British heptathlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson has revealed that her most valuable lessons have not come from victories but from the challenging periods in her career. The 33-year-old, originally from Liverpool and now based in Loughborough, acknowledges that these setbacks have fundamentally shaped her outlook and helped her rediscover the joy of competition.
Lessons from Low Moments
“I definitely think that some of the low moments are the things that shaped me into the person I am. The lessons learned in those low moments changed me for the better,” said Johnson-Thompson, who boasts an impressive medal collection including double World champion, double Commonwealth Games champion, and Olympic and European silver medallist.
Speaking as an ambassador for Radox, the official Bath and Shower Partner of the TCS London Marathon, Johnson-Thompson explained that a right calf injury at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 completely transformed her perspective on sport and life.
“I used to think I deserve this because I’ve done this or I’ve trained for something, therefore this should happen and it was very black or white. Now, I’ve definitely gained the mentality of going with the flow,” she said.
“Bad things happen, good things happen and that’s just life. We’re all just trying our best. I feel like that mentality definitely helped me chill out a lot more in training and approach the competition as a joy instead of a pressure pot.”
Reflecting on her earlier career, she added: “Early in my career I wasn’t doing that, I was just so focused on trying to win but I missed out on a lot of joy.”
A New Approach to Competition
With major events such as the European Championships and Commonwealth Games on the horizon, Johnson-Thompson now approaches elite competition with a markedly different mindset, prioritising presence over pressure.
“It gets to a certain level in sports where everyone’s very talented, everyone’s training, everyone’s capable of winning,” she observed. “In my opinion, I feel like at a level like an Olympic final, a lot of it comes to luck on the day. Who hasn’t had an injury, who’s had the best preparation, who’s got the most confidence? All of that comes down to luck a lot of the time so the mentality is just about getting to the start line healthy and happy.”
She expressed excitement about the unpredictability of competition: “What excites me most about competing at this level is seeing what happens on the day. We spend all this time on preparation, talking about it and what’s going to happen. I just want to find out. It’s like a season finale of a TV series. It’s exciting to see who’s going to step up.”
Training and Mental Wellbeing
Behind the scenes, Johnson-Thompson’s demanding training schedule is meticulously planned weeks in advance to accommodate the seven disciplines of the heptathlon.
“I’ve got everything in a structure,” she explained. “I’ve got multiple coaches and my training is sent to me four weeks in advance. I do seven different disciplines in athletics so I have a number of different things to get through.”
Her mornings are highly regimented: “In my mornings I get straight into it: I wake up, hydrate, eat my breakfast and have a minute to myself. Then I’m straight into training.”
She has also learned the importance of protecting her mental space, starting with how she begins her day. “I used to wake up and I got into a really bad habit of listening to things,” she admitted. “I would put my AirPods in and go straight on to an audio book or podcast and I just felt a bit overwhelmed at that.”
“I think you do need the time just to be with yourself. Now I try and listen to gentle sounds in the morning and that has helped my mood instead of constantly having something on or having to do something.”
Recovery is also a key component of her routine. “It will be having a bath,” Johnson-Thompson said. “I feel like the training load that I do is so much, so I like a hot bath. It’s great to take the time for my muscles to relax and also mentally taking the training load off. So this is something I try and do the day before comp or the day before my big sessions.”
Her training remains intense, particularly endurance sessions, which she admits do not come naturally. “In terms of intensity, it’s quite a lot,” she explained. “The running sessions to me are the hardest because that’s you pushing your body to the limit. My strengths aren’t aerobic, they are more sprint and power so it’s something I have to work very hard for. Then on Saturday’s we do a hill session as well.”
Support System and Advice
Outside of athletics, her support system—including her two dogs—helps her stay grounded. “They are 11 and 12 years old… They’ve been bringing me a lot of joy,” she said. “They’re just so silly and even though they’re old, they act like puppies.”
She emphasised the importance of leaning on others during tough times. “I think it’s important to talk to people,” she said. “The worst thing you can do is keep things to yourself. You’ve got to look at your community and once you get it off your chest, you feel a little bit lighter.”
When it comes to confidence, she relies on consistency and self-reflection. “Ultimately I just build that up day by day. In all the training I do, I keep a diary and I write down everything that I’ve done. You easily forget where you’ve come from and you need to just keep constantly reminding yourself.”
Her advice for anyone looking to get more active this spring is simple: keep it enjoyable. “It doesn’t have to be a regime,” she explained. “My point is to be social with it. See your friends and just go for a walk or a jog to a coffee shop… Being social and doing exercise is the ultimate high.”
Johnson-Thompson is an ambassador for Radox, the Official Bath and Shower Partner of the TCS London Marathon, and will be cheering runners on at the marathon on April 26.
