which states the value of deep / purposeful practise.

According to both of these highly respected authors, Wooden is an excellent example of someone to model yourself upon if you wish to develop highly effective coaching, leadership and motivational skills.

Before I explain more, allow me to share a few key facts about John Wooden to help create a picture of the man, his achievements and his values:

• John Robert Wooden (October 14, 1910 – June 4, 2010)
• Nicknamed the “Wizard of Westwood”
• He won 10 NCAA national championships in a 12-year period (7 in a row) â?? as head coach at UCLA
• He was named national coach of the year six times
• He coined the popular phrase “Failing to prepare is preparing to fail”
• The Sporting News “Greatest Coach of All Time” (2009)

However, it took 16 seasons of incredible hard work for Wooden and his team to win their first National Title – this is a fact that many try and overlook. The majority want to focus on his years of success and not take into consideration all the effort, losses, tears and lessons that it took to get there.

In fact, during the majority of the years that preceded this title, Wooden’s team did not have proper training facilities or even their own home court (they used local schools and gyms for their home matches).

John Wooden’s Seven Point Creed (given to him by his father upon his graduation from grammar school):

• Be true to yourself
• Make each day your masterpiece
• Help others
• Drink deeply from good books, especially the Bible
• Make friendship a fine art
• Build a shelter against a rainy day
• Pray for guidance and give thanks for your blessings every day

I think the following statement accurately sums up John Wooden’s approach to life and is a fitting way to finish this article:

At the top of the Pyramid of Success was “Competitive Greatness” which Wooden defined as “Perform at your best when your best is required. Your best is required each day.”

Additional Links to learn more about John Wooden:

• John Wooden Official Website
• John Wooden Wikipedia page

We are very pleased to announce that Matthew Syed, author of BOUNCE, who was our guest on episode 26 of the Maximise Potential Podcast, has just WON the Best New Writer category within the British Sports Book Awards 2011.

CONGRATULATIONS MATTHEW!

The British Sports Book Awards are a highlight of the sports publishing year honouring the best new sports biographies, autobiographies and books about football, rugby, cricket and racing.

As I’m sure followers of the blog already know, BOUNCE provides a wonderful insight into the true formula for success (whether this is in sport or life in general), taking a firm stance that ‘talent’ does not play a part in such success.

It is an amazing read!

Other nominees in the Best New Writer category include Mike Perham, for his book Sailing the Dream, and Steve Bunce, for his book The Fixer, a novel about boxing.

This year’s British Sports Book Awards Dinner will take place on Monday 9 May at the Savoy Hotel.

On behalf of everyone at Maximise Potential – best of luck Matthew!

This reveals a radical new approach to the way we engage with children – that we should praise effort, never talent; that we should teach kids to see challenges as learning opportunities rather than threats; and that we should emphasise how abilities can be transformed.

Experiments from around the world have shown that when parents and teachers adopt this approach, and stick to it, the results are remarkable.

Additional notes and resources:

• LISTEN to the Matthew Syed interview on Maximise Potential
• CLICK HERE to learn more about BOUNCE and buy the book on AMAZON
• CLICH HERE to go to AUDIBLE for the audio version of BOUNCE
  
• Learn more about Matthew Syed through his website

We had the pleasure of interviewing Matthew Syed, author of the insightful book, BOUNCE, a short time ago for the Maximise Potential Podcast.

I have to say that I had no idea at the time that his book would go on to create such a stir.

I’ve heard and seen Matthew appearing more and more on programmes such as the 5 Live Breakfast Show and Radio 4 breakfast news, where he relates aspects of his book against current sports and educational topics.

I’ve also been informed that the Hampshire FA (and other similar organisations) have given a copy of the book to all of their coaches to help them understand child pyscology and motivational theories in greater depth.

In fact, our own company and other companies I’ve had the pleasure of speaking with, are using the Matthew’s interview with Maximise Potential as an internal training tool to help enhance the performance of their companies and staff.

Since conducting the interview I’ve personally been involved in several online discussions and debates, regarding the perspectives that Matthew communicates within the book. What constantly surprises me are the numbers of people that WANT to believe that talent is the key; that THEY do not possess the power to re-create success or to become a leader within their chosen field.

