A Lesson from Sprinters-Express Yourself!

Journal Activity - April 27, 2025

Author

Jeremy Haselhorst
April 27, 2025

If you’ve been using the FREE2COMPETE weekly journal activities, you’ve probably noticed that we don’t tell you how you should think or what you should do. We ask you questions that help you understand yourself better. A few weeks ago I listened to an episode of the “Huberman Lab” podcast where the host was interviewing Stu McMillan, one of the top sprint coaches in the world. In the middle of the 3 hour podcast, they spent about 5 minutes talking about elite sprinters and the importance of expressing who YOU are through your competition.

Grab your journal and watch this video starting at the 1:22:27 mark (Chapter Titled “Expression through Movement, Playfulness, Confidence”) and end at the 1:29:05 mark (when he starts talking about Rick Rubin). Write down anything that is said during the video that stands out to you or you connect with. Then on your journal activity for the week.

“He’s got 7 Olympic medals. He really stands up when it matters, because he is connected with WHO he is. He knows WHO he is and what HE brings out to the performance arena is connected like this (hitting his fist) to that.”

Stu McMillan talking about Andre De Grasse (Canadian Sprinter)

“Usain brought this ‘yeah it’s okay to jump around and dance and have fun, but it’s not for everybody if that’s not who you are.”

Stu McMillan

I hope you were paying attention when he talked about Asafa Powell, one of the greatest sprinters in world history who struggled to perform in the biggest competitions. He was trying to be and act like everyone else, but he didn’t know who he was.

I see this in a lot of athletes that I coach. They are trying to be so many other people, when they forget that they were created and called to be their TRUE self!

JOURNAL ACTIVITY

When you perform at or near your best, what parts of your true personality - who you REALLY are - shine through in those moments?