Understanding Your 80/20 Endurance Mental Skills Training Plan
Welcome to your 80/20 Mental Skills Training Program! Developed by sport and clinical psychologist Cory Nyamora, PsyD, and inspired by Matt Fitzgerald’s book The Comeback Quotient, this 12-week program focuses on improving your self-awareness as an endurance athlete and helps you accept, embrace, and address the realities of your sport and life as you train for and compete in your upcoming event.
The skills and tools taught in the program are spread out over the full 12 weeks. It’s important to focus on each activity just like you would a workout in a physical training plan. Also, as in physical sports training, the more you do what’s on your plan, the more you are able to build the skills and knowledge that will help you succeed in accepting, embracing, and addressing the positives and negatives of sports and life. So consider this an entry point. If it is your first mental skills training program, remember that it’s important to continue to deepen your knowledge and practice your mental skills throughout the years by considering them an essential part of everything you do. Because our minds and physical bodies are so tightly linked, it’s essential that you develop a deep awareness of your mind and psychology in order to enjoy your sport and reach your goals. This awareness will allow you to make the best of a variety of situations in sport and life, including bad breaks, rude awakenings, and self-sabotage.
Structure
The goal of this mental skills program is to help you accept, embrace, and address the reality of whatever your sport brings and in turn be able to apply these skills to whatever life brings your way. This openness to the good, bad, and grey areas in sport and life will allow you to enjoy your sport more and perform your best no matter the circumstances you face.
You will have tasks to complete each day of your 12-week program. These tasks will build self-awareness, bring clarity about your thoughts, behaviors, and emotions as you train and compete, develop healthy habits, and give you concrete skills and tools to enhance your sports performance.
It’s important to keep a journal that you can use to track your progress. You will sometimes be journaling about difficult emotions, thoughts and experiences. If you end up needing more support, please reach out to a mental health clinician or sports psychologist as you work on these steps.
You will only get something out of any activity if you actually do it. If you find yourself doubting, skipping exercises, looking for a different way, and trying to find all the ways that something won’t work (basically self-sabotaging), this is a wonderful opportunity to examine that thought process and the behaviors associated with it. Notice it and journal about it. Remember, this is just the first step of a larger journey—a cornerstone to months and years of practice. Give it your all, and when you’re done, you will have a better sense of what worked for you and what you want to continue or dive into more deeply.
Have fun and involve others if you’d like. The more, the merrier! Find a training buddy and have them sign up for the program too. You can have weekly check-ins about the content. This will help build another element of mental skills that are helpful—having great social support and relationships.
Basic Assumptions
Your 80/20 Endurance Mental Skills Plan employs a few models of psychology and sports performance. Here’s what you need to know:
Our thoughts impact our emotions, which then impact our behaviors. Because of this, our awareness of our thinking in any situation is the key to everything. No two people think alike and our emotional responses and feelings about a situation are largely based on our thinking about the situation. This means we have control of how we see a situation and what we tell ourselves, which then impacts how we feel about a situation, and in turn how we will behave in response to it. Throughout the program it will be important to focus on understanding our thoughts and what has led to them, so we can change how we respond. This in turn allows us to be responsible for our emotional reactions to circumstances and not to see the situation as out of our control, or assume that everyone would respond to the situation you are facing in the same way you are responding or feeling. For example, three different athletes who get a flat tire during a race may all feel and respond very differently to the situation, based on how they think. One person might be angry, another deflated and helpless, and another excited about the challenge. Consequently, their courses of action will differ as well.
The best athletes in the world are self-aware. They pay attention to what their bodies and minds need. They see things for what they are and adapt and respond in the ways that will best serve them. They get clear on what they can control and focus on, and they find value in learning from their losses and disappointments.
