Mental Performance Coaching for Swimming, Biking, & Running

Elite runners, swimmers, and bikers require significant mental fortitude to stay relaxed yet focused on race day. As you rise the ranks, the degree of athleticism and skill between competitors becomes smaller.

Those that invest the time and energy into mental preparation, relentlessly focus on what they can control, and consistently show up with confidence in their abilities have a significant competitive advantage.

But many racers get caught up with the inner noise – overly comparing to others, trying to predict results, or worrying about what others think. They end up inconsistent in their race strategy, doubting their abilities, and holding themselves back from performing at their capabilities.

We work with Runners, Swimmers, and Bikers to improve their mental preparation and consistently show up with confidence. Here are the most common situations we help them with:

The Problem

A lot of racers feel the nerves before the race even starts. They put unrealistic pressure on their self to have a perfect race, set a personal best, or achieve a desired result (i.e., win or improve ranking). They want to achieve the result so bad that they can’t stop thinking about it – they start worrying, tensing up, losing confidence, & overthinking. Which makes it harder to perform at their capabilities and often leads to a downward spiral in performance.

How We Help

We help them channel their nerves, manage their expectations, and give them the perspective to stay calm & confident on race day. Nerves are just a form of energy that they need to learn to embrace and channel toward the process. Having high expectations for results is not inherently bad but they need to be able to manage those expectations instead of causing unrealistic goals and unnecessary pressure. We help them let go of worrying about the results. They can care but they don’t have to worry. We get them to reconnect to the love of the sport so they can relax and just trust their training. Once they get back into this mental state – they stop trying to force it and let it happen. Then the results start to come.

The Problem

Our society generally teaches people to tie their confidence to results. So racers start struggling with confidence if they are not achieving their goals, progressing, or performing well relative to their peers. But this lack of confidence then causes inconsistent effort, hesitation in their race plan, and continued under performance. Which only furthers a downward spiral in confidence and performance.

How We Help

We help them own their capabilities and develop a mentality that wants to thrive, grow, and give their best effort on race day. Instead of tying their confidence to results, they start to focus on what they are actually capable of and the work they have put in. They learn to stop worrying about what everyone else thinks and start prioritizing their own self-image. They understand that believing in themselves is a choice that they can make everyday. It is not about ignoring feedback from others or being delusional about their capabilities. Rather, it is about choosing to be the hero of their own story, owning their greatness, and developing an unshakeable confidence in themselves.

The Problem

Specifically in medium to longer endurance events, the attack mindset that is willing to push the pace is crucial to performance. But racers often get afraid of hitting the wall or running out of gas, so they don’t push the pace, come out more tentative, and hold themselves back. This is problematic on race day, but it can also show up during training. They start to doubt their ability to push through the pain and they end up spending too much time in the comfort zone.

How We Help

We help them develop an attack mindset that embraces the discomfort of pushing the pace. It is not able becoming reckless but rather developing the clarity to execute their race plan, attack at the right moments, and be confident in their abilities. Instead of looking at race days as a threat they could fail, they are excited for the challenge to push themselves. They develop a thorough race plan that is personalized to them with well defined characteristics to lean into for each section of the race. The result is they are able to get back to enjoying their sport, pushing the pace, and performing at their capabilities.

SIMPLIFYING THE MENTAL GAME

We understand that working on your mindset can be difficult and confusing

  • Practical & Personalized Programs
    We don’t use cookie-cutter strategies or fluffy clichés — instead, we provide practical and personalized strategies that deliver repeatable and reliable results

  • Relatable & Expert Coaches
    We have a dedicated team of 20+ coaches that include former professional athletes who have been in your shoes and know what it takes to climb the ranks

  • Proven Results
    We have helped 10,000+ athletes play with more confidence and have 500+ five-star google reviews

Sprint & Endurance Athlete Testimonials

SUPPORTING YOU IS OUR TOP PRIORITY

We know how challenging sprinting & endurance sports can be

As an elite athlete, nothing feels heavier than when you don’t perform at your capabilities. And over time, that frustration can drain the love of the game. At CEP Mindset, our proven approach clears away the noise holding you back and helps you develop the mental skills to thrive when it matters most. By guiding you through our personalized and practical strategies, you’ll build confidence, embrace pressure, and rediscover your love for the game—while achieving the Consistent Elite Performance you’ve been striving for.

