Gabriele Frascona': extreme sport and triathlon, my daily bread...

Author: Matteo Simone

Nationality: Italian

Lives: Rome, Italy

Experience: ultramarathoner and finisher Elbaman. PB: marathon 02h 42”17’, half marathon 1h13”38’, 10km 33’41.. Clinical Psychologist and Sports and Gestalt psychotherapist, specializing in emergency psychology and psychotraumatology. Columnist and author of books: Ultramarathon: Interminable analysis.  Developed the resilience to deal with crisis, trauma, and losses in life and sports, The Sports Doping cancer, O.R.A. Objectives, Resources, Self-efficacy, Intervention model to achieve goals in life and in sport. Psychology of sport and exercise from welfare to optimum performance, Sport Psychology, and more.

Gabriele Frasconà: extreme sport and triathlon, my daily bread

Sport becomes a training ground for life: you learn to stand up and move forward, fight with seasons and weather, with themselves, with internal conflicts. Sometimes you are tempted to stop, to recover, to rest, to give up. It is always important to love yourself, life, and have a strong passion and motivation for what you do. You learn to overcome obstacles and the unknown and to tolerate suffering.

Gabriele talks to us about his practice and passion for extreme sports...

Have you ever felt like a champion in sport at least one day of your life, or is it always customary to always feel that way? "I am particularly enchanted and fascinated by the places where I live that allow me to experience the sport in a profound way and to be in contact with nature, when I race do the best of me, I consider myself a champion of grit and determination, my performances are very good!"

What was your path to become an athlete? "After swimming from 6 to 9 years old, I started to play sports: for 18 years with volleyball. After I embarked on a long path for 25 years; the Italian special forces in Army developed my mental and physical strength. After this discharge the step was short, extreme and triathlons have become my daily bread. "

Have you ever had to choose between continuing or quitting a sport because of education or your career? "I've probably stopped volleyball because of my working career which has opened me to very different perspectives!"

As a result of your experience what advice would you give to those who are having to make important choices in sports? "By doing what they love most and makes them happy, I know people who have potential but are afraid to jump into new experiences!"

As the sport has contributed to your well-being and what are the factors that have contributed to your performance? "Sport gives me the right size, perseverance and sacrifice, as in life, indeed! The discipline and the limits of the mind body that I tested in special forces  I simple  simple transfer in sport. "

Can you imagine a life without sports? "No no no,  without sport never, we are made to move! Without racing and extreme things, yes! "

Which power foods do you eat before, during and after a race? Do you take medications or supplements? “With time, I’ve found the right way to power myself with food. I really love fish, vegetables, and fruits- I don’t really like many unhealthy foods! Supplements? Something like gels and bars made from dried fruit, and idrosalini for when I train a lot and I compete. The rest of the time I eat normal food like bread and salami."

Who has contributed the most to your health or performance in sport?"Definitely my future wife!"

What was the race of your life? "Ironman Boulder in 2015. I didn’t have an exceptional result (9:57 a.m. '28th overall position, 5th in my age category) but after an exceptional bike fraction (4:48 a.m.') I was 11th place and I needed at least 4th place to qualify for Hawaii. Martina and my friends have cheered me on several times but I was always 11th, the last 8 km Marti said to me, “It’s now or never”. I remounted up to 5th place finishing at 3 minutes by 4 ° from the 3rd and 2nd which almost tied together.

The memory of having accelerated when others dropped off is the best memory of my performance to talk about."I wrote a book called "NOW: Objectives, Resources, Self-efficacy" where I explain exactly how to increase self-efficacy by leveraging sources, just like in Gabriele’s inspiring story, to speed up when others dropped off, the comeback of experience, feelings experienced at that time, verbal encouragement from friends. It’s a nice story.

What experience gives you the belief that you can do it, either in sports or in life? "My experience of war in Afghanistan."

Sometimes the experience can be traumatic, but sometimes you come out with a strong experience that also changes you for the better. It develops a sort of greater self-awareness, a post traumatic growth; you come out stronger from difficult situations.

What do family and friends think of your sport? How has your family life, work changed? "I think I inspire fascination in others. I have fun and I so I like my job better."

Care to describe a curious or funny moment in your sport? “It was the end of the season- I was tired. I decided to do a 15 km race at Lake Garda where I live and my girlfriend Martina was going to accompany me. The organization allows me to compete even the night before in a night trail in the mountains, with a surcharge of 5 Euros. I arrived escorted by four beautiful girls, Martina’s friend, and mum to the trail.

I was advised at the forefront, given the first 5 km, that it was better not to go overboard, later I would have to climbs stairs, a dizzying path that went down in the final. I decided to do the opposite and left the whole group, I did 1 min at the beginning of the climb, then another minute downhill doing a bit foolishly, I came back after the 12 km to the streets in the lead and so did the crazy group of girls who had accompanied me, they nodded their head at me in rock and roll style! The following morning: 15km throttle 16 overall, more than decent! That was the end of the season."