Why would you not want to take on board Matthew’s philosophies that YOU do have so much more control over the direction your life takes and that your ability to MAXIMISE YOUR POTENTIAL is down to YOU – not down to your genes or your life before the age of 10.

Surely this would lead to a more positive and upbeat attitude, and thus a greater enjoyment of life. I fail to see the downside.

All in all, Matthew Syed and his excellent research is gaining greater popularity on a daily basis.

For those of you still uncovinced by the snippits of Matthew’s arguments that you may heave heard via the news, please click on the links below to gain a far more comprehensive understanding:

• Matthew Syed’s BOUNCE interview on the Maximise Potential Podcast
• Matthew Syed is nominated for best British Sports Book 2011
• Maximising the potential of your child by Matthew Syed

David Goggins is one of the best endurance athletes on the globe. He is a man committed to pushing himself and challenging his boundaries at every opportunity.

Yet, whilst he achieves countless personal goals, he is also raising essential funds for the education of children.

Learn more about David Goggins, Navy SEAL and ultra-marathon runner, by watching the video below:

Learn more about David through the links below:

• CLICK HERE to visit the David Goggins Wikipedia page
• Interview with David Goggins

Traditionally, the title of the “World’s Greatest Athlete” has been given to the man who wins the decathlon.

Dean Macey, or the Dean Machine, as he was so frequently referred to, is one of the unique individuals to have achieved this accolade, doing so at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.

Dean would undoubtedly have finished his career with a host of additional World, Olympic and Commonwealth Medals if it had not been so heavily blighted by injury.

Yet, his ability to continually battle back to fitness consolidated his position, not just as one of the very best athletes on the globe, but as someone with a unique level of determination and mental strength.

Additional notes and resources:

• CLICK HERE to visit Dean Macey’s website
• CLICK HERE to watch Dean Macey bursting onto the scene at the 1999 World Championships
  

Maximise Your Career Podcast from Jenrick IT:

• CLICK HERE to listen to the podcast now

Transcription:

• Transcript: Dean Macey – International Decathlete (Max#28)

Matthew Syed, author of BOUNCE was a guest on episode 26 of the Maximise Potential Podcast, has been shortlisted for another writing award.

This time it is for the Best New Writer category within the British Sports Book Awards 2011.

The British Sports Book Awards are a highlight of the sports publishing year honouring the best new sports biographies, autobiographies and books about football, rugby, cricket and racing.

As I’m sure followers of the blog already know, BOUNCE provides a wonderful insight into the true formula for success (whether this is in sport or life in general), taking a firm stance that ‘talent’ does not play a part in such success.

It is an amazing read!

Other nominees in the Best New Writer category include Mike Perham, for his book Sailing the Dream, and Steve Bunce, for his book The Fixer, a novel about boxing.

This year’s British Sports Book Awards Dinner will take place on Monday 9 May at the Savoy Hotel.

On behalf of everyone at Maximise Potential – best of luck Matthew!

This reveals a radical new approach to the way we engage with children – that we should praise effort, never talent; that we should teach kids to see challenges as learning opportunities rather than threats; and that we should emphasise how abilities can be transformed.

Experiments from around the world have shown that when parents and teachers adopt this approach, and stick to it, the results are remarkable.

Additional notes and resources:

• LISTEN to the Matthew Syed interview on Maximise Potential
• CLICK HERE to learn more about BOUNCE and buy the book on AMAZON
• CLICH HERE to go to AUDIBLE for the audio version of BOUNCE
  
• Learn more about Matthew Syed through his website

I felt incredibly proud and honoured to witness David Weir become the most successful wheelchair racer in the London Marathon’s history, when he won an unprecedented fifth title in the Virgin London Wheelchair Marathon.

It was an extremely tactical race with David showing complete control right to the finish, beating world record-holder, and long-term rival (and friend) Heinz Frei in a sprint finish.

For those of you less familiar with David’s wheelchair racing achievements, here is a brief update (this exact was taken from The Guardian) . . .

In recent marathons, including New York, which Weir won in November, he has made a case for being the world’s leading wheelchair racer.

