The sharp edges of his spikes sink into the ground as he places his foot at the starting line. His heart pounds and a nervous sweat beads against his brow. This is it. He’s got this. As the starting gun fires, the opening notes from “Gonna Fly Now” from “Rocky” ring throughout his brain. He pictures himself winning. He tells himself that he will beat the runner in front of him. And he does. For sophomore cross country runner and state qualifier, Will Gancer, this is his gold medal mentality.
Her breathing quickens as the race official raises his starting gun. The gun fires and she immediately begins counting her steps in a rhythm. 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4. As her rhythm begins to falter and fatigue sets in, she forces herself to think about the impending regret if she doesn’t push herself now. She pictures herself at the end of the race, frustrated because she didn’t give it her all. As her spikes tear up the hill she is working, she repeats to herself about how her “body can do everything.” For 8th-grade cross country runner, Lucy Chapman, this is her gold medal mentality.
However, this “gold medal mentality” isn’t just found in aspiring young high school athletes with big dreams, it also follows these runners as they blossom into Division 1 athletes. For University of Michigan cross country and track athlete and Stockbridge alum, Rylee Tolson, she’s experienced how much mentality can influence even the most talented collegiate athletes.
“Struggles with mental health hinder one’s ability to take the first few steps towards improving as an athlete,” Tolson said.
Tolson, who has built a strong mental health foundation over her years as a runner, also has mental cues to help her push through a race, much like Gancer and Chapman. However, she has found that there isn’t a “cure-all” cue that works for all runners–including herself.
“For me, mentality is about finding what works in a very individualistic way. My motivations are not the same as the motivations of the other competitors,” Tolson said.
Recognizing that she might not be able to utilize cues other runners use such as Gancer’s “Rocky” theme song, or Chapman’s rhythmic stride counting, Tolson adapted to her own gold medal mentality.
“In the past, I have used little mantras like ‘stay’ or ‘know and control’ to give myself the reminders I need at key points in workouts and races,” Tolson said. “These words have a very personal meaning to me.”
While Tolson relies heavily on her mentality and running cues, she still stresses the importance of proper mental health for runners of all ages and stages.
“People are people,” Tolson said. “They have good days and bad ones and cannot be forced into sharp-edged categories based on their mood. The true definitions of positive and negative mentality should look more like this: A positive mentality is showing up each day and doing one’s best. A negative mentality is showing up each day and impinging on other’s positive mentality.”
For Gancer, Chapman and Tolson, these are their gold medal mentalities. However, a gold medal mentality is nothing without being put into practice. From middle school runners to high-performing collegiate athletes, they all agree: “the whole sport is just getting comfortable with being uncomfortable.”
