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| Arbogast: What single characteristic do you feel is shared among great runners? |
| -----A TRUE BELIEF IN ONE'S SELF AND PERSONAL CAPABILITIES----- |
| From high school to Olympic Medalist I see one element that overrides all else, serves as a basis for every positive characteristic in runners, and dominates the mindset of every successful athlete . . . an unquestioned belief in the power of one's self. |
| Speed, dedication, perseverance, time management, and goal setting are all important traits shared by top runners, but a precursor to applying all of these to athletics is a belief that you are in control, you are unstoppable, and you are the master of your own excellence. In short . . . you must believe in yourself! |
| This belief may be encouraged by parents, coaches, and peer groups but has to gain its start in the personal mind of the athlete and has to be 'owned' totally. An unshakable belief that all improvement is possible leads to high goals that are critical to continued progress. Training, both mental and physical, must stem from the attitude a runner has that anything is possible with enough effort, a trait that transfers quite nicely to everyday life. The athlete needs to embrace the idea that distance running is an acquired talent which most of the populace can do with minimal training. However, the beauty of the sport is that the vast majority of the ability one shows on the course or track stems from the power of the mind believing and directing the body to perform acts that take an athlete far beyond the range of her or his 'comfort zone' and the everyday jogger. The sole director of that journey is the athlete him or her self, with a coach acting merely as a guide over rougher sections of the trail. Belief in one's self dominates all other thoughts and makes every other trait or talent viable. Without it, the greatest aerobic talent in the world may end up stocking shelves or tending sheep. With it, the limits of what we know as human performance are shattered nearly every day. |
| Have fun . . . train hard . . . |