I have always believed that there is a starting line in life. Many of us are born at that line and are brought up in that middle class, have average intelligence and along with it, average athletic ability. You have some born below that line and you have some that are ahead in life from the start whether it would be superb athletic genes or above average intelligence. After a certain point; if an individual wants to be successful; it is up to them to do the work and find a way. Some may have to work harder than others, but no good things in this world come without being earned. Successful people find a way.
We can’t control how much talent we are born with, only can control our attitudes towards what we are trying to achieve. People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don’t believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can’t find them, make them. People with goals succeed because they know where they are going. It’s that simple. People who fall short believe that their lives are shaped by circumstances; by things that happen to them; by exterior forces.
Psychology over physiology; always. This is not learned out of a book but through hard work; champs get it done on race day no matter what; not relevant how they feel or what the weather is…CONSISTENCY AND PERCEIVED EFFORT; day in day out, week in week out, month in month out, year in year out and repeat. If the athletes I help leave with anything; I always want them to know that no matter what; THEY have the power to write their story.
I remember back in 2015 I brought Kevin Havel and Kristen Heckert to the North Shore Half Marathon. I woke up that morning and it was 42 out w/ 20-25mph winds and clouds. Got to the race and didn’t discuss the weather w/ either of them; gave them their plans and that was that. This was nothing new to either of them; both trained day in day out with no excuses and nothing held back. I saw Havel at the 5 mile mark running 5 min pace on 1:03 half marathoner Dan Kremske’s shoulder with a smile on his face; a few minutes later I saw Kris wizz by with extreme focus. Both stuck to the plan and it worked out; Havel tossed down a 4:42 mile at the 10 and that was that; ended up running 1:05; new PR and course record. Kris came through 10 min later with similar results; a shinny new PR of 1:15 and yup, a course record. Havel is a very talented runner but the ideal situation doesn’t suit him; he works 50 hours a week, plus travels and on top of that is in graduate school; still finds a way to get in his 100+ miles per week and compete at a very high level. Kris has a background in many things but distance running is not one of them; Kris in high school never broke 6 in the mile but has transformed herself into one of the best distance runners in the U.S with 140 mile weeks and a mental toughness I have never seen in any other athlete.
Later on that summer; Liz Bailey was tearing it up doing workouts I never thought she could do. Liz was in the best shape of her life. Four weeks out of her ‘A’ race, Liz got incredibly sick with a stomach bug and high fever. It was the weekend of her tune up half marathon. I honestly did not want her to race but I thought better of it to tell Liz what to do; so being the competitor she is; Liz raced. I remember standing on the road with 800m to go and sure enough, I see Liz hauling down the road at 6 minute pace. I just shook my head and smiled. A few minutes later Liz had a two minute PR running 1:20. You can succeed in a race two ways; by bringing more fitness to the race or just bringing more of what you have; on this day it took 100% of Liz’s mind (when she only had about 50% of her body) to run 1:20. Liz had a good career at Augustana College then took a few years off serious training and racing. In the last two years while working a very stressful job as a social worker in Chicago (and commuting 2.5-3hrs from burbs 5 days a week) Liz has PR’d in every event from the mile to the marathon.
We can’t control where we came from, what the day gives us or how much talent we were born with; but we can control are actions and attitude. I don’t care if it takes 6 months or 6 years, you can reach your goals in this sport when, to quote the great Chrissie Wellington, “The will out lifts the skill”. People ask me all the time what I give athletes for training and I just smile; physical training is just a small part of a much bigger puzzle. The mind controls the body; not the other way around; I drill this into the athletes I train all the time. PSYCHOLOGY over PHYSIOLOGY; always; all great things are just beyond your comfort zone.
Do not concern yourself with things you can not control and replace those thoughts with self-belief. Know that hard work can get you where you want to go. No matter your situation; you have two arms, two legs and a heartbeat like everyone else. Do everything right so no stone is left unturned and success is not left to chance; it becomes inevitable.