Mulcahy Performance Consulting

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Columbia, MD
Mulcahy Performance Consulting

Shannon Mulcahy I Sport Psychology Consultant

I help endurance athletes have the race they trained for without unhelpful thoughts and unwanted anxiety slowing them down

09/01/2024

August dump

Aka a highlight reel from USMS Nationals, Maui & Kauai 🏊🏻‍♀️🐢🌴🌋🌊

05/14/2024

✔️8 races
✔️5 best times
✔️3 gold medals
✔️0 sunburn

Thanks for such a fun meet, Ft. Lauderdale.

05/01/2024

That’s it. That’s the caption.

04/26/2024

Repeat after me: challenging doesn’t automatically mean bad

So if you’re struggling with a challenging season, try to show yourself some grace. Bad seasons happen. Setbacks happen. Being frustrated when you’ve hit a plateau is normal.

These are the times I ask clients what they would say to a teammate going through a rough patch.

Then try saying it to yourself.

04/24/2024

To get more confidence, do these 3 things:

✅ Practice productive self-talk
✅ Set micro goals
✅ Keep a training journal

And less of...

❌ Comparing yourself to others
❌ Chasing the perfect training cycle
❌ Being terrified of making a mistake

Confidence is a skill that takes practice, not something that you either have or you don’t. Want to feel more confident? Be intentional about building confidence.

04/16/2024

3 THINGS I LEARNED ABOUT open water swimming anxiety— the last one is 🤯

After 11 of years competing in open water events and 7 years working as a sport psychology consultant, I’ve learned a lot about managing open water swim anxiety.

Here are 3 that really stand out so you can apply them yourself:

1️⃣ When I first started competing in triathlons, I thought that because I grew up a competitive swimmer I would have no problem swimming in open water. Looking back now, I realize how naive I was.

The first time I put my face in the murky water, my heart dropped into my stomach and panic ensued. I quickly learned to respect the body of water I was about to swim in.

2️⃣ Implementing an open water routine was game changing for my racing. Now, I let my body get used to the almost always cold water before I put my face in. I take a few grounding breaths and then bob up and down in the water.

I expect to feel a flurry of nerves at first, but trust they will go away pretty quickly. It’s not a fancy routine but allows me to adjust to a different environment.

3️⃣ Don’t forget - have a plan for if and when you feel overwhelmed. Even though I’m very comfortable and experienced racing in open water, there’s still times when I need to roll onto my back to catch my breath after being kicked in the head during a mass start.

Giving yourself space to regain control isn’t a sign of weakness in open water but rather responsible racing.

What important realizations have you had around open water swimming?

04/15/2024

I love this reminder because, as athletes, we’re taught that there’s always something to improve on. We seek perfection. But perfect, in the way we typically think of the word, doesn’t exist.

02/28/2024

Anyone else need to hear this today?

02/20/2024

If my swim team reads this, the most important thing for you to do in order to swim fast and set lots of best times is, for the love of god, make a new playlist.

In all seriousness, how you prepare is how you perform. Control the controllables.
Remember one bad race doesn’t have to mean a whole bad meet.
Make some memories.

One of the things I hear the most from college athletes is that they wished they allowed themselves to have fun and enjoy their meets, even if they weren’t swimming well.

Even though it feels like the seasons are long and the practices drag on, your time with your teammates is over faster than you think.

You aren’t going to remember many of your races when you’re older. You’re going to remember your friends, your teammates, your coaches and the fun you had together.

And because I don’t think it’s said enough, be proud of yourself for showing up and putting it all on the line, knowing there’s no guarantee of going a best time.

That’s the beauty and heartbreak of being an athlete.

02/07/2024

*sharing from —words and content are not my own*

“Many people think that girls are not as interested in sport as boys. Women’s Sports Foundation research shows that boys and girls between the ages of 6 and 9—and their parents—are equally interested in sports participation. However, by the age of 14, girls drop out of sport at a rate that is six times greater than boys.

Girls and women simply do not receive the same positive reinforcement about their sports participation. Boys receive balls, gloves and sports equipment by the age of 2. They see their images on television as sportsmen, they see their photos in the sports section and know from their parents and friends that they are expected to play sports.

Even though our daughters are not as likely to be discouraged from playing sports as they were 10 years ago, they simply aren’t encouraged to the same extent as little boys. As a result, they enter organized sport two years later than little boys and are, therefore, less likely to have the skills necessary for early success experiences.

If a child is unskilled, he or she is unlikely to have fun. It’s no fun to strike three times in row. The no. 1 reason why boys and girls play sports is because it’s “fun.”

We must do a better job of supporting our daughters’ sports participation. For Christmas and birthdays, we must find books about girls in sports, give gifts of sports equipment and sports lessons. We need to take our sons and daughters to see women playing sports so they grow up appreciating and respecting the sports skills of women and so our daughters see images of themselves excelling in sports—because she is not going to see those images on television or in the newspapers.

It’s no accident that girls’ sports participation in Olympic sports increases significantly following the Olympic Games, one of the few times that coverage of women’s sports is equal to that of men’s sports. Aspirational role models drive youth demand for sports. This top to bottom synergy has not yet become commonplace in women’s sports because of limited college and professional sports opportunities and television coverage.”

01/24/2024

Wondering if mental performance coaching is right for you? Let’s find out.

Do you want to know how to quiet your mind and shut out the unhelpful thoughts before a race?

Do you want to get more out of your training daily without doing more physical work?

Do you want to stand on your next start line feeling confident, knowing without a doubt that you can handle anything race day throws at you?

If you answered YES to any of these?

Uh, yeah, it’s for you.

Comment with “MINDSET” and I will send you the link via DM so you can learn more!

01/23/2024

The thing no one tells you about being an athlete is the fact that you always feel like you can be faster or train harder when you should be proud of yourself. 🤝

Especially in time-based sports like running and swimming, when you either set a best time or didn’t, it’s easy to feel like you can still go faster.

It leaves us never satisfied, like we’re chasing some feeling of “enough” that isn’t actually attainable.

But I’m here to tell you that feeling this way is normal. It means you are putting yourself out there. And THAT is something to celebrate! 🎉

So next time you set a big goal and start second-guessing, remember: just the fact you’re trying is already a reason to celebrate!

Cut yourself some slack. Then get back out there! ✨

Who else needs this reminder today?

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Columbia, MD

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http://Mulcahyperformance.com/

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