Using Your Mind to Go Faster with Matt Fitzgerald

Matt Fitzgerald is a runner, coach, nutritionist and acclaimed author of well over 25 books. You may have heard of his book on mental toughness- How Bad Do you Want It. His online training plans at 8020endurance.com have helped thousands of athletes of all experience and ability levels achieve their goals. Certified by the International Society of Sports Nutrition, Matt has consulted for numerous sports nutrition companies and he is the creator of the Diet Quality Score (DQS) smartphone app. A lifelong athlete, he speaks frequently at events throughout the United States and internationally. Frequent topics on Matt’s writing cover things like diet and ideal race weight, training intensities, mental training, and so much more. The mental aspect of sports in relation to the perception of effort, fatigue, and whether limits live in our mind or our body have been frequent topics on this show. It’s one of my favorite things to discuss. If you enjoyed this episode and want more, check out some related episodes linked in the show notes to mental fatigue and training. Check out his newest book: Life is a Marathon.

Topics Discussed in the Podcast

building his career + parental influence
how to overcome fear of suffering
pain v. perception of effort and how to make it seem easier
aging as an endurance athlete
mental fatigue & inhibitory control
pressure and personalization of failure and social comparison
growth mindset in sports
race weight
what is 80/20 training?

9:25 – edit out stutters The main thing I’ve found is true in my experience and I have studied the subject a lot because it is of deep personal interest to me. The number one factor is intentionality. (bumbles in his speech) If you dislike the discomfort that comes with racing and even hard training, you can’t just sort of bumble along vaguely hoping the next race isn’t so painful or just hoping that you bring your mental A-game. You have to make a conscious decision to improve your mental game.