I’m pleased to introduce a series of interviews where with the help of some elite athletes and adventurers we explore the psychological constructs behind different aspects of sports and high-risk activities. 

In this first interview I had a chat with one of the world's most celebrated mountain runner Emelie Forsberg and we talked about her first ever injury, how she is dealing with it, what kind of coping strategies she uses and did she get anything good out of being injured. Emelie was kind enough to spare an hour while doing a light training session on her bike. Enjoy!

Sweaty palms and armpits, blushing face, shaking hands and knees, vertigo and heart palpitation, complete emptiness in the head and nothing coming out from the mouth, a grand desire to sink deep into the earth. I'm sure that each and every one of us has felt something like this before in our lives. It's a situation where the brain and the body are making a choice - fight or flight and have decided to do the latter one. 

As an athlete your have only one goal - to be better tomorrow than you are today and to be better day after tomorrow than you are tomorrow. Better than all the others toeing the starting line with you. To be the best.