Cat Morrison is an elite triathlete, Ironman champion, and former world champion at the 70.3 distance, so it stands to reason that she’s knows a thing or two about enduring through a grueling race.  Cat believes mental strength has been a key component to success, and she uses her “Musical Games” workout to bolster that mental toughness.

After a short warm-up, Cat sets her iPod to “shuffle” and allows it to create her workout.

Start with a pick up for the duration of the first music track, then take it down to a jog during the next track. Continue to repeat this pattern. The beauty is in not knowing what lies ahead: how hard can you push yourself without knowing exactly how long the faster interval will last, or how much time you’ll get to rest. Essentially, we end up with something that might look like this:

• Warm-up for 5 minutes with a light jog, then hit “Shuffle” on your iPod
• 4 minutes ON
• 2.5 rest
• 3:10 minutes ON
• 5 rest
• 7 minutes ON
• 2 rest

And you can continue this as long as you’d like!

“This workout will prepare you for the unexpected, a reality an athlete often encounters on race day when it could be windy or hot and you must adjust your expectations,” says Cat. “It will also prepare you mentally to push your body beyond the limits in your mind, and achieve more than you ever thought possible.”