By Coach Fouse
Recent Pew Research data shows that 46% of American teens now describe themselves as being online almost constantly, not just frequently, but in a state of persistent connection.
I don’t believe Spire young people fall into this category, but assumptions get us in trouble and the data got me wondering about the implications on athletes. So, I did a little digging to see if I could better understand any specific implications worth noting for those who dream of doing great things.
To be clear, this is not a judgement on technology. I use it, a lot. Nor does it suggest that anyone who would describe themselves as a “constant user” is bad or will never do great things. I don’t believe that’s true.
Rather, this was a search for correlations. I hope it’s meaningful.
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air”.
1 Corinthians 9:24-26
SUSTAINED ATTENTION
Fast-paced digital content conditions brains to seek constant stimulation. Research shows structural brain changes in young people: studies tracking kids over time found that heavy internet use was linked to less brain development in the areas that handle attention, self-control, and emotional regulation.
For athletes, the cost is subtle but can be profound. It’s not that you can’t focus; it’s that sustained focus gets harder. In running, this could show up as:
- Difficulty holding concentration during long runs
- Staying mentally present in races
- Executing pacing strategies
- Tolerating the boredom of base-building
Running isn’t just physical; it’s mind, body, and soul. Understanding how those work together requires sustained focus and attention. Tired or untrained brains will struggle.
CHARACTER FORMATION
In the teens and early twenties, character—the type of people we are—is developing. The “voices” around us and the values they share influence what we believe and become. This is why the friends we choose, the books we read, what we watch and listen to matter.
But character formation is more than just the inputs of reading and listening. A foundation that enables endurance and creates the possibility of new frontiers in a person is built on inputs (what we give attention to) and what we spend time doing.
Here’s where constant connection becomes costly: social media platforms are engineered not just to interrupt us, but to hold us. Unlike traditional advertising that competes for moments of our attention, social media is designed to restructure how we spend our time with notifications, algorithmically optimized content, and friction-free scrolling.
This matters for character formation because it doesn’t just influence our inputs (the constant stream of others’ voices and values), it also displaces the time needed for the practices that build character: sustained reading, deep conversation, solitary reflection, and yes, the kind of mental endurance required in training and racing.
When we’re constantly connected, we lose agency over both what shapes us (inputs) and what we practice doing (time structure). We become passive rather than intentional about the very things that determine who we’re becoming.
The question isn’t whether social media is inherently bad. The question is whether you’re choosing it, or it’s choosing for you.
WHAT ENDURANCE REQUIRES
If you want to achieve what you and others haven’t, if you want to find new frontiers, you have to protect the things that allow it to flourish.
Start by intentionally reintroducing friction where it protects what you care about. When it comes to social media, some athletes delete apps from their phones but keep them on computers. Others turn off all notifications except for actual humans trying to reach them. There are options, but the point is the same: every interaction is a choice, not a reflex.
Prioritize rest. Sleep deserves the same prioritization you give practice. The research is clear: screens in the 60-90 minutes before sleep hurt sleep quality. Athletes who protect this window get better sleep from their training. Athletes who don’t, don’t.
Focus is a muscle. It atrophies with disuse and strengthens with training. Long runs, actual and metaphorical, become practice for mind, body, and soul. Quiet, even boredom, aren’t negatives; they’re soil for character formation and growth.
AN INVITATION
If you want to find new frontiers and discover what you’re really capable of, you need to protect the things that make it possible. Your time and attention are finite. How you use them determines what becomes possible.
