Sports Psychology

Thriving in Running

Sports Psychology at Roadrunners

At Roadrunners, we believe that success is about much more than running fast. Our goal is to help every athlete develop a lifelong love of running by creating an environment where they feel motivated, confident, and connected.

Research in sports psychology shows that athletes thrive when three basic psychological needs are met:

• Autonomy – Feeling in control of their own journey.

• Competence – Feeling capable and successful.

• Relatedness – Feeling like they belong.

These principles come from Self-Determination Theory (SDT), one of the most widely studied theories of motivation developed by psychologists Edward Deci and Richard Ryan.

Our Goal: Help Every Athlete Thrive

Every athlete develops at a different pace. Some are ready for more mileage and training. Others need a slower progression to build confidence and enjoy the sport. Neither path is "better", they are simply different stages of development. Our responsibility as coaches is to help each athlete find the training that allows them to succeed today while preparing them for tomorrow. When athletes consistently experience success, they are much more likely to stay involved in the sport for years to come.

1. Autonomy

Giving Athletes Ownership

Athletes are more motivated when they feel they have a voice in their training. Instead of forcing everyone into the exact same program, Roadrunners offers training options that allow athletes to choose the workload that best fits their current fitness and goals. For many elementary and middle school athletes, this means selecting between:

• 10 miles per week

• 20 miles per week

With guidance from parents and coaches, athletes learn to evaluate how they feel, take ownership of their training, and make decisions that help them improve. Autonomy teaches responsibility, confidence, and self-motivation with skills that extend far beyond running.

2. Competence

Building Confidence Through Success

Nothing builds motivation like feeling successful. When athletes are constantly overwhelmed, they may begin to believe they "aren't runners." Instead, we want every athlete to finish practice knowing: "I accomplished something today."

By offering training that matches each athlete's current ability, athletes can:

• Complete workouts successfully

• Recover well

• See measurable improvement

• Build confidence over time 

Small successes accumulate into big achievements. Confidence is earned one workout at a time.

3. Relatedness

Belonging to Something Bigger

One of Roadrunners' greatest strengths is our culture. Athletes encourage one another. Older athletes mentor younger athletes. Families cheer for every runner. Coaches celebrate effort just as much as results. Running can be an individual sport, but nobody succeeds alone. When athletes feel accepted, supported, and valued, they become more resilient during challenges and enjoy the sport more deeply. Our community is one of the biggest reasons athletes stay involved year after year.

The Roadrunners Difference

Our program is intentionally designed to support all three elements of athlete motivation.

We build autonomy by:

• Giving athletes appropriate training choices.

• Teaching ownership and responsibility.

• Encouraging goal setting.

We build competence by:

• Matching workouts to current fitness.

• Celebrating improvement, not just performance.

• Helping every athlete experience success.

We build relatedness by:

• Creating a welcoming team culture.

• Encouraging friendships across ages.

• Supporting athletes through both victories and setbacks.

Success Isn't One Pace

Some athletes will eventually run varsity in high school. Some will compete in college. Others will simply discover a lifelong love of running. Every one of those outcomes is a success. Our mission is not just to develop faster runners. Our mission is to develop confident, resilient young people who enjoy challenging themselves, supporting others, and discovering what they are capable of achieving.

For Parents

Parents play an important role in helping athletes thrive. You can support your child by:

• Encouraging effort rather than results.

• Celebrating improvement.

• Allowing them to take ownership of their goals.

• Helping them choose the training plan that best fits their current readiness.

• Keeping running fun and positive.

Children who enjoy the process are much more likely to continue participating and eventually reach their potential.

Our Coaching Philosophy

At Roadrunners, we coach the whole athlete—not just the stopwatch. Every workout is designed to help athletes become:

• More confident

• More resilient

• More connected

• More self-motivated

Because when athletes feel in control, capable, and connected, they don't just perform better... They thrive.

Coach Amy Egan Hassell assists the program behind-the-scenes with workout design. She comes to Roadrunners with experience coaching cross country and track and field at the DII, DIII, community college, high school and middle school levels. She competed for Utah State University from '03 - '08, breaking USU's School Record in the outdoor 1500m and the indoor 800m, and her indoor 800m record (2:08.2) still stands today. She is currently pursuing a master's degree in Applied Physiology and Kinesiology from the University of Florida.