NEW GRIT

LEGENDARY PERFORMANCE COACH STEVE MAGNESS ON THE REAL SECRET OF MENTAL STRENGTH

- RICK PEARSON

AS A HIGHLY PROMISING YOUNG RUNNER, STEVE MAGNESS FULLY EMBRACED THE 'NO PAIN, NO GAIN' PHILOSOPHY ON MENTAL TOUGHNESS.

But he learned from bitter personal experience that steeling yourself to push through the pain barrier isn't always the right psychological strategy, when he collapsed during a tough training session. Fast-forward 15 years, and Magness has become a globally renowned performance coach who has worked with elite athletes and Olympians. He's also a celebrated author whose books - including Peak Performance and The Science Of Running - have sold more than half a million copies worldwide. One of sport's foremost scientific thinkers, Magness has spent the past five years studying resilience, leading him to an enlightened re-examination of the role of mental strength in performance in his latest book, Do Hard Things - a 'must-read' according to runner and author Malcolm Gladwell. He sat down with RW to explore why we've been getting mental strength wrong, what true toughness actually looks like, and how you can apply it to take your running to the next level.

RUNNER'S WORLD: What motivated you to write your new book?