An Olympic Distance Runner On Digging Deep When Facing Adversity
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Carrie Tollefson (@CTolleRun) was a distance runner for the U.S. at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. Earlier, she was a 13-time Minnesota state champion in track and field and cross country. At Villanova University, she was a 5-time NCAA Champion and the 1998 NCAA Indoor Track Athlete of the year.
In this clip, Tollefson reflects on how she had to find inner strength to overcome adversity, such as injuries. She shares that it was very hard for to take breaks from competition and preparation while injured and channeled some of the energy into cross-training as part of her recovery.
The key was to take a long view and realize that if she could persist through the "rollercoaster ride" of an athletic career, she would come out on top.
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