TOKYO, Japan — Olympic athletes tend to just take everything to another level, and that includes hyping yourself up before bed.
Case in point? Jake Riley, who graduated from the University of Colorado in Boulder with a master’s in engineering. During that time, he also managed to come in second in the men’s marathon Olympic trials and qualify for Team USA in Tokyo (his time was 2:10:02 … which is a decent half marathon time for mortals).
Riley, as it turns out, is very funny on Instagram, and posted a photo of his race prep process.
“Every night before bed since I got this shirt, I stand in front of the mirror and yell ‘you’re a winner’ at my reflection for 10 minutes straight,’” Riley wrote. “Will it help? Not sure, but I’m committed to leaving no stone unturned. Whoever my roommate in Tokyo turns out to be, I hope they like getting pumped up right before bed.”
The shirt he’s referencing says “no more next time.”
His sarcasm also extended to the track marathoners have to work out at in Tokyo.
“The only good thing about doing all this running on less than a mile of asphalt is that the marathon is going to feel great based solely on novelty,” he wrote. “Four days out, body feeling good.”
Here he is in his Team USA outfit:
Here he is taking glamour shots with cows:
Here he is giving the elements an awkward side hug instead of a warm embrace:
And here he is in some fanny packs:
Jake will race in the Olympic marathon on Saturday, Aug. 7 at 4 p.m. Follow his training on Instagram here.
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