Ed 'Chen' Cohen (B.Sc., Masters in Human Resource Development)  Many years ago, myself and several friends created a workshop for track and field athletes. The purpose of this workshop was to improve their mental skills when performing their events. Our background in this area was limited to our experience as athletes and what little we could find on mental skills and visualization that was available at the time. To our delight, all of the athletes in the workshop (eight of them), improved their times over the day! We suggested thinking about being propelled by a slingshot at the end of a 400 yard run, being pulled by a rope attached to the belly button, being pushed by the wind, having springs in their legs (for the hurdler) and more. Since that time, I have been interested in the relationship between the mind and performance. For the past twelve years as a running coach, I have applied mental training skills to my programs. There is rarely a time when beliefs about self, confidence and motivation do not affect performance. The physical training is the easy part. The mental challenges are the formidable ones for many!  I now focus more on Sports Psychology and to helping people grow not only as athletes, but as a person. It has been my experience that as you grow on the field and overcome the challenges that present themselves in sport, you are able to bring these skills and confidence to other aspects in your life. Sport serves as an excellent backdrop to improve both your performance and your life and it is my goal to help you get there. I have been an athlete all of my life and have participated in Running, Cycling, Golf, Martial Arts, Hockey, Baseball, Tennis and Squash. I ran my first marathon in 1977 and have since run 20 including an Ultra and Boston, and currently compete in Marathons and Duathlons. I play golf recreationally so you won't see me in the Masters! The story of 'Chen' I've had the nickname of 'Chen' for over 40 years. When I first went to university in Montreal in the sixties, I was listed in the student directory as 'Ed Chen'. A typing error had been made and the letter 'O' was dropped from my last name. I received letters to join the Chinese student society and later to come to the Chinese Christmas ball! I brought the letters to school and the nickname has been with me ever since. Now if only we knew how Cher, Madonna and Prince arrived at their names .... Qualifications:      Masters in Human Resource Development    MGCP (Mental Game Coaching Professional)    Level 2 National Running Certification (NCCP)    Level 3 Heart Zones Trainer (Heart Zones USA)