Athletic Identity

Have you guys listened to our recent community call on “Identity“? If not, I’d encourage each of you to spend some time listening to it today. I want you all to think about the three layers that make up your identity. Those layers are:

Superficial You: The activities you engage in.

Personality You: Your habits and the energy they create.

Deep You: Your inner knowing, your values plus intuition.

Now, ask yourself how running/training (superficial you) fits in with your deeper you (values+intuition) and personality you (habits). Spend a few minutes journaling about it. Try to organize your thoughts a little so you can see how each layer fits together and influences the other.

In my opinion, one of the keys to longevity in running is that your training and goals connect directly back to your deep you.

As a coach, I see a lot of distress happen when athletes engage in activities that don’t align with their “deep you.” That distress often manifests in inconsistent, unfocused training, burnout, injury and constantly lily-padding from one goal to the next. All of these pit falls are avoidable, but in order to avoid this, you need to be in constant touch with your deep you. Whether through periods of introspection, journaling or meditation, the idea is to spend some time reflecting and building awareness around your deep you. Take notes. Ask yourself, what do I value? What do I know to be true?

The stronger your deep you becomes, the easier it is to align your personality you (habits) and superficial you (activities) together. The better the alignment, the easier it is to strive toward goals and stay engaged in the process!