Special Olympics

Every year the St. Francis track and field team volunteers their time to officiate the track portion of the Special Olympics. This year, the Special Olympics happened to fall on a freezing cold, rainy Sunday at the end of April. As I got ready to go help out, my enthusiasm was lacking. We had gotten home late the night before from a track meet, and the weather looked less than pleasant outside. However, I am very pleased that I went. It was an experience I will not soon forget. As I wrote about in my previous blog, running has become quite tiresome and tedious lately. Helping with the Special Olympics helped to give me a new perspective on my sport.
The competitors at the Special Olympics had every reason for giving up, but not a single one conceded to defeat. None of them would ever be great athletes, but it was obvious that they found great joy in competing. While my teammates and I were complaining about not wanting to race yesterday in the pouring down rain, the competitors at the Special Olympics today did not let the bitter cold and chilling winds put a damper on their day.
Some of them were significantly slow than the others. While some people were finishing their race, some were still half a lap behind them. Whenever a few teammates and I cheered for one man who was slowly walking along with a look of determination in his eyes, he smiled at us and simply said, "I go on my own time." He was clearly not going to win. In fact, he was about to come in last by at least thirty seconds. However, it was clear that he was enjoying the moment and was not about to back down.
It was inspiring to see the competitor's support for each other. I watched two young boys race each other down the straightaway in a 100m dash, and lovingly embrace each other and throw their hands in the air with happiness at the end. At the end of the race, many of the runners would give each other high fives and compliments on their performances, even when the other person easily prevailed over them.
Smiles never left their faces, even as they became weary and tired. Many would finish the race, and immediately give me a handshake and a hug. After the race one man, who came in last in his heat, asked me what his finishing time was. As I told him he had just walked 100m in over 1 minute, he just looked at me with the biggest smile on his face and said, "Hey, that's pretty good."
At this time in my life, this experience was exactly what I needed. I realized that running and competing can be fun. I learned just how big of an impact a simple high five or "good job" can have on someone who may be struggling. It was clear that the competitors in the Special Olympics did not have the ideal life, but by observing them and speaking to them, it was clear that they loved their lives, nevertheless. The participants today will never be able to run as fast as I can, but they were enjoying it more than I ever have. Running brings me great joy in life, but there are more important things, such as making an impact on the lives of others.

For  more information on the Special Olympics and to learn how to get involved, click on the following link: http://www.specialolympics.org/

When the going gets tough...

I guess you could say one could say that I have a love/hate relationship with running. Sometimes I feel like I just want to give up, but even one day without running leaves me feeling antsy. In the past few weeks in particular, my relationship with running has been full of more hate than love. 
My transition to college running was far from trouble-free, as I have discussed in earlier blog posts. Over the past year, I have put in more miles and ran more intense workouts than I ever did throughout high school. I thought this increase in training would bring me instant boosts in performance, but this has been far from the case. I cannot say I was displeased with every single race I ran all year, but overall I had more bad performances than decent ones. I no longer feel like myself when I race. While I usually feel confident, albeit nervous, and ready to face whatever obstacles come my way, I now feel like I am just going through the motions when I race. Whenever I try to speed up, I feel as if my legs are weighed down with bricks, unable to move. Everything seems to move in slow motion. With my declining race performances, I have become my own worst enemy. 
I have always been a perfectionist. My best is never good enough for me, and I put my whole heart into everything I do. Being a perfectionist has helped me greatly throughout my life, as I have accomplished more than I have ever dreamed of. However, it has also led to a lack of confidence, too much negativity, and occasional unhappiness. Running is a sport that seems to attract perfectionists, such as myself. It is appealing to people like me because in running, your performance is affected completely by your own actions. You do not have to rely on anyone else, and you can always improve by putting in hard work. On the other hand, running is also capable of driving a perfectionist crazy. Throughout this year I have pushed myself harder than ever before in training, in hopes of slashing huge amounts of time off of my races. Whenever I was tired and felt as if I was in need of a break, I would push through it by telling myself, "This will all pay off in the end."  I always felt as if I had to persevere through. My coach would encourage me to push my limits each and every day, without allowing my body time to recover. When I told him that I was feeling worn down, he would tell me that it was all mental and I was fine. Looking back now, I wish I would have listened to what my body was telling me. With only two weeks left in the season and my championship meet still to come, I am feeling more depleted than ever before. I haven't been racing to my ability level for a while now, and I always responded by doing more training, when what my body really needed was a break. If I would have been proactive earlier on, I could have salvaged what was left of my season. I am going to do whatever it takes to do well at my last couple of meets, even if it requires me to take a few days off of running completely. 
As I reflected about my race on the bus ride home yesterday, I thought about what I could do to save the rest of my season. I realized that I needed to physically take care of my body, but that since my physical exhaustion had also taken a toll emotionally, I would also have to make some mental adjustments. Over the next few weeks, I want to rediscover all of the reasons why I love to run. A few posts ago, I wrote about the simple joys I have found in running, and it seems that lately these joys have gone by the wayside, and have been replaced by an overwhelming desire to push myself to the limit. If I want to run fast, I will, once again, have to enjoy the simple pleasure of having the God-given ability to run. God has blessed me with a talent, and I do not intend to let it go to waste. 

