But What Went Right - Blog by Dr. Margaret Smith Margaret Smith Ph.D. Apr 16, 2020

Some of you are pretty good at providing yourselves with criticism (constructive and otherwise). Scratch that. Some of you are really good at giving yourselves a beat down. 

Can You Get A Witness? (Yes, You Can.) Margaret Smith Ph.D. Apr 15, 2020

Maybe it's about that time again. You're in transition - one season or training cycle has ended, and you're getting ready to start a new one. Maybe you're excited.

Your Average Matters More Than Your PR Margaret Smith Ph.D. Apr 14, 2020

In a day and age when runners are measured by their PR, Dr Margaret Smith discusses the comparison of Average Race Time vs PR.

Setting Goals for Championship Meets Margaret Smith Ph.D. Apr 13, 2020

It's that time of the season when your coach is pulling back on the reins of your training. How to do set sensible goals for the championship season?

One Skill All College Coaches Want (and How to Develop It).. Margaret Smith Ph.D. Apr 10, 2020

If you stuffed a bunch of college coaches -- from all sports -- into one single room and asked them what they look for in a recruit, there's at least one skill nearly every single one of them would agree on.

Making the Conversion from Practice to Race Margaret Smith Ph.D. Apr 08, 2020

We are revisiting Dr Margaret Smith's series on mental health in athletes.  So what follows is no magical formula for transformation.Instead, it's a few questions for you to ask yourself.

Making the conversion from practice to race is an issue athletes face each time they throw on a uniform. Dr. Margaret Smith discusses the issue and ways to cope with it.

Thrive Where You're At: 1:46 800m runner Golden Coachman Margaret Smith Ph.D. Apr 03, 2020

We are revisiting Dr Margaret Smith's series on mental health in athletes.  Golden Coachman has run 800m in1:46, earned NCAA All-America honors, All-SEC honors, Olympic Trials qualifications, and advanced degrees all while serving in the United States Army (13 years and counting!)

Margaret Smith Ph.D.: A Plea for Less Talk about Time Goals Margaret Smith Ph.D. Apr 01, 2020

Margaret Smith wrote a series of articles several years ago for AlabamaRunners.  With a background in Sports Psychology, she focussed on the mental health of the runner.  With the current state of events, we all thought this could be helpful.  We will be revisiting her series over the coming days.

Thrive Where You're At: 1:46 800m runner Golden Coachman on Speed as a Process Margaret Smith Ph.D. Jun 25, 2016

Golden Coachman has run 800m in 1:46, earned NCAA All-America honors, All-SEC honors, Olympic Trials qualifications, and advanced degrees all while serving in the United States Army (13 years and counting!). 

NCAA All American Shares What it Takes to Seek Greater Heights: Amber Melville Margaret Smith Ph.D. May 12, 2016

Total task focus. That's how high jumper Amber Melville found herself on the podium of the ACC Championships during her first year of college. Attending only to the factors she could control during competition - the elements of her jump, the excitement and positive energy she felt from getting the chance to compete - Amber never realized there were only two other jumpers still jumping.

The Power of the Vision: NCAA All American and 2016 Olympian Amina Smith Margaret Smith Ph.D. Apr 20, 2016

NCAA All-American and ACC Champion Amina Smith **will** represent the United States in the 2016 Olympic Games. Amina shares with us the importance of seeing what it is you want - and communicating that vision even when it's difficult.

Your Average Matters more than Your PR: Chase Madison on the Payoff of Consistency Margaret Smith Ph.D. Apr 13, 2016

Chase Madison, owner of the second-furthest discus throw in the United States in 2015, has qualified for and competed at two Olympic Trials, 8 USATF National Championships, is a two-time NCAA All-American (at University of Kentucky), an SEC Champion, and the proud owner of 2,549 days without a PR during his professional career. 

Confidence - An Ongoing Process with Athletes. Margaret Smith Ph.D. Mar 08, 2016

Don't be so hard on yourself.....lighten up and just run!  Dr. Margaret Smith looks at the subject on athlete self-criticism.

But What Went Right - Blog by Dr. Margaret Smith Margaret Smith Ph.D. Feb 15, 2016

Regardless of whether the performance goes down as your all-time best or worst, there are positive elements that you made happen. And knowing what it is you did - including what you did well - is where you start to generate an action plan for improvement.

Can You Get A Witness? (Yes, You Can.) - Blog by Dr. Margaret Smith Margaret Smith Ph.D. Feb 08, 2016

Extrinsic motivation is easy to caricature, and intrinsic motivation easy to glorify. But the truth is that motivation, like many a Facebook relationship status, is complicated.  

Getting Psyched Up for States - Blog by Dr. Margaret Smith Margaret Smith Ph.D. Feb 02, 2016

File this one under Easier Said Than Done, along with all our other conversations. But as you Alabama Runners (and Jumpers! and Throwers!) head into the State Championship this week, let's take a minute to look at the power of positive self-talk.

You Average Matters More Than Your PR Margaret Smith Ph.D. Nov 20, 2015

In a day and age when runners are measured by their PR, Dr Margaret Smith discusses the comparison of Average Race Time vs PR.

Setting Goals for Championship Meets Margaret Smith Ph.D. Nov 02, 2015

It’s that time of the season when your coach is pulling back on the reins of your training. How to do set sensible goals for the championship season? Margaret Smith discusses the topic in her latest article!

One Skill All College Coaches Want (and How to Develop It)... Margaret Smith Ph.D. Oct 25, 2015

If you stuffed a bunch of college coaches -- from all sports -- into one single room and asked them what they look for in a recruit, there’s at least one skill nearly every single one of them would agree on.

Making the Conversion from Practice to Race Margaret Smith Ph.D. Oct 12, 2015

Making the conversion from practice to race is an issue athletes face each time they throw on a uniform. Dr. Margaret Smith discusses the issue and ways to cope with it.

Margaret Smith Ph.D.: A Plea for Less Talk about Time Goals Margaret Smith Ph.D. Oct 02, 2015

Margaret Smith works with a clinical sport psychology practice in Birmingham, Alabama. She will be penning a weekly blog series here on AlabamaRunners.