That argument is strengthened by his status as double Paralympic champion on the track, over 800 and 1500 metres. Weir also won three gold medals on the track at the IPC World Championships in Christchurch in January, yet opted out of the marathon there after roads were left open for the event.

His victory yesterday was all the sweeter because he lost a four-minute lead last year through suffering two punctures.

“That was probably one of the toughest marathons I have ever done,” he said. “I knew Heinz Frei was going to surge. The last couple of miles were really tough. But it was brilliant to win.”

In an exclusive interview on Maximise Potential, David highlights that his goal for London 2012 is to “win one Gold Medal at my Home games.”

Best of luck David; all of us at Maximise Potential wish you all the best for the rest of this season and towards London 2012.

Further Resources:

LISTEN TO AN INTERVIEW

• EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Great Britain’s Most Successful Wheelchair Racer (Max#19)

READ MORE ARTICLES

• Congratulations to David Weir for winning the New York Wheelchair Marathon

2011 Masters champion, Charl Schwartzel, claimed a dramatic victory at Augusta after keeping his nerve to birdie his last four holes on the way to a final-round 66 to win his first major championship.

That was an amazing achievement in itself, however, the part that really interested me is explained below . . . .

The 26-year-old, from South Africa, said he was inspired by fellow countryman Louis Oosthuizen who won last year’s Open Championship at St Andrews by seven strokes.

“To see Louis win the Open was just such a big inspiration,” added Schwartzel. “Just to see him do it made me realise that it is possible and it just took me over the barrier of thinking that a major is too big for someone to win.

“We grew up together from a young age and we still play almost every single practice round together.

“We used to play every single team event, every tournament against each other and we represented South Africa for so long. We always travelled together, so we basically are the best of mates.”

This statement reinforces so much of what we have already detailed, through the array of interviews, on Maximise Potential.

In particular, the interview with Sam Brown (Max #22) springs to mind, where Sam explains that by surrounding himself with the very best, he then believed he was also one of the best – that helped him gain the self-belief that he WOULD be the Taekwondo World Champion.

Furthermore, Pen Hadow (Max #11) spoke this point about a length when he referred to his up bringing and that his Nanny also looked after the family of Scott of the Antarctic, making the achievements of these great explorers appear ‘normal’ (in Pen’s words).

In addition, this adds further confirmation to the arguments raised by Matthew Syed (Max #26) in his interview, regarding the importance (from a mindset perspective) of finding aspects you can relate to in Champions, thereby giving you greater personal belief that you can replicate their success.

I just thought these were interesting observations and worth documenting on the site.

The first person I’d like to thank for the pleasure I’ve had reading BOUNCE by Matthew Syed is suprisingly NOT the Author – it’s actually my wife, who very kindly researched Matthew’s book and felt it would make an excellent Christmas Present.

She was right. BOUNCE is a facinating read, a real eye opener, which will definitely enlighten your perspective on ‘How Champions are Made’ – something that we, at Maximise Potential, are certainly interested in.

I’ve pulled together a synopsis of the book (below) as well as some testimonials from others who have read it.

SYNOPSIS:

Everyone knows that David Beckham crosses the ball better than anyone else and that Tiger Woods never “chokes”. But what are the hidden factors which allow the most successful sports stars to rise above their competitors – and are they shared by virtuosos in other fields?

In Bounce Matthew Syed – an award-winning Times columnist and three-time Commonwealth table-tennis champion – reveals what really lies behind world-beating achievement in sport, and other walks of life besides. The answers – taking in the latest in neuroscience, psychology and economics – will change the way we look at sports stars and revolutionise our ideas about what it takes to become the best.

From the upbringing of Mozart to the mindset of Mohammed Ali – via the recruitment policies of Enron – Bounce weaves together fascinating stories and telling insights and statistics into a wonderfully thought-provoking read. Bounce looks at big questions – such as the real nature of talent, what kind of practice actually works, how to achieve motivation, drugs in both sport and life, and whether black people really are faster runners.

