Why I love my bad days | Alexi Pappas
TED Talks Daily
TED
4.1 • 12.1K Ratings
🗓️ 16 May 2026
⏱️ 33 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
One month before the Rio Olympics, runner Alexi Pappas couldn't hit her splits in practice. She was begging her watch to change its mind. Then her coach told her to take it off — and shared the best advice she's ever received. That single piece of wisdom led her to break a national record and changed how she chases her goals, carrying her through ultramarathons, a memoir and three films. Bad days aren't a detour, she says — they mean you're right on track.
Following the talk, host Elise Hu caught up with Alexi for a "Beyond the Talk" conversation to dig deeper – into what the rule of thirds looks like beyond sport, what it means to befriend pain rather than just survive it, and what she wants people to know about how to keep going even when you think it’s impossible. A heads up: this conversation involves mention of mental health struggles and suicide.
Afterwards, check out Alexi's own podcast Mentor Buffet, where she talks to athletes, actors, movie producers, DJs, chefs, authors, and other people she admires about who has influenced them along their journey. You can find Mentor Buffet on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | You're listening to TED Talks Daily, where we bring you new ideas to spark your curiosity every day. |
| 0:08.7 | I'm your host, Elise Hume. |
| 0:10.4 | Usually, when we have a bad day, we want nothing more than for it to be over. |
| 0:14.6 | The same was true for Olympic runner Alexi Pappas. |
| 0:17.7 | One month before the Rio Olympics, she couldn't hit her splits in practice. She was miserable |
| 0:23.0 | and begged her watch to change its mind. Then her coach shared some of the best advice she says |
| 0:28.5 | she's ever received. And I love my bad days though. In this talk, Alexi shares this advice and what |
| 0:35.3 | she calls the rule of thirds, how this single piece of wisdom |
| 0:38.5 | led her to break a national record and changed how she chases her goals, carrying through her |
| 0:43.3 | ultramarathons, a memoir, and three films. Alexi knows this not just as an athlete, but as someone |
| 0:49.9 | who's lived through some of the hardest days imaginable. I sat down with her after her talk to dig deeper into what the rule of thirds looks like, |
| 0:57.8 | beyond sport, what it means to befriend pain rather than just survive it, and what she wants |
| 1:02.7 | folks to know about how to keep going, even when you think it's impossible. |
| 1:06.9 | You can still commit to action without belief. |
| 1:11.3 | I did not believe I would get better, but I understood what my doctor was saying, and I just committed to actions even without the belief. |
| 1:20.6 | Her talk and our conversation are coming up right after a short break. |
| 1:35.4 | And now our TED Talk and Conversation of the Day. |
| 1:42.4 | I was one month out from my Olympic race in Rio, the 10,000 meters, when I couldn't hit my splits in a very important workout. |
| 1:45.5 | And I thought, what am I going to do? |
| 1:49.6 | Am I good enough? |
| 1:51.2 | I cried in lane one. |
| 1:53.4 | Was I even worth it? |
... |
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