Category: Uncategorized
-
What advice do you have for young runners that put so much emphasis on times and places, fall into a rut when they don’t hit those times, but don’t have the proper healthy foundation to build off? If you had advice for younger runners, how do you build a healthy foundation upon becoming a better person through running?
~ NAU athlete, Jeret Gillingham at the NCAA West Regionals 2025 Thank you for your question. This is a really big one, with many layers to explore if I am to answer it well. I appreciate the challenge! I think that we should start by discussing a “healthy foundation,” what it consists of and if…
-
I have a 5k on Friday where I am the slowest seed by 20 seconds. I really do feel confident I am in shape to run 14:40 (even though my PR is 15:09). But that doesn’t mean I am not shaking in my boots…I guess my question is, how do I mentally prepare for a race like this? One where I am expected to make a big jump, I believe I can, but am still scared I can’t, because I haven’t yet.
~ MYLES, EAST COAST ~ This is The Dawn Wall in Yosemite National Park. For many climbers this is their “sub-14:40.” Dear Myles, I am answering your question sitting in the NAU tent at the Big Sky Conference Championships. So, wise advice from true experts on this topic is readily at hand! I will share…
-
How should I handle my doubts?
~ NAU Athlete, Justin Keyes, Bryan Clay, 2025 For awhile now, I have been working with a very good 5k runner who has been experiencing an issue late in his races. When things start to get hard and a gap starts to form, or he gets passed, he “suddenly goes lactic.” Having watched many of…
-
Should I have a pre-race routine?
~ GRACE, ARIZONA ~ NAU athlete, Maggi Congdon on the start line at the Bryan Clay Invite Years ago, in the early days of my work, I met with a soft-spoken endurance athlete preparing for an important race in Rome. He shared with me his personal pre-race ritual, which he referred to as “positivity squats.”…
-
“As an athlete/ artist, injuries are expected. How do we deal with setbacks and avoid the downward spiral in the process?”
~ When I think of setbacks, I always think of Waterline Road in Flagstaff, AZ. In 2010 a huge fire destroyed all the trees on this road. The top picture is from 2018, when a grove of aspens emerged shaped like a heart. We called it, “the heart of the mountain.” However, in 2022 the…
-
How can you best incorporate visualization into daily life/ training?
~ KROCKY ~NAU athletes Maggi Congdon and Alex Carlson at the NCAA Indoor Champs this weekend. January cut cold and bright outside the office window when the athlete and I met to talk. They told me about their years developing in Africa. The spoke of the groups, the focus and the beautiful, remote villages at…
-
“Working with NAU, I’m curious what some of their goal-setting looks like? I realize that they put a lot of emphasis on process, but how do they balance that concept when also being excited/ hopeful about running a certain time?”
~ KARSTEN Karsten, this is a great question. The athletes that I work with do their goal-setting with their coaches. But, I have always wondered how the NAU coaches handle conversations about specific goals. So, I reached out to Coach, Jarred Cornfield to ask. But, before I share Coach Cornfield’s response, I would like to…
-
How would you educate yourself in mental performance consulting if you were interested in doing more work in the field?
TY, WYOMING ~This is a picture of me standing in front of a field (do you get it? 😉 Ty, thank you for your question. I am currently reading a book about a Yaqui Shaman (The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge by Carlos Castaneda) who claims that in our lives only…
-
How can I better handle the pain inside my races?
GRACE, PENNSYLVANIA Grace, thank you for your question. Pain, in all its varieties, is a thread of aliveness that binds us all. Pain is also a primary challenge within distance running. In my opinion, there are four steps to working with pain: expecting it, understanding it, engaging in the race, and becoming curious about the…
-
How best to stay connected with your athlete about how training is going without making running the central focus of your relationship with your child?
~ SUZANNE, WASHINGTON ~ Mike Smith, Karrie Baloga and Ava Mitchell, Boston 2025 Dear Suzanne, My first thought when I read your question was that anyone so aware and earnest as to write and ask this question is doing just fine regarding how they speak with their child. But, your question is important and I…
-
How Can I Conquer Anxiety?
RYAN, INSTAGRAM ~ NAU Athletes Ali Upshaw and Kiera Moore at Pre-Nationals 2024 So many of you have asked the same question. By anxiety we are normally referring to the experience of physical sensations such as a tight chest, stomach, or throat, alongside racing thoughts and fears about the future. The belief underlying these sensations…
-
How can I set myself up for a strong season mentally?
DOMINIC, OHIO ~The NAU team training at Buffalo Park in Flagstaff, Arizona Well, I can confess that this question came from the famous Dominic Schlueter, founder of the excellent podcast, The Running Effect. I had the privilege of answering this question in his company, and in-depth, on this recent podcast episode. However, I am sometimes…
-
In order to perform at my best, what should I be working on mentally?
Danny, Pennsylvania ~ Drew Bosley, embodying every quality from my list below Danny, thank you for your question. As you read my response you will see that your inclination to ask it bodes well for you! I think that the most honest way to answer this question is to share the mental skills and capacities…
MENTAL PERFORMANCE 