This past Tuesday, I received news that would dramatically alter the next four years of my college running career. At four o'clock, the time we always begin practice, we were called into a conference room with all of our coaches and the athletic directors. As we sat around a large table as a team, we were told that our head coach was asked to immediately resign from his position. This came as a shock to all of us. I was not too fond of him, and I knew the he was on thin ice with the administration as well. However, I thought that if they did decide to let him go it would not be until the end of the season. Suddenly, the distance runners on the team were stuck without a coach, three weeks before our conference championship meet.

Whenever you tell an outsider that your coach was fired in middle of the season, they are almost always expecting some big scandal to surface. In this case, there was no scandal. I will spare you all of the details, but our coach was simply not performing his duties. Trips to meets were unorganized, no recruiting was done, training was ineffective, and athletes were repeatedly disrespected. I agreed with the administration's decision to let him go. His resignation will be better for the team in the long run. But, in the present, the distance runners have definitely been placed in a less than ideal situation.

The role of a coach for any team is vital. Without a team, the group lacks structure. Even a subpar coach offers a sense of unity and authority to a team. When our head coach was here, we may not have agreed on everything he had us do, but at least we knew what we were to do.

As I sat down with my teammates at dinner on the evening of our coach's resignation, we discussed the challenges that lay ahead of us. The throws coach was to take over as acting head coach, and the sprinting and jumping coaches would be helping us to create our workouts. We all agreed that although we were stressed, the coaches were most definitely put in an even more taxing situation than we were. We knew that our assistant coaches were great people who genuinely cared about our success. Some of the workouts they were going to run us through were going to be quite different from what we were used to. They may have different techniques to coaching, and they may require different things from us. However, we had to respect them. This would be very important to our success as a team.

We also decided that we would have to support each other, now more than ever before. Some people were definitely going to struggle with the adjustment, as change is always difficult. The seniors on the team would have to act as role models for the younger runners, such as myself.

People were going to doubt us; especially the other teams in our conference come championships. We all agreed that this year we had something to prove. It was not the time to give up. We had to keep training hard, and keep believing that all the work we had put in over the last year was worth it.

This situation has been a bump in the road that I have had to overcome. In the end, I think it will make me a stronger person and a better teammate. It has forced me to believe in myself and my teammates. I am truly looking forward to our conference championships in two weeks. I know that every single athlete on our team will strive to do their absolute best, as we all want to show the other teams that we are great athletes, even without a head coach. I know that this conference championship will be a meet that I will never forget. Other teams may doubt us, but we are not letting that bring us down as a team. We just say, "Bring it on."

African Dominance of Running

This past Monday, one of the most prestigious races in all of running, the Boston marathon, took place. Each year, thousands of runners toe the starting line to run 26.2 miles through Boston. Not just anyone can sign up for this marathon, as runners must hit a qualifying standard to enter. The Boston marathon attracts many of the world's top marathoners. It was no surprise to me that Kenyan runners once again won both the men's and women's races 

(http://www.baa.org/races/boston-marathon/results-commentary/2012-mens-story.aspx).
This is not unusual. In fact, East African runners currently hold 37 of the top 50 marathon times ever ran (Coghlan, Endurance Running, p. 3). 
 A couple of months ago, I wrote a paper for science class discussing this East African dominance of distance running. I read various research on the issue. Results of research were inconclusive, as some research showed genetic differences that contribute to their dominance, and other research shows that cultural differences are the biggest factor in their great performances. In this blog entry, I would like to discuss a recent issue in both college running, and high school running, involving this issue. 