What did you find in your character to become an athlete? What are the psychological mechanisms you feel you have in sports to help your well-being or your performance?"I inherited the teachings by special forces. It’s either do or die."

What are your skills, resources, characteristics, and qualities that you have been shown to possess? "Determination, clarity, and decision making in times of trouble. I love what I do regardless of what other people think!"

Passion is a powerful engine that is able to mobilize the necessary energy to carry out any company with any condition. With strong passion and proper motivation you can have the ability to manage time after time any unexpected or crisis and move forward in sport and in life.

What does that mean for you to participate in a sporting event? Have you ever experienced any limitations in your races? "I am often close, but I have experienced the worst things you could ever achieve in a race."

What are or were your feelings you experience doing sports before the competition, in the race, after the race? "I get in touch with myself and become calm, ready to give my best- no ifs, ands or buts. Totally at ease!"

What are your thoughts? Think of the finish line, think of all that has been invested for the race, in terms of training, athletic training, and mental training."During training or pre-race, I retrace the various moments, so by the time I actually cross the finish line I have crossed it dozens of times in my mind. I seek the intense emotions that I strive for that day and I think whatever happens I’ll be able to go well with little training. The mind is everything, the body follows accordingly!"                                                               

Through visualization we can afford more than the real: the mental simulation of a physical exercise induces an increase in muscle strength that is comparable to that achieved by a real exercise; imagination, visualization, allows you to practice, to train in view of a situation to deal with.

What was your most extreme and most difficult race? A race that you thought you’d never be able to finish? "Extreme Race, but a fun race is the Inferno Triathlon (3000mt swim, 100km road bike, 40km bike, 25km run with about 6000MT positive hm) but I've done so many other hard races in the mountains: Ortler Tour, Oetzi marathon, etc. I do not think there's a race that I can not do, I could feel my limit with UTMB but I went beyond, surely those races double type IM etc. I feel stupid and overdone. "

The essence of life becomes the experience of everyone’s personal capacity to confront the uncertain, continuing challenges to make an inner journey in search of themselves, to know their ability and capacity, to always get up when we fall, there is always injury.

What are the various difficulties and risks you have to watch out for in your discipline? "Never underestimate nature and the weather; the mountain teaches!"

Has the risk of an accident or other problems ever tempted you to stop being an athlete?“The athlete is always in me, regardless of whether or not I compete. My goal is to experience sensations in sports that not everyone will have the chance to try. I have done it all my life because I like it. Accidents, risk, commitments, etc are all part of the game, I always try out the smartest solution!

Have you ever felt that you couldn’t dust yourself off and go straight? "In fact many times, but as he says a Velasco must produce solutions and not excuses!"

Which message would you give to the boys to looking to approach a hard sport, full of effort and sweat? "It teaches you to live intensely- it is worth at least try!"

Has there ever been a risk of doping in your sports career? "No, it wouldn’t be worth it and I would lose self-esteem. For me being clean is fun, doping is for fools and liars!"

What is a message you would like to give advising against the use of doping and making sport aimed at well-being or performance? "The world will always have stupid people! Demonstrate to yourself what you are worth, if you can do it on your own then you will be a true champion! I prefer to be clean and sleep at night and not fool myself!

If you were a sports psychologist, would you have any inspirational phrases for sports enthusiasts? "I think educational phases are useful with a solid foundation and sound principles are great even by themselves! Look at me, I've been hanging in there, I learned to always get up and carry out the task assigned to me!"

If I could go back what would you do? Or do not you? "I DO NOT look back, but I do assess the situation and look forward to live in the present."

What dreams have you achieved and which ones are yet to be realized? "They are greedy for new experiences. I have collected many, to continue in this direction, I want to create something beautiful and share it with my future wife and those around me!"

Matteo Simone

Psycholog, psychoterapeut

www.psicologiadellosport.net

Tri Fit Fun Note:

You can follow Gabriele during his performance at TRIEXPERT TRIPrague, where he will represent his company, Tri Fun Fit, as an athlete.

What is your motivation to participate in the race TRIEXPERT TRIPrague? "Prague is a beautiful city. It would be too much to pass up an opportunity like this! A street circuit which I'm sure will be streamed by the public and will be a great show for everyone! Over all, the company Tri Fun Fit is a race partner, who will be waiting for you with open arms at the expo is half czech and then you'll say, we couldn't miss it!''

Registration ends July 29, 2016 online at www.triprague.cz.

Be Tri, have Fun, be Fit!

This race is recommended by our team Tri Fun Fit and Italian triathlon server FCZ.IT.

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• Welcome to Garda Lake (The first part)