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Why Not Almost There? I had never run a long race in my life, but here I am, in the middle of the 2015 Chicago Marathon. Iām feeling fantastic, even thinking I could go double the distance. Just being in this race was a mini-miracle. I had heart surgery and back surgery a decade earlier. I could barely stand back then, let alone run. Nonetheless, Iām fired up and feel better than ever. Then I see right in front of meā a sign that nearly stops me in my tracks, NOT ALMOST THERE. I try to brush it off but canāt stop thinking about those words. Every step seems heavier, harder, and then I start cramping up. I begin to walk and complain inside and out. I struggle the entire second half but finish (barely) with everything I have after being physically and mentally crushed. I have never stopped thinking about that sign but thatās fueled a quest to understand the power of the mind, body, and spirit. To understand how we accomplish things. To understand how we become better in the race against time and ourselves. Who am I? Southside Chicago kid. Young Father (20). Assembly line worker. Found 15 seconds between building cars to study. Graduated. Took 5 years. Created a few companies. Sold two. 800 employees. Created Refuel and Not Almost There to help others.
Episodes
Wednesday Jul 07, 2021
Wednesday Jul 07, 2021
šāāļø Dr. Noel Brick is a professor, ultra runner, and most recently a published author.Ā Co-authored with Scott Douglas, The Genius of Athletes focuses on successful athletes who have a toolkit of mental strategies that help them to perform at their best. The book expounds on how, once learned, these techniques can be adapted to overcome challenges in everyday life. Currently, Noel is working on his second book and is a lecturer in Sport and Exercise Psychology at Ulster University. He completed an undergraduate degree in Sport and Exercise Science at the University of Limerick in 1997, an MSc in Sport and Exercise at Ulster University in 2003, and an MSc in Applied Sport and Exercise Psychology at Staffordshire University in 2017. In 2016 he completed a Ph.D. at the University of Limerick. Alongside his academic and research activities, Noel is also a long-distance runner and has completed more than 30 marathons and ultra-marathons including the Marathon des Sables in 2012 and the Irish 24-hour Championships in 2013.
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āIN THIS EPISODEā¦Joe talks to Noel about his incredible book, The Genius of Athletes. We start the episode strong with Hoe asking Noel why learning to think like an athlete is so important, and the conversation just explodes from there. Noel provides tips for not just the athletes in the audience, but for everyone looking to help win in their everyday lives with goal setting, confidence building, and controlling stress levels.Ā
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š Breakdown with Noel Brick Ph.D.:
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Chapter 1 (0:00) Intro
Joe introduces Noel Brick, author of The Genius of Athletes
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Chapter 2 (1:12) The importance of thinking like an athlete
There is so much that happens in sport from emotions to pressure/stress. These themes can mirror in our lives
Chapter 3 (3:38) Getting into the psychology of athletics
Noel is a lecturer in sport psychology, research is his hobby. He is an ultra runner and athlete himself, and his experience and studies have brought him to interesting discoveries
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Chapter 4 (12:23) Kikkan Randall mindset
Kikkan Randall is an Olympic athlete that was diagnosed with breast cancer. She is a great example of putting voice to her emotions in a healthy way is a great strategy.
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Chapter 5 (20:38) Emotion regulation and expression
Emotions have such a high impact on your daily plans. It is important to implement strategies to mitigate the effect high emotion can have.
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Chapter 6 (28:32) Journaling and other strategies
Planning time to worry and allowing yourself time for feelings of stress and anxiety helps to limit the control said emotions have over you. It also minimizes the moments of surprise panic, because you allowed time for those feelings.
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Chapter 7 (39:12) Pre-event rituals
Noel shares some of his most effective pre-event rituals, and how you can get yourself in the right headspace before an important day.
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Chapter 8 (45:22) What you can control
The theory of threat state is an idea about how you can view a situation. Noel goes into the psychology of threat and control.
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Chapter 9 (48:29) Be your own coach
It is important to self-analyze and give yourself tips and strategies to be better. Set your own goals. No one should be more invested in your success than you!
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Chapter 10 (52:56) 5-4-3-2-1 Method
This is a grounding method that Noel advocates for to help bring you back to the present moment.
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Chapter 11 (55:37) Failure to achieve
Failing to get started can be a number one reason for failure when people set goals for themselves.
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Chapter 12 (58:22) Putting thoughts to action
Having a plan to not allow your thoughts to be stagnant and not come to fruition. It is important that you put your thoughts to action.
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Chapter 13 (1:05:03) Off days
You canāt allow your off days to derail your training/ambition. Everyone has off days, Noel gives examples of who to minimize your off day and how to keep your momentum going.
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Chapter 14 (1:11:22) Creating new habits
Great tips on starting new habits in your everyday life. This doesnāt have to be just for your athletic goals, but for your daily goals as well.
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Chapter 15 (1:28:03) Ending
Joe thanks Noel for being a part of the show, and wraps up the interview
Material Referenced in this interview:
āThe Genius of Athletes
āWorld Class: The Making of the U.S. Women's Cross-Country Ski Team (Kikkan Randall)
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š Connect with Noel Brick
āhttps://twitter.com/noelbrickie
āhttps://www.facebook.com/noel.brick
āhttps://noelbrick.com/contact-me
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š To learn more about Not Almost There by visiting this linkĀ
ā Not Almost There http://notalmostthere.com/ā
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Connect with Joe on social here:
āInstagram https://www.instagram.com/joe_chura/ā
āFacebook https://www.facebook.com/notalmostthere/ā
āTwitter http://twitter.com/joechura
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