Allyson Felix: Reduced Load at US Track Trials Increases Chances of Olympic Gold

"Okay, here we go. Focus. Speed. I am speed."

As suggested by Lightning McQueen in Disney-Pixar's Cars, concentration, confidence, control and commitment—sports psychology's four c's—are absolutely vital to running—or driving—a successful race.

In dropping the 400-meters from her sprinting repertoire, US Olympic Track & Field runner Allyson Felix has taken the drastic step absolutely necessary to secure herself a real shot at winning gold in London.

Prior to Felix's decision—which was announced and suggested by sprint coach Michael Johnson—Felix was a psychological scatterbrain, worrying about the a 400-meter event she has never medaled in, seeking her first ever Olympics prize in the 100 and trying to figure out why she has been stuck with two consecutive silvers in the 200.

And by the way, don't forget about that 4x400-meter relay—a gold medal winner in Beijing—and the 4x100, an event that won Felix gold during the 2009 and 2011 World Championships in Berlin and Daegu.

Can you breathe yet?

Sprinting demands intense concentration, the first of sport psychology's four c's—the 200-meter run begins and ends in just over 20 seconds; the 100 in 10. When an athlete must balance the incredible speed burst of the short sprints with the sustained-yet-slower tempo of a longer event, sometimes that concentration and focus becomes quite difficult to maintain.

Feeling overwhelmed?

An athlete must remain in control at all times. Lack of concentration and a feeling of confusion, worry or even frustration at trying to juggle it all is not healthy nor productive. In Felix dropping the 400, she has also dropped a huge bag of consternation.

Is that a little better?

With control and concentration comes confidence: By concentrating solely on her shorter and more successful sprints, Felix can shed those memories of 400-meter struggles and frustration, instead turning her attention to the desire to convert her two 200 Olympic silvers into gold.

There, now it's all come together.

Put those three c's together and you get commitment, which is where Felix truly begins and ends. By shedding her weakest event, Felix can now redirect her attention toward her bread and butter, the 100 and, especially, the 200.

Felix's biggest competition in the 200—the woman she finished second to in 2004 and 2008—is Veronica Campbell-Brown, who herself has never run the 400-meters in Olympic competition and dropped the distance shortly after departing the University of Arkansas, having set six school records during her sole year with the Razorbacks.

Given Campbell-Brown's success and her decisive indifference toward the longer sprint, Felix is hoping the old proverb holds true—if you can't beat them, join them.

And then beat them.