Episode 199 | Ben Rosario and Matt Fitzgerald

Champion's Mindset

Ben Rosario explains the essence of a champion's mindset, which transcends mere competition and focuses on personal growth. He shares an anecdote from his high school coach, Jim Laniers, about a runner who epitomized this mindset by striving to see how good he could be, regardless of injuries or setbacks 1. A true champion, according to Ben, is not distracted by arbitrary goals or external opinions but is driven by the desire to maximize their potential and embrace the challenges of training and racing 2.

They don't get caught up in arbitrary times or what other people think...a champion just wants to get the most out of themselves.

--- Ben Rosario

This mindset is applicable to both professional and amateur runners, emphasizing the importance of internal motivation over external validation.

   

Mindset Shifts

Matt Fitzgerald shares his experience of mindset transformation while training with professional athletes, highlighting the importance of self-trust and consistency in executing race plans 3. He emphasizes that the key to improvement lies in adopting a professional mindset, which involves being intentional yet relaxed in one's approach to training 4.

The problem I've had in my previous marathons is like, the me who executes the race isn't the me who comes up with the race plan.

--- Matt Fitzgerald

This shift in perspective allows amateur runners to break free from misconceptions about professional athletes and realize that they too can adopt similar practices to enhance their performance.