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AGE18SPORTHeptathlonHOME BASEBerkshire, EnglandMOTIVATION"The crowd cheering me on to higher heights!"
Morgan Lake was born to be a track-and-field star.
By age 5, she was more than just a spectatorher father had recognized Morgan’s potential and becomehercoach.
This article originally appeared in the October 2015 issue of SELF.
“I love it!”
“I’ve always got new goals in different events.”
She shares some of her top tips for peak performance.
I have different coaches for different events, like a sprint coach and a high jump coach.
My dad oversees the whole program to verify everything is balanced.
But we both understand each other and work well together.
That way, I get used to the feeling of going from one to the next.
Then I go over the events in my head while I’m in bed.
It calms my nerves.
I picture myself going through each eventin the blocks, clearing every hurdle, crossing the finish line.
I try not to focus on the finish time or think numerically; it’s about the feeling.
And I eat popcorn the night before.
I used to focus too much on what just happened….
If the hurdles weren’t going well, I’d take that into the high jump.
Now I approach each event separately.
At the end of the two days, it’s the whole picture that’s important.
But traveling is the best part of my life as an athlete.
Rock-solid abs don’t just look awesome in uniformthey’re Lake’s secret weapon in competition.
“A strong core helps me with every single event,” she says.
These moves work her midsection from all angles.
Inverse CrunchStart on hands and knees.
Extend right arm and left leg.
Touch right elbow to left knee under torso.
Repeat on opposite side for 1 rep. Do 15 reps.
Aim HighLie on floor with legs straight, extended to ceiling.
Slowly lower legs to an inch above floor.
Lift hips to create a straight line from head to heels.
Hold for 30 to 60 seconds.
Repeat on opposite side.
Get On UpLie faceup.
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Styled by Lindsey Frugier.
Photo Credit: Robbie Fimmano
