Life After Elite Sport. A piece for British Milers Club

What is….. life after elite sport?

In many sports, retirement from elite level correlates to a reduction in training or participation in that sporting arena - think of javelin throwers or high jumpers, it’s probably less common to return to the field every day than to lace up your trainers from the front door in retirement. Running outside sport has become a way of life too.

So how do we shape-shift our identify from elite competitor to someone who enjoys running at an equal or secondary level to other aspects of life outside of the track? And when a sporting career is so uncertain, is it ever too early to learn how to do this? In this article we will explore some approaches to finding out who you are aside from the runner within.

Helping athletes transition to life after competitive sports can involve various psychological approaches that address identity, purpose and wellbeing.

It can be healthy for all athletic individuals to try some of these strategies - it will not lessen athletic focus but can promote self development and a growth mindset

Identity Exploration - writing your own story

‘When it’s gone there’s a big void to fill, you have to figure out who you are…’ Michael Johnson

Many people who practice and compete in running and racing identify as athletes and at some points in their most competitive years this may become a larger part of their self-perceived identity. This can be magnified when surrounded by coaches, friends and family who may support your goals in a supportive way, but can also represent a pressure to stay aligned to just one version of yourself.

If you added up all the personal best times, or performances you were happiest with, most athletes would be far short of just one single day of their lives… ‘don’t let running be the thing that determines your happiness.’ (Louise Rudd former world masters 800m champion).

Narrative Therapy is used by psychologists to encourages athletes to be the authors of their life story. This can be helpful when integrating athletic achievements with new roles - as life, work and family roles emerge for example. Keeping other interests outside of sport can help us to continue to develop an identity that is ‘more than running.’

Learn your core values.

What matters to you off the track will influence the choices that you make on and off it. A narrow focus is sometimes encouraged in sport but too narrow and we may struggle to allow ourselves to change and evolve in our beliefs, behaviours and needs over time. Developing the fluidity in thinking to embrace these changes can be attained through self identity work which helps explore values, interests, strengths and weaknesses within ourselves but beyond an athletic persona.

Setting new goals

Alyson Felix found ‘life after track is a different world,’ but recognised that the same drive she had as an athlete winning seven gold medals could be channelled into new areas of life.

A prolonged period of injury or a transition phase from full time to part-time or retired athlete can be just as good a time to set a goal as those when you’re in peak performance. However knowing how to tap into that inner drive in different way can benefit from some lessons

Elite sports teams have lifestyle advisors that can help athletes to find their next step and for others careers counselling can help unlock potential. Find a mentor a few years on from changing their focus in the sport. Maybe one day you’ll be that mentor too.

For athletes, goal-setting can be a familiar tool, but the challenge to set a new focus away from sport can require a shift in approaches. New goals might involve learning new skills for recreation time and for some the serious business of returning to work or education. For an athlete transitioning away from elite sport in their twenties or thirties this can be challenging when peers seem to be settled in careers that are set to last for decades. Remember everyone’s journey is different

Think about it- differently

Our self worth can be tied to performance outcomes, personal best times and our dream goals. Very few athletes will attain every goal they reach for and even an athlete leaving behind a successful sporting career may have regrets or a sense of unfinished business that make it harder to move on.

The approaches used in cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) can help us to reframe feelings of underachievement or inadequacy and move away from the patterns of training in the same way. It can help us see setbacks as longer-term opportunities and improve our self image and self esteem. It’s important to acknowledge that emotions including anxiety can be higher at a time of change. CBT can also help us to foster better coping strategies.

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) can help us deal with the emotional fallout during this time period and bring us closer to understanding and implementing what is meaningful in our lives. Mindfulness is part of this approach - something that can be practiced on watch-free runs and in other forms of physical activity such as yoga and Pilates Keeping active but in new ways can help reduce stress when moving away from an athletic identity and maintain the health benefits you attained from regular practice.

Stay social - somewhat

Shifting toward a mentoring, coaching and/or voluntary role so needed in our clubs can keep us in touch with the social circle we’ve developed, whether we are retiring or taking time out. New interests can open new doors to rooms of likeminded people, however also keeping in touch with peers, older and younger runners can help the athlete and those around them in turn. Running friends are often here for life, facing the same ups and downs long after race days. One caution: don’t get trapped in negative comparison with athletes still riding the wave of their current form or athletic development if you’re at a different stage, and avoid comparing your running and times to those when running was a stronger focus. If social media is a place where you tend to compare yourself, set some rules on how you use it that prioritise your wellbeing.

Remember

…everyone’s journey is unique, and the end of an athletic career is just the beginning of the next phase of life. Time out of the sport is an opportunity for new growth. Hopefully applying some of the above approaches in an individualised way can help athletes smooth the transition and find out more about who they can become beyond sport.

For those struggling, organisations such as Sporting Chance offer support.