It’s no surprise. Everyone seems inspired by the Olympics — at least by one performance. Every one of the graduate students in my competitive performance and goal setting class at Boston College — a mix of current and former professional athletes and executives ages 23 to 58 — say they’ve been moved to reflect on their own dreams, regardless of whether they’re professional, athletic, or personal. Different Olympic stories inspire different people.

The students discussed the messages they’ve taken away. They’re not new, but they are powerful: stress the small steps to a large goal; be patient with routine (remember the maxim of “boring wears well”); no achievement comes without struggle; stick with your own goals — don’t get swayed by those around you; be prepared to be reminded, again, that the journey and not the arrival is always the best part of striving.

Maybe the Olympics have encouraged you to reach for your highest goals?

Remember the importance of specificity of training? Incorporate “running arms” into your workouts. Strong arms help running speed.

So — stand in front of a mirror with feet shoulder width apart.

1) Your front arm angle should be between 60-90 degrees at the elbow, your back arm should be between 90-120 degrees, also at the elbow. Initiate arm swing at and through the shoulders.
2) Elbows should be locked in place, with elbow angle changing only slightly. Range of motion with the arms should be hip to cheek. The hand clears the hip in the back and comes up to about cheek height in front.
3) Drive the elbows down and back. Focus on driving the arms back as they are recovered elastically by the stretch of muscles in the shoulder. So, don’t drive your arms up and forward — the stretch reflex will bring them forward anyway.
4) Don’t cross the midline of your body. (Otherwise you may rotate your hips, burning excess energy, causing fatigue.)

RUNNING ARM EXERCISES WITHOUT WEIGHTS: THREE DIFFERENT INTENSITIES — 2 – 3 times a week

Stand in front of a mirror with the feet shoulder width apart. Bring your weight forward onto the balls of the feet so your heels are slightly off the ground, but not so far forward that your toes curl to maintain balance.
Start with one arm forward, 90 degrees at the elbow and one arm back, also 90 degrees at the elbow. Perform this drill at three different intensities.
1) Arm action at 50% intensity – 
2 sets of 30 seconds
, 15 second rest between sets
2) Arm action at 80% intensity
 – 2 sets of 20 seconds
, 20 seconds rest between sets
3) Arm action at 100% intensity – 
4-5 sets of 10 seconds
, 25-30 seconds rest between sets

You deserve a thumbs-up now.

Many people say their best races have been due to a positive mental outlook. Try two approaches and see which works better for you:

1 – Dissociation, or focusing thoughts away from fatigue and effort. Techniques to practice dissociation are 1) playing music 2) counting – count the number of mail boxes, or green cars your pass, for example 3) picking a category like countries or names and talk through the alphabet and 4) imagining what you might do if you won the lottery. Avoid thoughts that can create tension.

2 – Association involves focusing on bodily sensations and monitoring any internal changes – usually internal – that occur. Breathing rate and muscular sensations provide physiological cues that allow you to pace yourself while avoiding a focus on pain or intensity. You can 1) focus on controlled, relatively deep rhythmic breathing – and picture tension leaving your body every time you breathe out 2) think of relaxing, starting with your head and working down your body, focusing on each muscle group or 3) try “self-talk” with positive thoughts (think “I am strong” in the third quarter of a race). Many athletes say they’ve planned positive phrases to think about before their races.

Recent research has shown the following:
1. In general, association seems linked to faster running times.
2. Dissociation can reduce the sense of effort and awareness of physical sensations such as pain and fatigue – usually up to moderate-to-high intensity.
3. Athletes of all levels appear to prefer association in competition and dissociation when training.
4. Elite athletes tend to use both strategies during training and races, and are able to switch between the two, as required.