Separating the best from the rest
Always believe…never give in.
What separates the very best from the rest!
Naturally, we cant all be at the top of the tree! But there are some points of differentiation.
At face value, the “very best” and the “very good” often look similar...both will have talent, successful training habits, and good levels of success. The difference shows up in the marginal gains, their mental strength, belief systems, and how they react in tough times.
I asked the same question to my good friend Abel Kipchumba during my most recent trip to Kenya...Abel has previously been the world record holder for the HM...58.07 some years ago, set in Valencia, but since beaten. His answer was the ability to tolerate pain! The great Eliud Kipchoge embraced pain...it meant that he was running fast! That feeling relates back to mental strength…they flipped pain from a negative to a positive!
The very best are relentlessly consistent in all that they do...training, commitment, mind set, routines etc. Good athletes will do that to an extent, the very best show up every day regardless of mood, or external distractions.
There is also a different relationship with feedback and failure. The very best actively seek it out, even when it’s uncomfortable, and adjust quickly. Failure is just another learning opportunity...the chance to learn and improve still more. This is similar to marginal gains...those tiny tweaks but sufficient to gradually make a difference...attention to detail. Focus is another factor. The very best are incredibly focused about only the things that matter and avoid distractions.
Some athletes will have natural talent, and some will benefit from "family genes"...both will only take you so far. Those that truly succeed, sustain all of the factors...plenty of athletes can perform well for a short stretch. The very best maintain high standards over years, not months. That endurance—mental, emotional, and physical separates the best from the rest.
We cant all be Champions, but we can all make sure that every time we train, every time we race, that we never give up on being "our best version of ourselves"...our belief, our self talk, our training, all coming together to be better than the day before...pain is temporary... your success will be worth it!