Our minds and bodies are not separate. What we eat, how much rest we get, our levels of stress, our mood and emotions, and our connection to others and to our own purpose and meaning in life all impact our physical body and our ability to perform in sport. Likewise, our physical health impacts all of the above. Paying attention to or having awareness of what’s working well in our lives and what’s not working well allows us to proceed with open eyes and make the most of what we are working with. It allows us to accept where we are and also commit to making changes in our life that will enhance the quality of our life and our sports performance. Tension, stress, unhappiness, anxiety, and depression all impact us physically and can lead to both physical injury (which most athletes want to avoid) and also cloud our ability to see when we need to back off and rest or when we need to push ourselves.
It’s important that you eat and sleep well. A simple standard for healthy sleep is the ability to wake up rested without an alarm. As for diet, as an endurance athlete you should be eating three healthy meals per day plus at least one or two healthy snacks. Matt Fitzgerald’s book The Endurance Diet is a wonderful resource to read as you go through this program. If you have issues with sleep or concerns around disordered eating, please follow up with a Registered Dietitian and/or a mental health clinician. It’s difficult to feel and train at your best level if these two areas aren’t addressed.
In order to have the ability to embrace, accept, and address the challenges you face in life and sport, you have to make time to think and feel clearly. This means that you need to make time and space every day to pay attention to yourself. A good goal is to take at least an hour a day of quiet time to yourself. This could be time that you are journaling, exercising (without distractions like music, podcasts, or other media), meditating, eating by yourself without listening to anything else, or walking. Remember that as endurance athletes we already have this time when we exercise. Just build in more intentional awareness of your mind and emotions as you train.
Training Calendar
There are four different types of activities included in your calendar:
Mindfulness activities include breath work and other exercises that help you become more aware of and accepting of yourself, your body, and your thoughts, feelings, and sensations. They also help you see life, training, racing, and other situations for what they are. Some of the activities are also designed to help with relaxation, anxiety reduction, and mental preparation for racing.
Journaling activities are intentional, structured questions that guide you to a more intentional self-awareness. They help you develop concrete plans to accept, embrace, and address all aspects of your training and racing experiences.
Training practice activities are to be actively practiced while training. They enhance self-awareness, reflection, and active engagement with the positive and negatives of training, racing, and life. They help develop concrete plans for mental fitness and engagement with whatever comes on race day and beyond.
Connection activities will help you enjoy your training and racing more and impact other parts of your life positively. Because human connection is essential, we are better able to accept ourselves through the practice of sharing who we are with others. It’s important that you begin to include these connection activities in your daily life.
"By following the 80/20 program I transformed from a 222-lb nonrunner to a 175-lb marathoner in the 10 months."
Brett Hoyer
"At 46, I broke my 5K record from when I was 33 and qualified for Boston using the 80/20 method."
Jennifer Hickman
"Used an 80/20 plan for Ironman 70.3 Bintan in Indonesia and it went perfectly. Sometimes I had doubts that the training was too light or intense, but I kept repeating to myself "Trust the plan" and I ended up having an amazing race--much faster than expected!"
Sergio Real
"I'm making a lot of progress due to the increased volume I'm able to do by just slowing down. I'm also feeling more rested for the tough workouts and really appreciating the recovery workouts in between."
Pete Babins
"I’ve never felt more energized in a training cycle. I’m really able to balance my training load and my workload without burning out."
Troy Bedik
"After reading 80/20 Running and focusing on slowing down, I am absolutely amazed at the results. I just completed a PB of 2:52:48. By slowing down my recovery has been excellent."
Daniel Velardo
"The 80/20 principles allowed me to improve my times for 5K and 10K cross country races. Staying injury-free paves the way to get personal bests because you can finish the plan with no surprises and no steps back."
Marco la Spina
"Trust it. This program relies on the time-tested methods of consistency and incremental gain. I am looking forward new PBs, even at 50 years old!"
Randy Kinsey
"My mom lost about 40 pounds, learned how to eat and exercise, and completed her first tri. I did my first Ironman on the 80/20 system. She continues to run and swim 4-5 days a week and honestly lives an entirely different life."
