Jen Schumacher is currently the mental performance consultant for Northwestern University’s football program. Previously she was the Assistant Director of the Performance Psychology program at West Point Military Academy. She is also a professional speaker and provides training for elite performers in many fields, whether ultra-endurance athletes or Fortune 100 executives.

Our discussion focuses on an introduction to sports psychology, how it applies to endurance sports, and how to create a regular practice that will allow you to reap the benefits. Some of the topics we touch on include:

Jen’s background & the goals of the Performance Psychology Program at West Point
The best way for endurance runners to get started with performance psychology
Common mistakes for athletes using mindset training
The best approach to tackling the mental skills we seek as runners
How to avoid the comparison trap and turn it into something positive
How Jen applied performance psychology to her own ultra-endurance swimming

My conversation with Jen with help make sports psychology more accessible for everyone. The more regularly you can make it a part of your own training, the better the results will be!

Links & Resources from the Show:

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316. How Performance Psychology Can Give You the Mental Toughness to Succeed

The Strength Running Podcast