IT’S EASY TO GET STARTED

Follow these 3 steps so you can improve your mental game

500+ FIVE STAR REVIEWS

Don’t take our word for it – check out our proven track record

THE CEP MINDSET SYSTEM

How our programs work for sprinters & endurance athletes

The CEP Mindset System combines practical strategies with a personalized approach.

This ensures our programs follow a repeatable process while allowing us to be innovative and customize the strategies for reliable and optimal results for each client.

Our system follows 3 simple steps that have helped 1,000’s of sprinters & endurance athletes perform with more confidence:

Step 1 is use the CEP Assessment and identify your priorities.

You wouldn’t build a house without a blueprint – and in the same manner you shouldn’t seek to improve your mental game without first knowing what to work on.

The CEP assessment breaks down your mindset into the 7 Mental Skills that you need to develop in order to build a strong foundation and win the mental game.

This breakdown not only helps us determine which mental skills to prioritize in your program, but also ensures we keep you accountable to making progress.

Now that you can see what you will be working on, let us show you HOW you will work on it in step 2.

Step 2 is about personalizing the practical and proven strategies.

A good blueprint won’t help without the right tools. For example, you may have tried the cookie-cutter advice perpetuated by sport culture like ‘be positive, forget about it, or don’t worry about it.’

But when you build your mental game by patching together all these fluffy quick fixes – it’s like building a house out of straw – it is not sustainable & will fall apart in the face of adversity & pressure.

Instead, you need to build your mental game – like you would a brick house – out of practical & personalized strategies that deliver reliable and repeatable results.

We have 3 sets of tools – you might not need to use all the tools, but you do need to build your personalized mental toolbox based on your blueprint and current needs. Here are the four fundamental strategies we go through with every client:

Step 3 is about optimizing your mental toolbox for long-term results.

Implementing steps 1 and 2 can get you results quickly, but if you stop doing the work you will gradually stop getting the benefits.

Similar to how a brick house needs be maintained and modified – the mental game requires constant work and refinement. It never ends.

It is a constant process of self-awareness, self-discovery, and growth.

As time passes you will need to evolve & upgrade your alter ego and reset routine.

You should also constantly tweak and tinker with their personalized scorecard, imagery scripts, and core priorities to match your ever changing landscape.

At CEP Mindset, we like to use our 5 Milestones to make the mental game more tangible and help keep you committed to the constant upkeep and upgrades.

Every season you start from square one and have to put in the work to reach each milestone.

Note that the numbers above are generic and are altered depending on the sport. We use 95% plus in the zone to avoid the trap of perfection.

When you join our programs, you will stop under performing and start achieving Consistent Elite Performance.

CONFIDENCE IS THE MISSING PIECE

The only way to perform at your capabilities is to play with confidence

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WHO WE WORK WITH

Similar Process – Different Context

Our programs are effective for Youth, Amateur, & Professional Athletes. Similarly we also work with high-performing business executives from a variety of industries.

We follow a similar process regardless of the context. However, you can find out more about the nuances of the main categories of client we work with:

We work with many athletes 12 years old and younger. In these programs the parents are more heavily involved. Generally attending sessions with the athlete and or having 25-75% of the program hours spent working directly with the parent. We have worked with athletes as young as 8 years old. 

The rollout and involvement of the parents in these programs is dependent on the maturity of the athlete more so than the age.

One of the great benefits to working on an athlete’s mental game at a young age is that they develop a solid foundation that will serve them as they progress through their athletic career.

The pace of the program might be slower than an older athlete, but the athlete is generally more open and receptive. So this gives the athlete the opportunity to strengthen their mindset now, instead of waiting till they are older where more is at stake and the current mindset has only cemented further.

The majority of our clients are amateur athletes aged 13-18. 

This is a crucial time period in their development as an athlete and as a person. It is also the time period where the pressures and adversities can pile up, but often the athlete lacks the tools to effectively cope. 

This can be frustrating because all the hard work can go out the window if they can’t get their head in the right place. It also can be costly to their long term goals — as one or two poor months, let alone a poor season, can be hard to bounce back from.

We take a lot of pride in the impact we have with these amateur athletes because every CEP coach was once in these exact shoes. Our own struggles with the mental game in this age range is the main reason why every CEP coach got into this profession. 

As such, we are able to relate, understand, and effectively guide them through this crucial time period.

Professional athletes are at another level when it comes to pressure, distractions and adversity. 