Skylar Clark
"Thank you for the role 80/20 played in getting to the finish line of Ironman Arizona. Going top 10% for my age group feels really great. Thanks for helping me conquer this life goal!"
Dwight Robertson
"I searched for answers and discovered the 80/20 way. Trust the process and stick to the plan!"
Mauricio Hernandez
"Before I started your program I predicted a 14-hour finish in my first Ironman. After sticking to the program and training for six months my conference grew tremendously. I crushed my goal by three hours!"
Greg Pawlisa
"The 80/20 plan was a joy and a relief. I now enjoy running more, run more with friends, and am creeping up to faster and faster speeds without injuries."
Ben Graham
"I loved the Olympic plan I used about a year ago. Now I'm ready to do a half-Ironman."
Mark Burdeshaw
"This is my 8th or 9th year of triathlon. I'm 10 weeks into the 80/20 training and I don't think I have ever been so strong."
Peter Richmond
"This year I decided to use an 80/20 plan. For the first time, I felt that my training had structure; each unit was part of a whole and it made sense. I was very satisfied with the results."
Jose Fraile
"After three surgeries in three years I realized my way of training was wrong. After reading the book 80/20 Triathlon I decided to give it a try. It was fun and easy to follow and I ended up with my a PR in all three disciplines!"
Edson Vassoler
"I've successfully lowered my Ironman 70.3 time by nearly 40 minutes through 80/20. Don’t be afraid to go slow when you’re supposed to!"
Damon Lebeouf
"I used the 80/20 plan to prepare for my first triathlon, which was also an Ironman 70.3. I was worried about injuries, available time, and being in shape to go the distance. All this worry for no reason, as the plan worked me up to the correct endurance levels without too many stresses on my aging body, and my plan did not overtake my life."
Pat Donohue
"Using the 80/20 system, I ran a half marathon in 1:25, and followed up the performance with a Boston-qualifying 3:08 marathon at age 45!"
Dean Murley
"By following the principles of the 80/20 programming I was able to finish my first ever Half Ironman. Leading up to the Half Ironman, I also ran my first ever half marathon. The 80/20 programming also helped me to get through my full racing season injury free as well as feeling well trained and ready for all of my races."
Steve Messenger
"80/20 provided a method and training plan that made me excel beyond my wildest imagination in my ever first triathlon."
Erik Enqvist
"I never thought I could beat my personal best Marathon time of 3:09, but with the 80/20 I ran a 2:57! My last kilometer was my fastest and I could have gone another 10K at that pace!"
Lindt de la Port
"Having 8020 provide the structure took the anxiety out of my training and knowing whether I was doing the right things!"
Matthew Neale
"In my first triathlon after switching to 80/20 I had my fastest swim pace at any distance and my fastest Olympic bike and run splits. Even my transitions were faster!"
Curtis Repen
"When I made the switch to 80/20 I quickly realized that after 10 years of hard training, this new method felt very doable and was a comfortable fit. Thanks for making it available to us in the age-group triathlon world."
Jim Moore
"I went into my race knowing I was fitter and healthier than I have ever been."
Richard Sudworth
"The results so far have been an increase in fitness and performance. I can run much farther at a constant pace than I have ever been able to before I also know so much more about my body and limits."
Ben Wyld
"I have started to run after few years off and the 80/20 plan allowed me to get fit and achieve my first half marathon in Verona in no time! What I love most is that following a clear and defined plan boosts my motivation because I can see the progress I am making."
Marco Saraceno
"With this style of training, you can feel your gains throughout the season and you don't feel completely gassed every day."
Kevin Pogacar
"Using an 80/20 plan I not only set a PB in 70.3 but then 2 weeks later set a PB in a full Ironman and qualified for Kona!"
Colin Lewis
"I used 80/20 for all of my raining this year and got my highest age-group finishes at any event in my nine years of racing triathlons."
Bob Ford
"Training towards sustainable functionality is more important than pushing to the limit. By using the 80/20 system you have the luxury of both worlds!"
