26/06/2023
Athlete’s take on mental health 🙌
Jenny Schweigert, from Napa CA currently in North County San Diego
Occupation:
🔸Former Dog Walker and Data Analyst.
What sport(s) do you compete in or what is your athletic background or specialty?
Spartan races, ultras, trail running, road running. Not much background until 2012 I started running 5ks and in 2015 I started running Spartans.
While you enjoy your sport or practice, describe a more recent mental or physical hardship or realization in your journey?
🔸I am not a natural athlete, I train very hard to finish middle of the pack. I raced Spartans from 2015-2018 for fun, and moved to age group in 2019. I finished last most races. In 2021 I trained myself 3 hrs a day 6 days a week to move to middle of the pack, and in 2022 I hired an ocr coach to program my workouts. Finally in September 2022 I finally got my first legit OCR podium! So one realization that I had to mentally overcome through the years is that if you want it, you have to work hard for it, and nothing worth having is easy. I also realized over time that winning a podium, while an amazing feeling, is not why I race. Spartans have done wonders for my mental health, my shyness, and my confidence. For me, sports are more about the everyday journey than the trophy.
How do you balance the reality of life and its ups and downs, but also have a "commitment to growth" mentality?
🔸It’s definitely tough, as in the last 3 years I was diagnosed with depression, anxiety, and PTSD. One thing I have learned is that even if you’re stuck in a depressive episode, making time for workouts is important for long term mental health improvement. Even if I cry the entire workout, I always feel better when I’m done than on days when I skip it. Growth is one day at a time, and each workout, even if it’s a poor quality one, is another step towards your goal. For
me, it also helps to have a compatibility partner for various workouts or to create a schedule and stick to it.
“I am very grateful for Woven Athlete normalizing the impact of mental health on physical performance.” - Jenny
Thanks Jenny share your take. Link in bio.