Athlete Anecdote - Training

I should be the last person someone asks about athletic training and performance enhancement because I don’t strictly follow a training plan. I go where the wind takes me and listen to my coach’s ideas for the day. That said, I do have one thing to say about performance in sports: you have to love what you are doing! Don’t ever push yourself to do something you hate or feel forced to do. You know your body and your limits.

For example, I play tennis. Even while I kept losing matches, I kept my head high. I was inspired by my teammates and continued to train harder. I wanted to improve and prove myself wrong. I didn’t feel forced to do this—I genuinely wanted to perform better for myself and see how far I could go. However, I know many people play sports without much joy. Whenever I ask them about it, they laugh it off and say it’s going horribly, and that they want to quit. In many ways, quitting and returning later can strengthen your resolve, but in this case, it’s best to continue only if you truly want to.

This is why it’s so important to focus on your health and be aware of how much you’re pushing yourself in practice. There were numerous times I felt fatigued from running suicides or trying to improve my mile time. I was exhausted and wanted to quit after only half a mile, but my coach recognized this and told me to take a break. Overtraining is real, and it’s important to develop a healthy relationship with your body. It can be difficult to distinguish between excuses and true exhaustion. Many people also struggle with under-recovery, meaning they don’t allow their bodies enough rest. Individuals must find balance by approaching training with an open mind. Nutrition, sleep, and monitoring your health are just a few key steps to preventing overtraining and under-recovery.