Meaux Redhead
"Heart rate training can definitely feel like defeat when you focus on how slow your training paces are, but the victory comes on race day. I am so glad I found 80/20 Running!"
Sarah Pirolli
"80/20 helped me go from running 3kms to 21kms and bike from 40kms to 90+kms without any injuries. I am a believer of 80/20 and have referred many of my friends. Thank you!"
Winston Bryn
"I like 80/20 because it gives me permission to take it easy on some day. I don’t need to go out and hammer every day to get a new PR like I did in the beginning. The easy days are enjoyable and give me the power to nail (most of) my harder workouts. I don’t dread my sprint and hill work anymore, and at 54 I’m still setting PRs and I’ve been injury free."
Karin Peters
"The best year ever! After a few years of sporadic training efforts and competing in triathlons from Sprint distance to full Ironman I decided to look into a more structured approach to training. After looking into the plethora of plans available, I selected a 80/20 Endurance plans. I completed 2 Sprints, 1 Olympic, 3 halves and 1 full Ironman, and setting personal bests at all distances, slicing 2 hours 20 from the full Ironman."
Mark White
"The 80/20 program made my first Olympic Triathlon not only attainable, but something that left me hungry and ready for more the moment I crossed the finish line."
John Hodges
"Using an 80/20 plan, we both came in 7th place in our AG at 70.3 New Zealand! We were fresh all the time and the fatigue we had become accustomed to all those years was not there."
Jose and Isobel Uribe
"I swear by 80/20 and always talk it up during tri conversations. Thank you!"
Christopher Barry
"My expectations were exceeded. My fitness level is higher than it has been in two years, and has come at no cost to my body in regards of injury."
Grace Coller
"The injuries all but disappeared!"
Mike McPharlin
"I have travelled with 80/20 plans within my country, to Boston in 2018, and soon to Berlin. I am now a wholly better person than I was before."
Mark Conway
"There’s no way I could have accomplished what I have without adhering to the 80/20 plan."
Scott Bleazard
"I am satisfied with your 80/20 training plan. Thank you very much for your help in attaining my goals."
Julia Ponce
"I was in that "every workout should be hard" mentality until I trusted the 80/20 plan. My hard workouts were tough, but having fresh legs going into them was key."
Alicia Phillips
"Absolutely loved the plan. It has allowed me to cut almost 8 1/2 minutes off my half marathon PB. The workouts were varied and fun (well sometimes fun in a brutal way haha) and I got great support from David when I had any questions about the plan. Would recommend unreservedly."
Mark Sun
"The best thing is that, throughout the training plan, I always felt great. I was never injured and enjoyed the experience."
Juan Carlos Diaz Arelle
"The almost-daily runs and training consistently with the established intensity were key. I had no injuries while training!"
Ashish Gupta
"A training system which led me to achieve my ambitious goals. I am so glad that I trusted 80/20 and the plan. "
Marcin Bury
"After following the 80/20 plan I was able to break a personal best record. I not only finished within the goal I had set but did negative splits the entire race, which was a first for me."
Marco de Tavira
"This past weekend I completed Ironman Wisconsin on the Run/Bike Power version of the Level 2 80/20 plan. While the volume was drastically higher than any I had done in past years, I had no injuries and I felt confident in the specificity of the purpose for each workout. On race day I was able to hit my power and pace targets and finish strong with a smile on my face!"
Roger Hipwell
"The 80/20 plan allowed me to train every day without getting stressed or fatigued and to show up on the day and perform fresh and uninjured."
Helen Hayward
"David and 8020 helped me set a new half marathon PR of 1:46 from 2:35 in 15 weeks. Thank you David for your hands-on coaching. I love the data-driven, balanced approach. I'll never overtrain again."
Tiara Womack
"With 80/20 training, I improved my 70.3 result by almost half an hour."
Mikhail Tinovitckii
"I PB'd every race I did this year and then topped it off with my first 70.3 thanks to the 80/20 plan I used! PB'd the Olympic distance at nationals!
