Short episode summary Elite athletes exhibit unique traits, solid and admirable characteristics that help them succeed in their sport. But guess what, you don’t have to be elite to be an athlete. Tune in to learn more!   Timestamps of big takeaways Being a Runner [01:14] The vast majority of runners are just standing around in the crowds getting ready to get warmed up. If it's cold, maybe they're hopping up and down. But you always see those one or two elites or frontline runners that are running, and they're running the parking lot. They're doing their skips, or they're doing high knees, and butt kicks -  but they're getting themselves warmed up for the race.   What Makes an Athlete an Athlete? [02:58] What makes a person athletic is being physically superior to the average human. For example, being faster and better physically well-conditioned. It's in their DNA. What is in their thought process is that they respect the race they're about to run, and they respect their body. They take care to give their body enough time to warm up and to feel the elasticity to be ready to run.   First Mile Lies [03:32] Most runners have always joked about the first mile lying to you. You go out, and it can either be great, and it lies to you because it was a great first mile, and then maybe the heat gets to you, or you ate something that upsets your stomach. And then you wind up feeling fantastic. Maybe you start getting into the groove of your run and what you thought was going to be a bad run becomes a good run.   Things to Remember [04:49] Interestingly, a common theme is that strength/sports performance coaches generally like training more than they like playing their sport of choice. In training, the goal is to get athletes fit, strong, disciplined, and confident. But beyond this, the scope of a sports performance coach is the ability to deliver training.   [05:56] Bottom line - you ARE an athlete. And you should treat your training that way. We need to treat our running practice like an athlete does, and we need to exercise it, give it strength, and give our muscles, tendons, and bones reinforcement.   [07:01] Warm-up with strength training, exercise, self-care, fuel, and hydration. And then when you go to line up, if your friends don't want to warm up, just take that extra five to ten minutes to do it on your own anyway. You’re an athlete after all, and you must act like one.   Rate, Review & Subscribe Reminder Don’t forget to like and subscribe to our show. You can also rate and review our show on iTunes! We’re on Spotify as well, or you can listen to our show directly on Libsyn here.    Links mentioned in episode -- Want some free drills to train like an athlete? Check out our FREE 30-day reboot on YouTube by RunRX https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDPcF8ZrDdILC8bYyn2zR-4xvqKRzp2re -- Join the membership: https://runrx.fit/join-runrxstrong/ -- https://www.runrx.fit/ -- Have questions? Email us at support@runrx.fit