Every athlete knows there is no such thing as an “off season.” Competition is so fierce that there is no time for breaks. It is almost guaranteed that another athlete is working longer and harder, but what is all of the work for? The answer is simple: victory. The work is for that one moment, even the briefest of moments, when all of the pain, sweat, and tears are washed away by a feeling of achievement and pride. Victory can be emotional, physical or spiritual. It can be measure by a material object, like a gold medal, or it can be an internal sense of pride that helps you wake up every morning feeling like a million bucks. Either way, there is nothing like the feeling of victory and it wouldn’t feel nearly as good if it wasn’t the result of hard work, persistence, and dedication. The reason the feeling of victory is better than anything else in the world is because of the climb. Why do I think of the song “The Climb?” Probably because it has been on repeat on my iPod for weeks...yea so what! There will be challenges along the way and the road to victory will not always be easy, hence her lyrics “sometimes I’m gonna have to lose,” but victory tastes so sweet because of what you endure on the climb. It is so easy to say you will work harder and so challenging to actually follow through. Work, school, soreness, fatigue, a favorite TV show, can’t find a ride to the gym, too cold out...sound familiar? We have all used at least one of these excuses at some point in time and the question is how do we suck it up and JUST DO IT? Well I met with one special athlete who gave me some great advice.

Recently, I had the opportunity to meet and interview Shelly Ann Fraser, Gold medalist and World Champion in the 100m dash. Shelly is the first Jamaican woman to win an gold medal in the 100m dash and the ONLY woman in history to have gold medals in the Games and the World Championships simultaneously. I know...I am lucky to even say hello to her let alone eat dinner and do an interview for Nike!

But anyways, aside from her accomplishments on the track, Shelly has overcome numerous challenges and shared with me how she manages to push herself in workouts as hard as she can every day. Shelly gets one month off during the entire year. During the other 11 months, she wakes up every morning, while still in school and heads to the track. The Jamaican heat can be intense. There is no guarantee that all of her hard work will pay off. Growing up, a precedent had never been set in her community to be the best. Many women Shelly grew up with became pregnant early and became fully consumed with raising a family and joining the work force without opportunities to further their education. What keeps her going? Along with her mother, who is the hardest worker she has ever met, Shelly uses inspirational quotes as a main source of motivation. Her bedroom walls, ceilings and furniture are entirely covered with markings of inspirational quotes and sayings that shoot straight to her heart. She frequently wakes up and wants to go back to sleep, but a glance at the wall or the ceiling is enough to get her going!

I am not encouraging you to write all over your bedroom because I don’t want you to get in trouble (I know I would!) but try hanging up your favorite phrases like Shelly does! My favorite saying is, “Your attitude determines your altitude.” Since meeting Shelly, I now have this quote on my phone, in my bedroom and on my computer so I am constantly reminded to look at the glass half full. It works for Shelly and it is working out for me pretty well. Give it a shot! I got to watch the video of Shelly winning gold at the World Championships and we have all seen or been a part of a similar experience. I can promise you there is nothing greater in the world than the feeling of victory. Hard work is worth it. Plus, the harder you work the luckier you get...so get to the gym and JUST DO IT!

-Allie LaForce