Hey there, athlete!

I know your first thought might be - but I'm not an athlete? If you're training towards a goal in sport, then let's for the sake of argument call you an athlete rather than someone who exercises for wellness. Because I want to talk to you...

You with the hard-headed, ambitious approach to your sport that has already brought you success. You are so focused that you hate delays. Rest seems like an unproductive use of your time. You imagine that your arch rival is out there training now, so you better get on it too. Often critical of yourself, and (come-on, admit it) judgmental of others. You enjoy tracking your progress with gadgets, and probably plan your schedule on a computer programme. You're self-coached, or maybe group coached through a club, and you've enjoyed putting your plan together from the best considered books in the business.

Am I close?

I also know that you often doubt yourself. Your inner fire comes from the need to prove you can achieve something extraordinary. To give expression to your potential. But that's the positive spin on it. I also know that you are terrified of disappointing yourself, fearing that inner critic more than the views of others. Could you live with yourself if you didn't show up 100% and give it your all? Because if there is even the slightest chink in the armour of your approach, you will use it against yourself if you fail.

Why are you here?

You're exhausted, moody, depressed, ashamed that you screwed up, can't sleep, can't think through the brain fog and have no motivation whatsoever. You've got that same injury again. You thought you had healed because the pain had stopped. You went back into training because it's only a few months now until your A-race. But here you are again, feeling shattered and broken.

​Overtraining and repeated overuse injuries are not badges of honour. There is no prize for going too far for too long. You could be out of sport for a year, two, even three YEARS if you don't listen to what your body is telling you today.

What do you need?

It's hard for me to say precisely as we have all dug our hole in a different way. What unites us is the need to STOP and REST first and foremost. I know that is difficult for you, Mr or Ms Type A personality! You dislike those words almost as much as WAIT.

There's training to be done (yay!) to help you breathe more effectively, reduce your stress levels and aid healing. And yes you can still move, as long as you're following what your body needs right now. That is likely to be SLOW. Gah! There's another word you hate!

It's helpful if someone could hold a safe space for you to connect with this inner voice that drives you to succeed and observe where aspects of that are unhealthy. Whilst you can push your physical limits further than most, looking into your motivations may well put you out of your comfort zone. It's out here that real, lasting change can happen.

Above all you need to talk to someone who understands where you are at because they been there themselves. That could be me, it could be one of the folk in our Bounce Back club. You are not alone.

Meet Rebecca

How did I do describing you? Actually I was describing me, but I think we have a lot in common. This is my story.

As a competitive freediver I set 5 UK records swimming underwater in the pool on one breath. I won the UK pool championships in 2014 and represented the UK twice at the World Championships in 2013 and 2015. 

I gave it all I had, but unfortunately I pushed through what I thought was a benign virus and came out the other end a bit of a wreck. I lost my dream goal of reaching the finals and winning a medal, and yes the judgement from my inner devil was pretty awful. I was so ashamed I didn't want to talk about it for several years. Until now - because I dearly want to help others in that position bounce back more quickly than I did.

I've learnt the hard way that rest IS training (and if my coach is reading this, yes I did hear you say just that... but I couldn't sit still long enough!). That I could have trained less but smarter. And how amazing it would have been to talk to other athletes in the same position.

If I had my time again, I would...

  • Train less, but make it smart and specific - for example using strong breath-holds to exert an anaerobic training effect instead of exhausting myself sprinting up hills
  • Master visualisation to build confidence before an event
  • Make time for slow yoga
  • Stop obsessing about eating the right foods
  • Share my worries and fears with others
  • Prepare better for restorative sleep

Are you ready to turn the tide on your training approach?

Through my classes and courses, I share all I've learnt through my years as an athlete, Type A worrier, yoga sports coach and breathing specialist. There are options for in-person private or group sessions, or an online programme and short modules. Try it out over 3 days.

​Sign up to our private Facebook group to meet other athletes who may be feeling the same, for support and a sense of community.

​I wish you the best of luck and that you may achieve all that you dream of!