“I always tell people that your consistency is going to put you on the right side of that thousandth of a second, you know? It comes down to that. And so every little thing compounds. Don't ever think that thing you consider at that moment is not going to matter.” - Mechelle Freeman
Today's guest is Mechelle Lewis Freeman, former Olympic sprinter and current relays coach for the United States.
Mechelle is a true inspiration having become one of the fastest women in the world at the pinnacle of her professional athletic career. What’s even more impressive than how fast she ran is how she reached such heights.
Mechelle reminds us all that we have to believe in ourselves and that, no matter what, doing the work everyday is always going to be a requirement if you want to achieve your goals. If you’re not consistent, no matter what you believe, you will struggle to realize your full potential. This conversation is going to take you on a journey unlike any other conversation we've had on this podcast thus far.
Timestamped Show Notes
(4:05) How the pandemic impacts athletes and coaching…
(8:44) “Now that person can have hope… You know, not shift too much with a year change. My path still, is in that same direction. It's just that I have to pivot. I think that's what is different in a situation like that. Having that hope that the Olympic games are still for them in this time period. And I think that's what was key.”
(11:57) Athletes may have missed opportunities, but they doubled down on their craft…
(13:26) The Lewis twins… a fast rise into the sport of track and field…
(15:55) A decision to go to grad school, an Eddie Murphy movie, and a promising career…
(17:44) The circumstances surrounding a spark to run again…
(19:09) “I was stripping a lot of things mentally and like pain and just going through that process of just healing. But it was during that time where I also started to pray and read my Bible and, you know, lean on God.”
(21:45) Going through the process of training for the Olympic team after not running for four years…
(25:48) A hydration analogy…
(27:05) A winning routine… and power in the simple, consistent steps…
(29:47) A remarkable story to illustrate a great truth…
(33:27) Leveling up to the Olympics…
(35:20) “And so that was another situation of understanding about controlling the controllable and putting yourself in that environment. Going to the pool and doing deep water running and still seeing the same things, still approaching practice the same way.”
(36:51) Preparing for the load by fueling the body and paying attention to restoration…
(39:09) No wasted effort and no wasted movement…
(41:43) Living your wildest dreams…
(45:37) The start of TrackGirlz…
(48:15) A simple piece of advice from Mechelle...
References
2008 USA Track Championships 100m (Mechelle's PB) - YouTube
TrackGirlz - website | Instagram
Guest
Mechelle Lewis Freeman - Instagram | Twitter
Mechelle's fav UCAN product: Cherry Berry Almond Bar
Hosts:
Jon Rankin - gobemore.co | @chasejonrankin
Bryan Green - maketheleapbook.com | @maketheleapbook
Learn More:
UCAN - ucan.co | @genucan
Your Personal Best Awaits