The 80/20 method really changed my approach to training and got me fitter than I've ever been without a single injury."
Claire Colbert
"I used the 80/20 plan for the first time this year. I absolutely loved it. Well Balanced and effective. I can't wait till my preparation for next year starts."
Dennis Ruts
"I tell everyone about your plans. I’ve recently PR’d my 5k, half, full marathon, and 70.3."
A.J. Moser
"Over the past 16 weeks on an 80/20 plan I have improved my fastest kilometer by almost a minute, my 5k went from 38:50 to 30:28, and I ran 10 km, 21 km and 30 km for the first time ever. Oh, and I lost 22 kg in the process!"
Franziska Kühne
"IUsing your Level 3 Ironman 70.3 Plan I have gone from the bottom third to the top third in my age group at the half-Ironman distance."
Michael Shulman
"Kudos and appreciation to your training programs as I set a new 1/2 marathon PB at 1:28:20 (6:13 off my previous best). My cycling FTP is now just short of 300W (from 230W) after starting training with your programs around 8 months ago. I also took 30 minutes off my 70.3 personal best time with a 4:56, while balancing a large family and professional commitments."
Jeremy Biggelaar
"I don't think I would have considered training for a marathon without the success I had with 80/20 training."
Kristi Smith
"I honestly believe that there is no way I could've completed my first Ironman 70.3 were it not for the 80/20 training plan."
Shawn Platt
"Only in my dreams did I dare to aim for 10:45 but the result was so much better: 10:34! No injuries were recorded during the whole preparation period."
Hanan Drobinar
"After deciding to pursue the goal of qualifying for the Boston Marathon, I purchased an 80/20 training plan. The results were dramatic. After one training cycle, I dropped over 31 minutes in my marathon time!"
Mitch Atkinson
"80/20 is a huge underlying principle of what I do week-in, week-out."
Bronwyn Tagg
"The results were amazing. I shed 27 minutes out of my 70.3 personal best and felt so strong and confident during the race that at times I thought the pace and time my watch was showing me was wrong!"
Carlos Salgado
"I could not be happier. Finally, the work paid off and it was enjoyable!"
Jacques Van Wyk
"I purchased the 80/20 70.3 plan and it completely changed my game. Knowing what workouts you have to do and when to do them removed the hardest part of training for an event, in my opinion. All I had to do was show up when I said I was going to."
Rachel Whitehead
"The training is less demanding and less tiring, and the result exceeds my expectations."
Thomas Løvholt
"I trained with the 80/20 half marathon plan, and did a personal best! I felt good after! It made me think about what it could do for me for a marathon or beyond. It taught me so much about how to pace myself and be more in tune with my body when I ran. I cannot recommend this training enough. It made me believe that Matt Fitzgerald and David Warden truly know how to train us to be better athletes."
Lai Flushing
"I really felt my endurance build consistently throughout the training with my Level 3 80/20 Ironman 70.3 Plan. I was fatigued at times but never felt overtrained, and I went into my A race feeling more prepared then the three years prior."
Shawn Craig
"Matt created a customized training plan for me that not only allowed me to balance triathlon training with marathon training, but to have PR's in all my repeat races!"
Mackenzie Howard
"80/20 Endurance dropped my threshold pace by 2 minutes per mile!"
Michael Metz
"I honestly can't rate these plans high enough. Being able to wake up knowing what I've got planned for the day is comforting, but knowing it is working and making a difference is priceless."
Scott Bass
"Thank you 80/20 Endurance! I followed the plan and ran a half marathon as a "feeler." I ran a 1:26, won my age group and was amazed that I could run that pace. Using 80/20, I went back to a marathon course where I ran a 3:23 on and ended up running a 3:13! I'm now qualified for the Boston Marathon!"
Andy Jones
"During my first 12-week base period on an 80/20 plan I cut more time off more disciplines than I did in a year of Ironman training with one-on-one coaching. I’ve also boosted my bike FTP by 20 watts. It’s unreal."