Along the way Matthew talks to a Hungarian father whose educational theories saw his daughters become three of the best chess players of all time, meets a female East German athlete who became a man, and explains why one small street in Reading – his own – has produced more top table-tennis players than the rest of Britain put together. Fresh, ground-breaking and tackling subjects with broad appeal, Bounce is sure to be one of the most talked about books of the year.

TESTIMONIALS FROM PEOPLE WHO HAVE READ ‘BOUNCE’:

Thought provoking read – ounce is a very interesting and thought provoking book. It basically argues that for any significantly complex human activity (especially sports like tennis, football and golf, and games like chess) natural talent is of pretty low importance because the wiring of the brain required to succeed can only be achieved through a massive amount of “purposeful” practice.

life changing insights – Bounce is a remarkable book. Its central argument is that there is no such thing as natural talent and that top achievement is the consequence of huge amounts of a very particular kind of practice. This may sound radical, but the evidence is compelling.

What a moorish read! – Wow what a great book. It’s extemely well written and full of substantive, supportive evidence to back up each point. Even for a non sports fan like me (my husband actually bought this book for himself) I would thouroughly recommend this book -you’ll be hooked once you read it.

Bounce – Bounce is the most interesting book that I read in 2010.

Very informative and challenging – This is a challenging book. The author rejects the concept of talent, innate ability and genetic pre-disposition almost entirely. He backs up the thesis with some impressive anecdotes and makes a good case.

MORE INFORMATION AND WHERE TO BUY:

• CLICK HERE to learn more about BOUNCE and buy the book on AMAZON
• Learn more about Matthew Syed through his website

Sam Brown is the current World Taekwon-Do Champion, achieving this incredible feat in the first ever World Championships to be held in the founding country of the martial art, Korea. In today’s interview with Maximise Potential, Sam shares the interesting journey he has taken over the last eight years in order for him to achieve his goal.

Additional notes and resources:

• Syndenham Taekwon-Do School with Sam Brown
• The Hogan Institute – Taekwon-Do School
• Spit and Sawdust Gym – Surbiton
• History of Taekwon-Do – Wikipedia
• International Taekwon-Do Federation- Official Website

Transcription:

• Transcript: Sam Brown – World Taekwon-Do Champion (Max#22)

Inspirational at the very least. Recommended to me is the inspiring story of Donald Driver, wide receiver of the Green Bay Packers, and his road to the NFL.

This story proves how anyone can achieve what they want if they put their mind to it.

By far the most inspirational player and person out there! What an amazing person! Everyone of us should strive to be just like him!

• Click here to view the Donald Driver Wikipedia page

• For more videos and articles of inspiring people please click here.

Terry Fox was and still is an inspiration to all who know his story and this is one that has stuck with me. It will always be remembered what he has done for not only cancer research, but in showing love to others he did not even know.

Terry is a great example of someone who never gave up no matter what obstacles came his way. He showed true courage and determination and this is a very powerful message that we can all take on board.

Thank you to Terry for leaving us with a very inspirational and motivating story.

Additional Resources:

• Click here to view the Terry Fox Wikipedia page
• Click here to view more inspiring stories

Recommended to us recently, this video is sure to motivate you whether you’re a keen runner or not. Following the life of a dedicated runner, he shares how he pushes himself to the limit to get positive results, helping to motivate not only himself but others surrounding him too creating a strong team spirit.

Watching this helps remind us to get out there and push harder. Not to run to compete but to get that feeling afterwards that you can conquer just about anything.

Thanks to the Salisbury Men’s and Women’s XC running teams for sharing their empowering story – something we can all take away with us helping us be successful in life, sport, career or business.

Additional Resources:

• Click here to view more inspirational articles and videos

The latest episode to be uploaded to the Maximise Potential Podcast is an incredibly inspiring interview with David Weir, Great Britain’s Top Wheelchair Racer who has completely re-written the record books within the sport.

This phenomenal racer has won four London Marathons, three of those consecutively. At the 2008 Beijing Paralympics, he won two golds, a silver and a bronze. He holds every single British record from the sprints to the marathon, plus numerous world records AND to top it all off he has an MBE.

Yet when I had the opportunity to meet with David after his regular morning training session in Richmond Park, I was taken aback by how down-to-earth and humble he is – and how different the off-the-track David Weir is to the on-the-track person.

