No matter how fast, fit, experienced, or strong-minded you are, if you’re a runner, you’ve had your share of tough days. Whether due to flat legs, poor fueling, an overzealous race plan, or any number of other reasons known or unknown, sometimes just reaching the finish line feels like an insurmountable challenge.
As miserable as they are, those days are fertile ground for major growth. They reveal important truths and expose areas in need of attention, while setting the stage for future breakthroughs. The trick is getting through those trials with as much grace as possible, and teasing the lessons from them rather than drowning in self-pity or excuses.
Lennie Waite, PhD, a 2016 Olympian for Great Britain with a sports psychology consulting business in Houston, Tex., has encountered countless crucibles as an athlete, spectator, coach, and psychologist. Below, she offers her best advice for preparing, managing, and learning from them. Consider this your crash course in the psychology of hanging tough.
Accept That No One’s Immune.
As nice as it would be to reach a level of fitness or self-confidence in which poor…
