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(CNN) -
When US Olympic weightlifting team member Harrison Maurus shows his strengths at this year's Games, the pandemic will have robbed him of hearing his mother scream for "good lift," a voice. distinct from what would normally be hundreds or thousands in a crowd.
Since Maurus' first meeting in 2012, his parents have traveled the world to provide in-person support in many of his competitions.
But this summer they hit an obstacle: both local and foreign spectators are banned from participating in the Tokyo Olympics for security reasons during the covid-19 pandemic.
His "extended family was going to go to ... Japan and see him lift (weights)," Tracey Maurus, the weightlifter's mother, told CNN.
"So he ruined our plans," he lamented.
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Harrison Maurus' ability to shake off the dismay over the 2020 Olympics postponement, after a week of camping with a fellow Team USA member, is part of what eases any concerns his parents may have about which one. it will be Maurus's mindset when the Games start on July 23 and he doesn't have his support network around him.
"When Harrison gets on the platform, when they introduce Harrison, he'll march up. And with his glasses on, he can see the crowd and he can see the setup really well," Maurus's father Jim told CNN.
"But when he goes to pick up, those glasses come off and he always says, 'I can't see the crowd, and I'm just there to do my job,'" he added.
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Social support is an important facet of endurance, but we can train our brains to focus on the task at hand despite unexpected circumstances, said Megan M. Buning, a teaching specialist at the University's Interdisciplinary Center for Athletic Training. Florida State and approved mental performance consultant on record with the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee and the Association for Applied Sports Psychology.
1. Set clear and meaningful goals
Setting goals for yourself is crucial to building endurance, said Timothy Baghurst, professor of education and director of FSU Coach: Florida State University Interdisciplinary Center for Athletic Training.
Articulating your goals according to the SMARTS method that Baghurst details in his book "Coaching for Sports Performance" is a good way to clarify what you want and avoid giving up, he said.
SMARTS describes goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, timed, and self-determined.
For example, the overall goal of "I want to get in shape" is not specific, but the goal of running a marathon is.
Saying "I want to do my best" is relative, while planning to finish the marathon in a certain number of minutes is measurable.
Your goal shouldn't be 100% doable or easy.
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"Thirty percent of the time it should be a goal that (people) don't achieve, and that pushes you to try to achieve it," Baghurst said.
Determining how much your goal fits with your lifestyle or what you're trying to achieve in your career tells you how relevant your goal is, Baghurst said.
Timing your goal is deciding when you want to achieve it.
And with goals, Baghurst said there are two types of motivators: extrinsic and intrinsic.
Extrinsic motivators can be the rewards that meeting your goals could generate, such as pleasing people, a prize money, or a trophy.
Intrinsic motivators, however, are internal factors that push you to work towards something so that you feel better self-esteem, for example.
Relying more on intrinsic motivators than extrinsic ones can help you move on when extrinsic motivators disappear.
And writing, rather than typing, what these factors do can help you remember them better, Buning said.
2. Tell others about your goals
Telling people about your goals can be motivating through responsibility, Baghurst said.
"If I don't tell other people, then I can give up on that goal and it's really no big deal," he explained.
"But if I've told all my colleagues in the office that I'm going to run a marathon in November, I know they are going to ask me about it, so it might hold me a little more responsible."
3. Visualize both challenges and success
One technique that is "massive" in sports is visualization - using imagery to start believing what you want to achieve, seeing potential obstacles along the way, and imagining yourself overcoming those obstacles, Baghurst said.
What most people do is visualize only success, he added.
"If we haven't anticipated or seen ourselves experiencing challenges, when we experience those challenges, we are unprepared for them," Baghurst said.
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"We don't know what to do. That was not part of the plan. And then, as a consequence, we may lose that motivation or we don't think we can achieve that goal."
4. Practice mindfulness
The mindset with which you enter a situation can set you up for failure or fortune, Buning said.
If "I know I have to go for a run today and I keep saying to myself, 'I'm not a good runner. I'm just not a runner. This sucks. It's too hot. I can't breathe' ... how likely is it that I really one, start the race, or two, finish it? ".
Mindfulness practice is a way that you can become aware of those negative unconscious beliefs and reframe them into a growth mindset, rather than a fixed one.
For example, Buning advised that instead of telling yourself that he is not very good at a tennis serve, think, "I'm not very good at it yet. Now how can I improve?"
5. Set reminders
Remembering goals in times of stress can be difficult, but some athletes have practical ways of reminding themselves of their plans and why they are important, Buning and Baghurst said.
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These include putting a picture of a medal or a race entry form on the bathroom mirror.
Also the refrigerator or the wall, and wear clothes or bracelets adorned with motivational quotes.
6. Learn to recalibrate
When we lose control of what we are trying to achieve, we have lost "that sense of destiny is in our hands," Baghurst said.
You can keep your head up by concentrating on what you can do.
Let's say your friends usually pick you up to go to the gym, but one day they can't.
"Will I find another way to exercise then?" Baghurst said.
"The answer is, for most people, probably not ... They still have some control of being able to (decide), 'Hey, I can still go for a walk or I can still exercise in my backyard.'
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