SportsPsychologist.com Blog by Dr Victor Thompson

If you have a niggle, something is wrong. Perhaps your body is under recovered and will be fine, but often this is not the case and bad things develop after spotting a niggle. Act. Consider getting some help: physio, sports masseur. Consider modifying your training: back-off, take more rest Don’t ignore it, or it might derail this season or your whole sporting career. (It happens.) Don’t ignore it (for most people, this is worth me repeating) Dr Victor Thompson www.sportspsychologist.com

Reviewing your performance is important. This can be comprehensive and complex – but that is likely to put most athletes off from doing it, as it becomes too cumbersome and a pain. Instead as yourself these brief questions now that the dust has settled after your event: What went well that you’d want to do again or learn from? There will be plenty, so make sure you extract this. What didn’t go so well, that you’d want to change? There will be some negatives or learning points. Look at these dispassionately. Okay, so how will you modify your training and events in the future to repeat the good and address the not-so-good? Review – learn – move on – improve Victor Dr Victor Thompson www.sportspsychologist.com

BBC website announces today: ‘Former Olympic triple jump champion Jonathan Edwards is happy the British Olympic Association's lifetime ban for drug cheats looks set to be overturned.’ http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/17818958   Without going into how we as spectators think or feel about this issue, I’m interested in the impact that this issue might have on other competitors – those competing in the sports that the previously banned athletes compete in. Athlete A:   With a strong sense of right and wrong, Athlete A gets further fired-up and motivated to show the drug cheats that they are better, that they can win clean, expecting their performance to do the talking. This news of allowing, or potentially allowing, the banned athletes back in, is motivating, helping them prepare and perform. Athlete B:   With a belief that the sports officials, system or the world lets them down, Athlete B becomes angry at the developments. They may either get fired-up...

Recently, I was asked on the Runners World Forum, for 1 piece of advice for marathon day. Wow, what a question! My one piece of advice is to use a calm, helpful, directive, positive inner voice or self-talk. I liken this to the perfect coach. He or she who knows exactly what to say to you at any time to keep you going, running well, enjoying the challenge, soaking up the experience, making the most from the event. Be good to yourself, have a good event. Victor Dr Victor Thompson www.sportspsychologist.com