As superhuman as your favorite athletes appear in high definition, performing on the biggest stage requires just as much mental resolve as physical fitness. And what separates the champions from the rest can also work for you—whether you want to run your first marathon, snag a 5K PR, or simply make running a habit. Here, five American record-holders share the cerebral tricks that got them to the next level, with applications for athletes of all levels and disciplines.
1.DALILAH MUHAMMAD
Record: 400-meter hurdles (2019, 52.16) / Mental strategy: Ditch distractions
→ Dalilah Muhammad’s career turning point occurred in 2013, when she was fresh out of USC. She decided to go all in on track and field and to make whatever changes were necessary for success.
Muhammad started asking herself a simple yes or no question: “Is this helping you? Is this not?” If she thought something would bring her closer to her goals on the track, she stuck with it. If it wouldn’t, out it went. That formula led Muhammad to change cities and coaches, to start working with a nutritionist, and to eliminate many of the social distractions she’d faced in college. It paid off when Muhammad ended her first pro season with a U.S. title, a spot on Team USA, and a template for continued success—like her gold at the 2016 Olympics and world-record run at the 2019 world championships. Make it work: Take inventory of your whole running setup. Weed out the parts that aren’t serving you (too many late nights, skipped recovery fuel), elevate those that are (thorough warmups, consistent strength-training), and tackle decisions from a helpful-or-not framework.
2.COURTNEY FRERICHS
Record: 3,000-meter steeplechase (2018, 9:00.85) / Mental strategy: Talk to yourself
This story is from the Issue 4, 2021 edition of Runner's World.
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This story is from the Issue 4, 2021 edition of Runner's World.
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TO RUN 26.2 IS TO FEEL ALIVE
THE SUN IS rising from the east, and the waves of the Pacific crash below to the west.
LEAVE IT UP TO A PIECE OF PAPER TO TEACH YOU TO RUN EASY
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FIND YOUR RUNNING COMMUNITY, ONLINE OR IN PERSON
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FUEL WITH WHAT YOU WANT TO EAT
AS AN ULTRARUNNER, I'm all too familiar with the saying that long-distance running is an \"eating contest with a running component.\"
AT THE FERTILITY CLINIC, MY PAST CAUGHT UP WITH ME
I SAT IN the fertility doctor's office white walls, bare wooden desk, opaque window-alone.
THIS IS NOT AN ESCAPE STORY
AT 15, DARLENE STUBBS WALKED AWAY FROM A POLYGAMOUS CULT-THEN DISCOVERED A NEW LIFE AND COMMUNITY THROUGH RUNNING.
RUNNING WITH HANK
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WHEN I FOUND OUT I HAD MS.I THOUGHT I'D NEVER RUN AGAIN.
I checked the pins on my bib, shimmied my spandex shorts into place, and teed up the stopwatch on my wrist.
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