Whether you’re new to running or looking to master your craft, AnyQuestion’s panel of Olympian and World Champion Track and Field athletes are here to help you improve. Learn about training plans, race strategy and sport specific nutrition from verified experts like Meb Keflezighi, Michael Johnson and Gail Devers.
To separate podium winners from world champions, it is simply belief. Everyone on the podium has the ability to be the world champion, but those who become world champions have strong belief in themselves and pay attention to detail. They often work harder and dedicate more time to their craft. Transcript: "Thanks very question. James Swift what separates Podium winners from world champions? And I think my answer is simple, it's just belief. Everybody on the podium has the ability to be the world champion. Second, and third place aren't much different than first place could be S. Could be inches. Could be CM that separate first second and third, but the person who's the world champion, I think has got to have a strong belief. I didn't find my belief until later in my career, but once I did everything in my power, My life changed the things that I ate the time that I went to bed, the people that I spent my time with the time in the weight room and I'm the track, certainly for for me, as a track and field athlete, everything changed. When I had that belief and that determination to be the world champion. Everybody works hard, but a world champion, I think works just a little bit harder or world. Champion is a little bit more, dedicated pays a little bit more attention to detail and sometimes it could be one or all of those things. But I think it starts with the belief. First of all that you not only can be a world champion that you believe that you are a world champion."
Add sprints at the end of easy days once a week. Do 8x474 seconds with 1 minute recovery every other week to reach your goal. Transcript: "Greg, it is awesome that you keep putting lofty goals out there. If you want to break five minutes in the mile, start off by adding some sprints at the end of easy days once a week. Then, every other week, try this workout, eight times 474 seconds with one minute recovery. As soon as you can do this, you can reach your goal. Good luck."
My diet is a relaxed one with chicken fingers, french fries, fresh-squeezed Apple Juice, and occasional candy. Transcript: "My diet looks like, chicken, fingers, and french fries, and some fresh-squeezed Apple Juice. I love candy. I don't have a real specific diet. I tried doing that, try to incorporate all this stuff, but I'm more laid-back with my diet and I could have died. Probably could be better but, you know, it is it is what it is. At this time, I'm saying do what makes you feel good, it makes you feel happy and I love my chicken fingers and french fries."
Depending on the common injuries a racewalker has, they should do specific exercises to prepare for the event. There is no difference in preparation for this event than any other except that long rest break which may require additional warm-up drills and stretches. Transcript: "I don't know if there's anything specific to this event. You would do specific exercises depending on what your common injuries are. Common injuries in racewalkers are high hamstring tendonitis or tendinopathy, hamstring pulls, groin, kind of the pubic symphysis, kind of groin injuries, iliotibial band, ITBS syndrome, plantar fasciitis, shin pain. So whatever your particular injuries are, that's what you would want to do. There's really no difference for this event other than that long rest break that's probably going to require you to do a lot of these stretches and warm-up drills to get ready for the next leg of the relay if they've got this laid out where it's one athlete doing two legs. It remains to be seen though."
Athletes should practice recovering quickly from a hard 10k in training for the new ECODEN relay for racewalkers. This would involve splitting up tempo workouts, taking a 45 minute break, and using ice baths, Norma Tech boots, stretching, and massage to recover before doing another 5 miles. Transcript: "I believe what we're talking about is the new ECODEN relay for racewalkers. It's unclear how this is going to operate, whether there are going to be four legs when four athletes or four legs and two athletes. The original World Athletics press release said it was going to be two athletes doing four legs, so there would be about a 45 minute rest in between. So athletes are going to have to practice recovering from a hard 10k plus or minus or plus, and then recovering to be able to do another one 45 minutes later. So you would want to practice that in training. I mean, I don't know how you adjust it, but you would want to practice maybe splitting up some of your tempo workouts instead of doing a hard 10 miler, do a hard 5 miler, take a 45 minute break, and do ice baths and Norma Tech boots and stretch and maybe get a massage and then warm up again and go and do another 5 miles. I think that's how you would prepare for it."
Part of being an adult is liking some things about people, even if you don't agree with them on everything. It's important to be able to disagree without writing someone off. Everyone has something to teach us, even if we vehemently disagree with them. Transcript: "So I think it's important to understand part of being an adult is Liking some things about people and not liking other things. Okay You're not gonna love everything from a mentor nor are you gonna agree with everything from a mentor, but it's Being able to navigate that and and take the things you like and the things you really agree with It's good for people to disagree. Okay, I think it's a mistake to surround yourself with people That just tell you what you want to hear and tell you how great you are. You need people that hold you accountable And disagree with you. Okay, and now that doesn't mean you're it's gonna switch your opinion necessarily, but it's good to see Another side of things. Okay, look at things from a lot of different angles can really help you as a coach and as an athlete So you can disagree It doesn't mean you're gonna have problems with this person. It just means you disagree on this certain subject You may like another thing about this person. So it's part of I find interesting as a coach is you see a lot of great coaches that get criticized for one thing Or something they did or whatnot, but they're really strong in some other areas Now that doesn't mean you can't learn from these people. Okay? You like some things you dislike other things. That's part of being an adult. That's part of being a human being and It's important, you know I think it's immature and young when you just see one thing you dislike and you you throw the person away Okay, human beings are complex. We have a lot of different things About us and you can learn from everyone even people that you disagree with vehemently So don't discard those people they can be useful to help you grow"