Here is our unique opportunity to learn more about the highs and lows of David’s career, what drives him to be a winner and his goals for London 2012 and beyond.

Additional notes and resources:

• David Weir – Wikipedia
• That Paralympic Show on Channel Four
• Definitive Sports – the agency representing David Weir
• British Paralympic Association
  

Transcription:

• Transcript: David Weir – Wheelchair Racer
  

Congratulations to David Weir, British Paralympic Champion for winning his first New York Marathon wheelchair title.

Here is an extract taken from the BBC Sport website on his fantastic achievement, inspiring people all around the World.

Paralympic champion David Weir claimed his first New York Marathon wheelchair title after edging out Japan’s Masazumi Soejima in a thilling finish.

The 31-year-old Briton surged past last year’s runner-up in the final 200 metres to win in a time of one hour 37 minutes 29 seconds.

The pair had broken away from the rest of the field around the 18-mile mark.

But there was disappointment for Shelly Woods who could only finish seventh in the women’s wheelchair race.

It was won by American Tatyana McFadden from compatriots Christina Ripp and Amanda McGrory.

In the men’s race, defending champion Kurt Fearnley took an early lead before London Marathon winner Josh Cassidy took over but Weir was never too far away from the action.

Fearnley’s challenge faded and Weir and Soejima broke away to fight it out for the win between them and it was the Briton who proved strongest in the push to the line.

ARTCILE SOURCE:

BBC Sport: Disability Sport

Well done David!

Keep an eye on the Maximise Potential Podcast as soon we will be uploading our motivating interview with sports star David Weir himself, inspiring people to be successful and to maximise their own potential.

Massive congratulations to Greg Searle, recently interviewed on the Maximise Potential Podcast, for winning his first Silver World Championships medal and to Team GB for winning Gold, pushing Great Britain to the top of the medals table.

Below is an extract taken from the British Rowing webiste with details on their fantastic achievements inspiring people and motivating people to be successful in life:

Anna Watkins and Katherine Grainger played their role as favourites in the women’s double scull final to perfection on New Zealand’s Lake Karapiro to take gold and help boost the Great Britain Rowing Team to the top of the medal table on the closing afternoon of the 2010 World Championships.

The GB men’s eight – in which 38 year-old Greg Searle won his first world championships medal since 1997 – as well as Marcus Bateman and Matt Wells in the men’s double scull added two further silvers bringing the overall tally to five golds, five silver and one bronze medal.

Germany equalled GB on golds but were second on silvers, New Zealand were third overall. Britain also topped the Olympic boats overall medal tally with New Zealand in second.

Of Great Britain’s medals all bar one gold and one silver – won earlier in the week in the Paralympic classes – were won by Olympic boats. 34 British rowers, from the Siemens and Lottery-backed GB squad, will now return to the UK as world championships medallists and 53 rowers are now ranked in the world’s top six – making this regatta Britain’s best World Championships of all-time by any measure.

David Tanner, the GB Rowing Team’s Performance Director, said: “I am very proud of our team. We travelled to the other side of the world and had produced our best World Championships performance ever. It’s a credit to the rowers, the coaches and the back-up team. “In the Olympic classes our four golds, four silvers and a bronze make the right statement on the way to the 2012 Games.

“Our approach for these Championships is that they are the start of the 2011 Olympic qualifying season and after a short break we will pick up that mission again with London in our sights”.

ARTICLE SOURCE:

British Rowing – GB Rowing Team

Click here to listen to #15 of the Maximise Potential Podcast where Greg Searle shares the approach he has taken throughout his life to maximise his potential plus share an incredible ambition that he still has – to represent Great Britain once again at the Olympics and to be successful in winning another medal at the London 2012 Games when he will be forty.

Derek Redmond was one of GB’s most talented 400 meter runners. He held the British record for the 400 metres sprint (contesting it with his fierce rival, Roger Black), and won gold medals in the 4×400 metres relay at the World Championships, European Championships and Commonwealth Games.

