How a Simple Rule of Thirds Helped an Olympian Overcome Her Worst Day

One month before the Rio Olympics, an American runner found herself crying on the track during a crucial workout. She could not hit her target times and felt like everything was falling apart. Her coach, a former Olympian himself, walked over and gave her the best advice she had ever received. He told her about the rule of thirds – the idea that when chasing any big dream, a person is supposed to feel good one third of the time, okay one third of the time, and terrible one third of the time. This simple perspective shift changed everything for that athlete and continues to guide her approach to life, running, and everything she does.

The Crisis Before the Olympics

The runner was just one month away from competing in the 10,000 meters at the Olympic Games in Rio. This was the race she had trained for her entire life. Every early morning run, every painful workout, every sacrifice she made was all leading to this one moment.

But during a very important workout, everything went wrong. Her body would not cooperate. Her legs felt heavy and wrong. Her lungs burned in a way that did not seem right. And her mind started playing terrible tricks on her.

She stood on the track in lane one, surrounded by her five teammates, and the tears started flowing. She could not stop them. Questions flooded her head. Was she good enough? What was she going to do? Was she even worth it? These thoughts tortured her as she watched her teammates nearby.

If she could not perform in front of five people she trained with every single day, how could she ever perform in front of thousands of people on the biggest stage in the world? She kept looking at her watch, begging it to show different numbers. She wanted to see something that would tell her everything was going to be okay. But the numbers stayed the same. Slow. Wrong. Not good enough.

The Coach’s Unexpected Advice

That is when her coach walked over. He was not just any coach. He had been an Olympian himself. He understood the pressure she was feeling. He knew the fear that was gripping her heart.

“Take your watch off,” he said calmly.

The runner looked at him confused. Take her watch off? This was the most important workout of her entire life. How could she possibly train without her watch? He had never said this to her before. In all their years together, he had always focused on the numbers. Pace. Time. Splits. These were the things that got athletes to the Olympics.

When he told her to take her watch off, her mind went to the worst place. Maybe she was not good enough. Maybe he had given up on her. Maybe this was his way of saying it did not matter anymore.

But then he explained. “No, Lex,” he said calmly and confidently. “It is the rule of thirds.”

She had never heard of this rule. What was the rule of thirds? And how could it possibly help her when she was crying on the track feeling like her whole world was falling apart?

Understanding the Rule of Thirds

The coach explained it simply. When a person is chasing a dream or doing anything really hard, they are supposed to feel good about a third of the time. They are supposed to feel okay about a third of the time. And they are supposed to feel terrible about a third of the time.

That is the perfect ratio. One third good. One third okay. One third awful.

When he said this, everything started making sense for the runner. All those training days where she felt amazing, all those days where she felt just fine, and all those terrible days where she wanted to quit. They were not signs that something was wrong. They were signs that she was doing exactly what she was supposed to be doing.

The coach explained further. If a person feels too good all the time, that might actually be a bad sign. It could mean they are not pushing themselves hard enough. They might be staying in their comfort zone instead of going beyond the boundaries of their potential.

But if a person feels too bad all the time, that is also a problem. It could mean they are fatiguing themselves too much. It could mean they are doing something unsustainable and need to dial things back.

If a person is within this ratio, then the bad days are not really bad. They just mean they are chasing a dream. That day, the coach had her take her watch off because it was not about pace anymore. It was about effort.

How the Rule Transformed Her Training

The runner got back on the track with a new mindset. She stopped looking at her watch. She stopped worrying about the splits. She just ran. She gave 100 percent effort even when she did not feel 100 percent fast.

She finished that workout. She did not hit her targets. But she gave everything she had. And that was enough.

A few weeks later, she went to the Olympics in Rio. She ran the 10,000 meters. And she broke a national record. She ran a personal best. It was an incredible experience.

Her coach was absolutely right. The rule of thirds did not just help her in that one workout. It changed her entire approach to everything she does.

Applying the Rule to an Ultramarathon

After the Olympics, the runner thought she was done with running. But she was wrong. She decided to enter a big ultramarathon. This was the Leadville 100-mile race in the Rocky Mountains. It is 16 times the distance of her Olympic race. It goes over 15,000 feet of elevation. Statistically, only half the people who start this race actually finish it. Runners go through the entire night. It is a wild experience.

The ultramarathon is the complete opposite of the Olympics. It is not about pace or time or place. It is about being present and continuing to move forward. There was no coach out there to monitor her thirds. She had to do that herself.

During that race, she felt every feeling possible. One moment she felt like a brave, capable voyager. The next moment she felt like she was barely hanging on. There were moments of strength and power. And there were moments of complete exhaustion.

The Hardest Night of the Race

There were some really hard moments in the woods during that race. A past version of her would have felt really down about those moments. She would have thought something was wrong. She would have thought she was failing.

But now she understood. These hard moments were not signs of failure. They were just part of the rule of thirds. They were part of a bigger picture of success.

There was a point in the race where she felt like she could not run anymore. Her legs felt like they had metal rods in them. Heavy. Stiff. Painful. She had to walk.

And she walked the last 40 miles of that race. Through the entire night. All night long. She walked for hours while other runners passed her. She walked while the sun went down and the stars came out. She walked while her body screamed at her to stop.

But she did not give up. She kept moving forward. One step at a time. One mile at a time. She let go of control and just believed in the process. She stayed present in each moment instead of worrying about how much further she had to go.

How the Rule Applies to Everyday Life

The rule of thirds has not only helped this runner in her athletic career. It is how she lives the rest of her life. It is how she wrote her book “Bravey.” It is how she has directed three movies. It is even how she looks at herself day to day.

When she is having a bad day, she does not panic anymore. She does not think something is wrong with her. She just reminds herself that this is part of the process. This is one of those one-third days. It does not mean she is failing. It means she is chasing something worthwhile.

This rule has helped her understand her moods and emotions better. Instead of fighting against bad days, she accepts them as a natural part of any meaningful journey. She has learned to stay on her own team even when there is no coach or anyone else there to tell her that everything will be okay.

The Bigger Picture of Success

The rule of thirds helps people see the bigger picture of any dream-chasing journey. It allows them to evaluate and assess their progress without getting discouraged by temporary setbacks.

In a moment of pain or difficulty, this rule can help a person stay on their own team. Instead of asking themselves to be the best, they can ask themselves to try their best and not give up.

The runner learned that it is okay to have bad days. It is okay to feel terrible sometimes. It is okay to struggle. These things do not mean failure. They mean growth. They mean progress. They mean you are pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone and into the great unknown.

Conclusion

The rule of thirds is a simple but powerful concept that can change how anyone approaches their goals and dreams. Whether it is training for the Olympics, writing a book, directing a movie, or just getting through a difficult day, this rule provides a healthy perspective on success and failure.

Bad days are not bad. They just mean you are chasing a dream. Instead of getting discouraged when things get hard, remember that feeling terrible sometimes is actually a sign that you are on the right track. It means you are pushing yourself. It means you are growing. It means you are going after something that matters.

The runner who once cried on the track in lane one went on to break a national record at the Olympics and complete one of the hardest races in the country. She did not achieve these things despite her bad days. She achieved them because of how she learned to handle her bad days.

So the next time you are having a difficult day, remember the rule of thirds. This might just be one of those one-third days. It does not mean you are failing. It means you are chasing something worth chasing. Keep going. Keep trying your best. Do not give up.