Mastering The Mind 🧠

Interview with Natalie Tyner - Founder & Coach for Nat’s Sports Prep

If you’re a runner, you know that the sport can be just as challenging mentally as it can be physically. Performance pressure and anxiety are things that runners of all levels face. After dealing with mindset struggles during her time as a runner for the University of North Carolina, Natalie Turner decided to take action. She founded her own coaching business - Nat’s Sports Prep - to help other high school and college athletes improve their mindset, teaching them to enjoy the sport while still training and performing at a high level. Today, Natalie joins us to share more about her business and how she works with athletes to improve their mindset in running!

Hi Natalie! Welcome to The Hammer! Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

Hi! I am a former collegiate distance runner (UNC), my events were 5k/10k! I have always been very passionate about sports and running. I grew up on the coast of NC and love being in nature. Just some random facts lol!

What were some of the biggest challenges you faced as a D1 runner? How did these experiences contribute to the creation of Nat’s Sports Prep?

I really struggled with my mindset in racing and was honestly NOT enjoying racing whatsoever. I put a lot of pressure on myself to be perfect! After stepping away from the sport I really worked on my mindset and found that there was so much that was holding me back. I now help athletes learn how to get the most out of their mindset to perform at their very best!

Can you share more about what you do as a business owner and mindset coach?

As a business owner I do wear all of the hats from marketing to sales to coaching and I love it all. I am a mindset and recovery coach and work closely with athletes to teach them the skills they need to get the most out of their mindset and how to find balance between recovery, training at a high level and still loving and enjoying it all, because that is what it is all about! I have helped hundreds of high school and college athletes and I hope to continue growing my business to help as many as possible and create a better culture for our sport!

What are some common struggles that the athletes you work with are encountering? What is your advice for helping them to overcome these challenges?

Common challenges athletes come to me with is having REALLY high expectations and continually falling short of reaching them. Now high expectations does not mean that they are not achievable but that the pressure they are putting on themselves to achieve these goals is taking OVER. It is leading to them 1. Not reaching their goals but also 2. Struggling with anxiety before and during races. My goal with these athletes is to help them reframe their mindset behind what it means to be a runner, what it means to race and WHY it matters to them. We work on developing skills that they can use for running but also for the rest of their lives for managing pressure and high expectations. 

Why should athletes take more time to work on their mental game? Where should they start?

I always say running and racing is 90% mental and 10% physical. If you are not training your mind then you are missing out on one of the biggest factors to success in running. The first place I have every athlete start is identifying their “Why” why do they run, why do they race. End of the day we are trying to help these athletes realize that running and racing is truly about the process not the outcome. 

As a coach, you can learn from your athletes just as much as you teach them! Is there anything you’ve learned - about yourself or athletics in general - from being a coach that’s different from what you knew as an athlete? 

You are totally right that you learn a lot from your athletes but this is still a hard one to answer lol. I think as an athlete I always felt alone, like no one understood how much I struggled and working with my athletes has made me realize that so many more are struggling and need help. That is why I am so passionate about helping them!

If you’re interested in learning more about Natalie - give her page a follow!

HAX Athlete Shoutout 🗣️

Shoutout Nikita Lachke for her recent PR of 11:39.87 in the 3200m! 🎉 Nikita is a high school track athlete who has been working with Coach Savannah this season. Keep crushing it Nikita!

We have a ton of great coaches available and excited to work with you! Go all in, hire a coach today.

COMING SOON…

We have a new coach joining the team on June 1! Stay tuned via Instagram to find out who it is 🤫

Summer Training Plans ☀️🏃

June 1 is just around the corner, which means it’s time to start thinking about your summer mileage. Eliminate the guesswork—no more stressing over what workouts to do or how to structure your weeks.

We have tons of training plans to choose from, whether you’re a high school or college athlete preparing for cross country, or looking to build a solid base ahead of a fall road race.

Pick a plan, commit to the process, and set yourself up for your success this fall ⚒️

Reach out to us via email ([email protected]) or DM us on Instagram if you’d like help picking a plan that’s right for you.