However his career was blighted by a series of injuries, and he is best remembered for his performance at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona where he tore his hamstring in the 400 metres semi-final but fought through the pain and, with assistance from his father, managed to complete a full lap of the track as the crowd gave him a standing ovation. The incident has become a well-remembered moment in Olympic history, having been the subject of one of the International Olympic Committee’s ‘Celebrate Humanity’ videos and been used in advertisements by Visa as an illustration of the Olympic spirit and featured in Nike’s “Courage” commercials in 2008. . . .

As they crossed the finish line, the crowd of 65,000 spectators rose to give Derek a standing ovation. However as his father had helped him finish, Derek was officially disqualified and Olympic records state that he “Did Not Finish” the race. But in the public’s perception, he had finished and done so heroically.

To learn more about Derek Redmond, click on the links below:

• Official website for Derek Redmond
• Derek Redmond on Wikipedia
• Follow Derek on Twitter

Thanks to Sophie Paterson of Jenrick Commerical for introducing us to this very powerful and inspiring story of Dick and Rick Hoyt, Father and son (otherwise known as Team Hoyt) who regularly race in marathons and triathlons together and more recently have achieved the Ironman, the toughest triathlon to date.

The son, Rick, was diagnosed with spastic quadrplegic with cerebral palsy but this hasn’t stopped him from maximising his potential with his true determination to be successful in life and the help from his inspirational father to become a high achiever. Very inspiring people.

The inspirational story

A son asked his father, ‘Dad, will you take part in a marathon with me?’ The father who, despite having a heart condition said ‘yes.’ They went on to complete the marathon together.

Father and son went on to join other marathons, the father always saying ‘yes’ to his son’s request of going through the race together. One day, the son asked his father, ‘Dad, let’s join the Ironman together.’ To which, his father said ‘yes’ too.

For those who don’t know, the Ironman is the toughest triathlon ever. The race encompasses three endurance events of a 2.4 mile (3.86 kilometers) ocean swim, followed by a 112 mile (180.2 kilometers) bike ride, and ending with a 26.2 mile (42.195 kilometers) marathon along the coast of the Big Island .

The father and son went on to complete the race together.

Thanks for sharing this incredibly inspiring story Team Hoyt!

Today’s interview is with Triathlete, Elliott Cole who is giving us his regular training and event diary update. In this interview Elliott discusses:

• How well he competed in the London Triathlon 2010
• How important the Maximise Potential Podcast has been in keeping him motivated throughout the season
• How he motivates himself towards maximising his own potential
• Who are his biggest influencers and why
• His goal for next year to enter his first Iron Man Competition

Transcription:

• Transcript: Elliott Cole Traithlete, Diary Update (max #16)
  

One of the key objectives of the Maximise Potential Podcast is to bring our audience real stories of success from real people, with the goal of inspiring others to take positive action in their lives in order to be motivated and successful.

Today’s interview is no exception as I am extremely proud to welcome our first Olympic & World Champion to the Maximise Potential Podcast.

Greg Searle won Olympic Gold, within Rowing, at the Barcelona Olympics of 1992 when he was just 20 years old and in the following year won Gold at the World Championships. In addition, Greg has won several other Silver and Bronze Olympic and World Medals, proving year after year that he was one of the very best in the world within this profession.

Today Greg Searle will share the approach he has taken throughout his life to maximise his potential plus share an incredible ambition that he still has – to represent Great Britain once again at the Olympics and to be successful in winning another medal at the London 2012 Games when he will be forty.

Due to the incredible contraints on Greg’s time currently, we recorded this interview via Skype, in between Greg returning from a training camp in Austria and returning to work.

FURTHER INFORMATION:

• Greg Searle – Wikipedia
• British Rowing – Greg Searle Bio

TRANSCRIPTION:

• Transcript: Greg Searle, Olympic and World Championship Rower, Max#15
  

I’ve been hearing about this guy a lot in the news recently and wanted to share the story with everyone. What an inspiration he is. We at Maximise Potential wish James the very best of luck in his incredible challenge today.

Here’s the article I read from the Spinal Injuries Association website:

On Wednesday the 22nd September James Wood will be setting off for his Channel Swim attempt, the date has now been confirmed and he will be setting off at 7.30am in the morning. This means that James will be swimming into darkness at the other end but with 10mph southerly winds and an air temperature of 21.

