According to Jenny Simpson, professional runners are just “normal” people.
But the average person doesn’trun1,500 meters in four minutes 5.40 seconds.
Overnight, she’s become USA’s greatest hope for Olympic gold in women’s long-distancerunning.
), is way more than normal.
Her humble can-do attitude is above par … and, if we’re lucky, contagious!
Here are some motivation lessons we can learn from her experience:
Simpson wasn’t always an Olympian.
Like the rest of us, she had to begin somewhere.
That’s when I discovered this is not just something you do in P.E.
The camaraderie was very attractive to me as a young person."
The Takeaway:Serious sneaker and sporting goods storestend to have training programs and road races.
The sense of community will propel you towards a greater commitment to running.
The first run back in is not fun; it’spainfuland difficult.
Really persevere that first week or two.
It’s hard for all of us.
Getting through those first two weeks is so important and then after that it’s such ajoy."
The Takeaway: Don’t expect to break records at the very beginning.
Give running and exercise in general a chance before you throw in the towel.
It may not be easy at the beginning, but it proves rewarding as time goes on.
“Anyone can throw on running shoes and go out on a run,” she enthuses.
My dad and brother have gotten so much healthier."
), then just do it.
The more exercise you get, the more likely you are to motivate the people around you too.
Even the most incredible athletes can’t exercise all the time.
Sometimes your body (and mind!)
need a break from the relentless fitness stuff.
Sometimes even the professionals need a reminder to chill out though.
I have a really fun family that knows nothing about running.
When Simpson won the gold medal, it didn’t register at first that it could be true.
For a fleeting moment, she thought that she’d been lapped by everyone.
She shares, “It was an incredible, wonderful and memorable moment.
The runner from Norway came up and hugged me and I thought, ‘Oh my God.
This is really happening.'”
She felt “an explosion of emotion.”
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