Often these athletes have experienced so much success as they have risen the ranks because of their superior athletic abilities and skills. So the challenge becomes being able to maintain their confidence and focus while success becomes harder to achieve competing against the best athletes in the world. 

With so much at stake they need to be able to block out the noise from friends, fans, and the media. 

The cost of not having the mental strategies, routines, and overall capability to repeatedly and reliably get dialed-in can be both significant from the results and financial implications as well as the athletes overall mental well-being. 

Being a professional athlete is not all sunshine and rainbows. There is a lot of stress that comes with performing on the biggest stages and if they don’t develop the tools to manage that stress, then it can easily eat them up and get the best of them. 

Therefore, most of the professional athletes we work with will have custom programs that include additional access as well as a commitment from us to track and optimize their performance.

High-performers in any area of life will face similar challenges as professional athletes — such as the incredible amounts of pressure, distractions and adversities. 

As such, we apply the same principles that help professional athletes get dialed in, to help business executives excel in their professional and personal lives. 

We have coached C-Suite Executives, Business Owners, Hedge Fund Managers, Surgeons, Pilots, and Fire Fighters etc.

We help them to stop stressing about their external goals and get clarity on how they want to show up, so they can be present, decisive, and in control of their career and life.

Like professional athletes, business executives have a lot at stake – often even more. Whether it be their own career, obligations to others, or the literal safety and well-being of people in our society. 

They also have a slew of additional challenges around being able to unplug themselves from their work and emails, overcome the endless barrage of tasks and competing priorities, and the ability to navigate tough conversations within the workplace and build cohesive teams.

As such, there are additional strategies that we use with business executives that address their unique challenges and optimize their results in our 1-on-1 coaching programs.

CLICK HERE to Read More About 1-on-1 Coaching for Business Professionals

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FAQ

Our programs start at $1,600. Prices vary based on the experience of the coach and the length of the program. On the higher end our programs can cost $5,000 to $10,000 for a year long program.

During the 15 min intake call with our admin team, we will answer all your questions about the rates and program options based on the coaches that are the best fit for you.

First you tryout the coach with a free intro session, then you start a program if it feels like the right fit for you.

The end goal is you get the right coach for you at a cost that works for you.

Once you choose a program, then we promise that within the first 30-Days you will be satisfied with your program and see results or we will give you a 100% refund.

You choose a program that you plan to complete – you are not locked in and can stop at anytime.

It depends on your insurance and who your sessions are with.

In short: YES – if  you purchase sessions with one of the counsellors on our team, then you are likely to get coverage by your benefits in Canada. For more clarity, you will need to speak with our administrative team by booking here.

On the other hand, Dr. Cassidy Preston & the majority of the CEP team of coaches are not clinical therapists and are not licensed to diagnose or treat mental illness and, therefore, are NOT covered under most benefits. They are coaches and consultants who help athletes strengthen their mindset, get in the ZONE, and achieve Consistent Elite Performance.

You can read more about the similarities and differences between a sport psychologist and mental performance coach by clicking here.

Our 1-on-1 coaching programs are scheduled based on your needs and availability. You start with a free 30 minute 1-on-1 intro session, then your coach will recommend which option will be the best fit for you.

The first session in your program is generally 1 hour and the remaining sessions are 30 minutes.

Our shorter programs include 6-8 hours and last 2-3 months.

Other programs are last 6 months or 1 year and will have either weekly or bi-weekly 30 min sessions.

Importantly – the program is tailored to meet your unique needs and intended to optimize your results. So there is always unique considerations and nuances for every program.

Note year long programs generally will slow down sessions in the off-season.

Our 1-on-1 coaching programs can take place in person, on zoom, or via phone.

Generally most programs take place on zoom for simplicity and convenience. Especially given the majority of sessions are 30 minutes – travelling for that short of a session creates too much friction.

Occasionally the coach that is the best fit for you may also be located near you – when possible trying to co-ordinate an in-person session is ideal, but not necessary.

The zoom option also ensures you get the best quality coach and doesn’t limit you to coach that lives in close proximity.

Additionally, your coach may travel to see you in-person while you perform in your sport. This is not a standard part of our programs, but it could be personalized addition or sometimes it lines up that you have a tournament in the city of your coach – and we love to see our athletes perform live. 

Alternatively, it can be beneficial for clients to send video of their performance to their coach – therefore, we can review body language and help further bridge the gap between their mindset and real-life performance.