Ep 32 Dr Noel Brick: The Genius of Athletes
· Trail Running Ireland Podcast
In the middle of the Tokyo Olympics, Eoin Flynn talks to Kerry-born sport psychologist Dr Noel Brick about what world-class athletes do with their minds: self-talk, if-then planning, sources of confidence, and the mental health conversation the Games opened up. First, René Borg discusses whether trail and mountain running could ever become Olympic sports, and how to find a training philosophy that suits you.
René and Eoin talk about the Olympic bid for mountain running and why spectator appeal, live streaming and sponsorship matter. They also discuss the gap between Olympic funding and professional football. René then explains that results come from actions, and actions come from beliefs. Read a coach's training philosophy before their sample schedules. Training trends move in cycles and are now moving towards individual plans and data, with algorithms unable to replace the human coach. Eoin notes that even elite pros on the same team train in very different ways.
Noel discusses the Olympics: Holly Bradshaw's work with a psychologist, the Irish lightweight rowers' calm execution of their race plan, and Simone Biles's decision to step back for her mental health and the support around her. He explains how The Genius of Athletes came about with Runner's World writer Scott Douglas, and walks through its chapters. Self-talk has the strongest evidence base. In one study, speaking to yourself in the second or third person ("you can do this") made cyclists about 2% faster than first-person statements did, through a self-distancing effect. He recommends if-then plans for the low moments you can expect in a race. He says athletes face mental health challenges at rates similar to everyone else, and can struggle with loss of identity after the Olympics or retirement. Finally, he shares how he's building confidence from controllable training markers for a Boston-qualifying attempt at the Belfast Marathon.