James Wood – Vice Chair, SIA, himself paraplegic, was featured on the new ITV morning show Daybreak on Wednesday 15^th September, about his forthcoming channel swim in September. Christine Bleakley, who co-presents the show with Adrian Chiles, also crossed the English Channel in 2009 by water skiing. James will shortly be joining the 100 or so people who swim the Channel each year – none of whom are spinal cord injured or will have the physical impairments that he has. James became paraplegic at the age 19 following a road traffic accident in 1990.

Greg Whyte, Olympic Sport Scientist and Celebrity Trainer and Adviser, is currently training James in preparation for his Channel Swim attempt and also trained Christine when she water skied across the channel.

James’ intensive training programme has currently consisted of swimming at Hillingdon Lido, open air pool with temperatures of 16/17 degrees, Box End Lake in Bedford and Esporta in Northampton. James also undertook a 6 hour swim in the sea off Budleigh, Salteron.

James will be swimming the Channel between the 16^th and 22^nd September. He will be given 24 hours notice of when he will be setting off for his amazing challenge.

Good luck James!

ARTICLE SOURCE:

• Source taken from http://www.spinal.co.uk/news/channelswim
• To sponsor James please visit: http://www.justgiving.com/jamesadrianwood
• Click here to view the feature of James Wood on ITV Morning Show Daybreak

I saw this article over the weekend and just had to share it with everyone on Maximise Potential. I think it’s a great inspiration to us all.

Last updated at 11:28 AM on 20th September 2010
A man with no arms and no legs was today celebrating becoming the first to swim across the English Channel – arriving a full 10 hours ahead of schedule.

Philippe Croizon, a 42-year-old who lost all of his limbs in a freak accident, achieved the incredible feat using specially designed prosthetic flippers.

The Frenchman set off from Folkestone, Kent, at 8am on Saturday morning and reached Wissant, near Calais, just before 9.30pm.

Philippe Croizon has become the first man with no arms or legs to swim across the English Channel – arriving a full 10 hours ahead of schedule

Croizon, 42, achieved his remarkable feat using specially designed prosthetic flippers

‘I did it! It’s mad!’ were Philippe’s first words on arrival, saying he wanted to become ‘a representative of someone overcoming his restrictions.

‘I’ve done this for myself, for my family, and for all those who have suffered tragedy and lost their taste for life,’ added the father-of-two.

He swam at a constant 2mph – only slightly slower than an able bodies swimmer – in relatively good weather, and was accompanied by dolphins for part of the crossing.

Philippe had been expected to take some 24 hours to finish the 21 mile swim, but in fact did it in just over 13 hours.

On arrival he was telephoned by Nadine Morano, France’s families minister, who praised his ‘exceptional athletic performance’.
Croizon lost his limbs in 1994 after he was hit by a 20,000 volt charge during his work as an electrician

She said: ‘This heroic act proves that nothing is impossible when you believe in man.’

In 1994 Croizon was working as an electrician when he was hit by a 20,000 volt charge from a power line as when he tried to take a TV aerial off the roof of a house.

Medics had to amputate all of his limbs, but as lay in his hospital bed he saw a documentary about Channel swimming and was inspired.

Croizon trained for around 30 hours a week for more than two years, mainly on France’s Atlantic coast.

Philippe’s special fins which allowed him to swim were attached to his leg stumps.

He also wore attachments on his arm stumps, but these solely allowed him to balance, and to make sure he headed in the right direction. They also helped stop him getting sea sick.

Philippe will now join a pantheon of heroes who have made their names swimming the Channel in exceptional circumstances.

The first ever monitored swim across Strait of Dover was by Englishman Matthew Webb in 1875 and took 21 hours and 45 minutes.

In 2005 German swimmer Christof Wandratsch broke the Dover-Calais record, trimming 14 minutes off the previous record from 1994.

Wandratsch swam approximately 21 miles across the Channel in seven hours and three minutes.

The amputeee trained for 30 hours a week for more than two years ahead of his record-breaking swim.

ARTICLE SOURCE:

• Source taken from The Mail online, read the full article here.