Coming back from his injuries and having voices of doubt creeping in, the distance segment of track was an even more mentally taxing challenge preparing for the race. How does Jackson get in the right mindset before taking his place at the starting line?
“I try not to have too many doubts because I don’t see how that benefits me,” he said. “It is just negative thoughts with no positive outcome, so I try to think positively and reassure myself a lot. If I ever get a little too nervous before the race, I just run the race in my head, maybe 20 times before I actually run it. By then, I have a mindset of ‘I can do this.’”
What keeps him going in that final push at the finish line?
Jackson responded laughing, “Honestly not getting caught embarrassed, I think to myself ‘I have to go!’”
Jackson explained that in his comeback, head coach Ben Thomas has been a huge inspiration both in recovery and performance.
“When Ben Thomas first came here, he did not show any doubt towards me, especially coming off my injury,” Jackson responded. “He told me ‘I am going to need you for this [team] and you are going to have to step up and get it done.’ Seeing that a coach believes in you from the beginning is a really good feeling. It makes you want to work hard. It makes you want to step up to the challenge and go above and beyond [the expectations].”
Jackson did not forget to praise his teammates for their support as well, recalling their endless positive energy, holding each other accountable, and pushing each other to be the best versions of themselves.
Studying sports media and analytics, Jackson embraces what he learns in the classroom to make the most of his athletic career on and off the track.
“In track, you have to be marketable,” he stated. “[Studying] sports media, I know even if I run fast, I want to be a professional athlete and be successful in this career, so I have to [learn how to] be marketable [to others].”
When asked more about the change of personal expectations from before injury to after, he said it was all about his shift of mentality from an external focus to more internal.
“Before injury, my expectations were not in the right place, from the heart,” Jackson elaborated. “I wanted to prove myself to others. I felt a lot of pressure to do that which I believe led to my injuries because my head was all over the place. Finally coming out of my injuries, I was able to mainly…
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