7 Savvy Practices of Olympic Winners That You Can Use

I’m kind of obsessed with the habits of elite runners.

In my wildest dreams I don’t desire to compete with them. Except once in a dream where Kara, Shalane and I ran hand in hand through a finish line bursting into dance afterwards {yes dance!}….but that’s besides the point!

I know these athletes are doing little things which could help our running beyond just looking at track workouts!

A few examples of what I’ve found that we can learn from outside their workouts:

• Meb’s post run routine (which I totally try to do)
• Mantra’s used by elite runners (um yes I use them, see snapchat!)
• Benefits of thinking like an elite runner

I can’t believe Rio is finally here! I’m beyond excited to watch the opening ceremonies and then yes I have full plans to run on my treadmill during the Women and Men’s marathons!! (total run nerd and I’m fine with that)  Today I want to share a great article with you from Garret Kramer, author of Stillpower: Excellence with Ease in Sports and Life.

Attributes of Olympic Winners

What do successful Olympic athletes have in common? Do they train until exhaustion sets in? Are they positive thinkers? Do they grind through adversity? Have they set gold-medal goals? Indeed, these characteristics are often associated with athletic success. But when Olympic winners are asked about their state of mind, physical preparation, and journey to the top, they almost always define their experience in a different fashion.

1. Winning athletes attribute their success to a lack of thought.
How many times during the London games have you heard a gold-medal winner say, “I wasn’t thinking about anything. Things just seemed to fall into place for me“?

Olympic winners know that they cannot consistently reach this state of high performance by using their intellect or employing mental strategies. Why? Because both require deliberate thinking—exactly what is not present when an athlete is in “the zone.”

2. Winning athletes relish the ride.
Top Olympic performers understand that chasing a medal thwarts their own clarity, freedom, and creativity.

Contrary to what many of us have been taught, the “goal” of top athletes is almost always to savor the journey, relationships, and experiences. They know that narrow-mindedly setting their sights on a title restricts awareness and reduces possibilities.3. Winning athletes care, and don’t care, about outcomes — at the exact same time.
Obviously, Olympic champions strive to win, and their competitive spirit doesn’t take losing lightly. However, they also know that, win or lose, they will be perfectly okay.

There is a big difference between one’s life (a constant) and one’s life situations (always in flux). The best athletes know that what occurs in their life situations (a particular Olympic event, for example) has no ability to infiltrate their life.

4. Winning athletes understand that competition is the ultimate form of cooperation.
Although athletes are often encouraged to perceive opponents as the enemy, the Olympics show us that respect, compassion, and love are far more conducive to consistent achievement. In fact, conscious athletes understand that their opponents are there to push them past their current limitations — to make them better. This reverence increases awareness, expands the perceptual field, and slows down thought — greatly increasing the odds for victory.

Competition creates connection - see 6 other surprising lessons of Olympians! #roadtorio Share on X

5. Winning athletes presume that they know little about their sport.
Openness is an almost always-overlooked characteristic of success. Believe it or not, the most insightful athletes know that there is always more to learn and more efficient ways to operate. As they arrive at the Olympics, these athletes put what they know on the back-burner; they start fresh. Like small children, they live full of wonder and constantly seek to soak up more.

6. Winning athletes feel pressure and think negative thoughts.
Some of us think that champion athletes are immune to anxious thoughts, that they have ice water in their veins. But the truth is that they are subject to errant thoughts and feelings as much as the next guy.

What champions know, however, is that low quality thoughts and feelings are a normal byproduct of the human experience; they have nothing to do with a specific circumstance. Therefore, great athletes understand that they can triumph no matter what thoughts and feelings might occur.7. Winning athletes use stillpower — not willpower.
Isn’t it obvious? The winners in the 2012 Olympic Games in London have a light, calm, and clear look about them, while the also-rans seem to be grinding and pushing. Olympic winners rarely try to will themselves through wayward perspectives and outlooks. Instead, they apply stillpower. They leave their low thoughts and feelings unattended, and, instantaneously, clarity and consciousness return once more.

You can’t get to this powerful psychological perspective by forcing, exerting, or laboring. Compare the U.S. women’s gymnastics team to the Russian team; Andy Murray’s state of mind in the Olympics versus his state of mind at Wimbledon — and it’s plain to see: Effort is only as productive as the state of mind from which it comes.

What are you excited to watch in Rio?

Did you ever have Olympic dreams?

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Photos from Associated Press.