It’s easy to put athletes on a pedestal, to regard them as super-human beings with super-human bodies. But even superior athletes face setbacks, doubts and worries. I know because, last year, I had the chance to get to know Deena Kastor while consulting on her new book, “Let Your Mind Run.” Kastor, who’s 45 years old and lives in Mammoth Lakes, California, earned the bronze for the women’s marathon in the 2004 Olympics, holds the American women’s record for the marathon and is one of the most decorated female runners in American history.
Here are some lightly edited excerpts from our recent conversation about the challenges she’s faced and how she’s overcome them. You’ll be surprised at how her insight can apply to you:
What do you love most about running competitively?
Running is so accessible to everyone, no matter their lifestyle, location or schedule. I think that is why I feel so privileged to be in this sport. I love to explore trails and new cities, but I also love the thrill of excursion and giving my best. As with anything, there is extreme gratification in giving your all to something difficult. It is much smarter, in my mind, to add challenge to running in order to shape my resilience and perspective than to add it to life in general. The traits I gain through running help me successfully face life’s highs and lows. I never want my optimism or fitness to atrophy, so I keep exercising them!
[See: 12 Psychological Tricks to Get You Through a Workout or Race.]
What were the biggest mental hurdles you faced in your professional career? What kept you going?
My largest hurdles were rejection and injury. The rejection came while training in Alamosa, Colorado, when my teammates — whom I considered friends and my greatest supports — told me they never liked me. It was a crushing blow to my entire social network and one of the toughest moments of my entire life. It took a swimming pool of tears, some hard reflecting and an eventual acceptance that I liked who I was. It was then that I had to be a friend, teammate and cheerleader for myself. This moment was pivotal for me because as an athlete, I am always striving, but to strive [physically] while also learning to accept who I was on the inside was a really big deal.
This lesson brought me to see athletic injuries as an opportunity to rest or figure out what needed to be healed. I quit taking hard moments so personally and saw them as equations to be cracked so I could keep improving as an athlete and person.
[See: 8 Health Challenges Facing Olympic Athletes.]
What recommendations do you have for the rest of us to take our respective “games” to the next level?
The greatest way for us to improve as athletes, businessmen or citizens is by paying attention to our perspectives. Our lives are shaped by how we think, so it is critical to think ourselves through any moment to our advantage. We may be born a little more optimistic or pessimistic, but our minds are ultimately shaped by our thoughts — which happen to be in our power. We spend so much time on exercising our physical bodies, on striving for a break in our careers, when if we gave a fraction of that energy to our perspectives, we could be leaps and bounds ahead of our ideal selves.
To practice shaping your own thinking to your advantage, write down four things you are grateful for every day for an entire month. Don’t duplicate items; instead, search for the mundane or ordinary things that bring you everyday joy. It’s fun to identify these items, but then see how such small doses of appreciation have an effect on you. For me, identifying gratitude helps take the pressure and intensity off the moment (because being a professional athlete, business owner, author, wife and mom can be enough of a focus) and allows me to get the most joy out of it instead.
[See: Mantras That Get 11 Diet and Fitness Pros Through Their Toughest Moments.]
For a sport as individual as distance running, you attribute a lot of your success to others. Why?
A sense of community is everything, no matter the endeavor. Winning an Olympic medal. Raising a child. Writing a book. Working from home. Even the simple act of making dinner for yourself can come with an appreciation of the farmers, ranchers, truckers and market employees who contributed to that beautiful plate. Everything grows in significance when you realize how many others are involved in your pursuits.
More from U.S. News
8 Signs You Are Made to Be an Athlete
The Best Olympic Sport for Your Body Type
8 Reasons Running Now Will Help You Later in Life
An Olympic Medalist’s Mental Recipe for Success originally appeared on usnews.com
