Lolo Jones - March 24, 2010 - blog

Curious about what it takes to be a world record-setting, championship-winning, track and field star? We asked Lolo Jones to give us a little insight into her workouts and routines.

What’s your favorite exercise?
I love running stadiums. In twenty minutes that workout can bring even the strongest athletes to their knees. I love running exercises that are so hard you literally have to step outside of your body and coach yourself to finish.

What would you say is your most dreaded exercise?
My most dreaded workouts usually deal with running sprints. It’s funny—you would think that as a professional sprinter I would hate the long distance runs, but it’s actually the opposite for me. I find that on my long runs, I get peace and am able to enjoy running. When I’m running sprints such as the 200, 250, or 300 meter, because the time you have to run them in is so short, it becomes so painful for my body that I can't think of anything else. I don’t hear the birds singing, I don’t see the grass in the park, all I can focus on are my sprints. The best part of those workouts is that afterwards, you are engulfed by this wave of euphoria because you are so proud that your body fought hard and did not give up.

How do you get past plateaus in your training?
It’s so easy to get lazy or sloppy in the mundane aspects of training such as drills or stretching, but every movement has a benefit. Stretching can prevent injury. Drills perfect your technique and help you run faster. So when I feel like I'm tired of the same routine, I try to focus on the small things—if I’m doing a drill, I try to make my technique perfect, as if I'm warming up for an Olympic final. That keeps me from getting lazy. I know everyone isn't training for an Olympic race, but maybe you have a competition coming up in a few months. When you feel like you’re dragging in your daily workouts, imagine that you are training the day before the race.

Do you have a favorite cheat treat?
My favorite cheat foods are chocolate and wings. I try to give myself one cheat day a week. That prevents me from having an overly strict diet where you feel really guilty if you eat anything you’re not supposed to, like a bowl of ice cream.

How do you get pumped up before an event?
It comes from different things. It may be the atmosphere of the crowd. It may be a really strong competitor at the same race. But the best motivation usually comes from within. When you have a goal you’re trying hard to reach, you will need no motivation.