   Edward Cheserek, a high school junior from New Jersey, dominated the high school running scene this past fall, easily winning the national championship (http://nj.milesplit.com/athletes/1746332-edward-cheserek). He rewrote record books at every course he ran on throughout the year. Only a junior, he is on course to become the best prep runner in all of U.S. history. Except, he is not an American. Cheserek was born and raised in Kenya, and attends a preparatory school here in New Jersey ( http://www.iaaf.org/athletes/biographies/country=ken/athcode=263865/index.html).  Many people have questioned his age. Cheserek certainly looks a lot older than most other high school runners he competes against. Birthdays are not always accurately recorded in poorer countries such as Kenya, so even Cheserek himself may not know his actual birthday. This raises a debate: should a non-citizen who may be in their twenties be allowed to dominate high school running here in America?

Some people think that Cheserek has an unfair advantage if he is over the high school age. I would agree. However, if Cheserek is in fact older than high school age, he himself is most likely not even aware of it. Should he be punished for being a student from a poor area who was able to travel to America, succeed, and make a name for himself?

Issues such as this have also occurred in college running as of recent. This past fall, Lawi Lalang, a native African, won the NCAA cross country championships by a large margin (http://www.arizonawildcats.com/sports/m-track/mtt/lalang_lawi00.html). This is nothing new; Sammy Chelenga, another African, won it the year before. However, Lawi Lalang is dominating college running as only a freshman. East African dominance in women's high school and college running has not been quite as prevalent, but there are many East African women who have found success in U.S. colleges, as well.

There are certainly drawbacks to East Africans dominating running here in the United States. If in fact they are proven to have a genetic advantage when it comes to distance running, then it may not be fair for college coaches here in the United States to recruit only East African runners. This takes away scholarship opportunities for hardworking American runners who would love the chance to run on a college team. Some critics have suggested limiting foreign athletes on college teams.

However, if you look at the big picture, East African dominance here in America could be a good thing. We live in a world that is becoming more and more globalized by the day. No longer are graduates competing against only local people in job searches; they are competing against people from all over the world. Why should this be any different when it comes to sports? In business, competition leads to better products and more innovations. More competition in sports leads to better performances. This is why records in track and field have continued to improve over the years. Having to compete against successful runners from all over the world will only serve to strengthen native born American runners. In recent years, American runners have been overshadowed on the national scene by East Africans. Perhaps intense competition against foreign athletes starting in high school and college athletics will help Americans to once again gain a prominent standing on the world scene.

 To a non-runner, cross country and track and field are the same sport. To a runner, however, they are night and day. I cannot blame people for not understanding the differences between the two. Most people on campus only see us running around campus or out on the roads, no matter if the leaves are falling, snow is covering the ground, or the flowers are beginning to bloom. Even  my own family often gets the two mixed up. By now I am used to my grandma or my mother asking me during cross country season, “When is your next track meet?” I used to correct them, but it is not worth starting a fight over. The goal of this blog entry is to simply educate readers on the differences between the two.

            First, I will start with the basics. Cross country is a sport that takes place in the fall, roughly from the end of August until mid-November. Race distances differ. In junior high school, the majority of my races were about a mile and a half long. In high school, races for both men and women were 5k in length, or 3.1 miles. College level race distances differ by gender. Men generally run 8k, or around 5 miles. For regional championships, men bump up to the 10k, or 6.2 miles. Females run 5ks for many races, but championship races are often 6k, or around 3.75 miles. Cross country races can vary greatly, depending on the course’s terrain. Some cross country courses I have been on have been as flat as a track. In others, I have had to run up treacherous hills. Some courses take place completely on grass. Others feature rocky terrain, mud, or even some concrete paths. I have even had to run across creeks and streams in cross country races. Some races feature hay barrels that must be jumped over.

            Track and Field takes place from the end of Cross Country season until May. During the winter, track and field competitions take place on indoor tracks. Indoor tracks are 200m in length, or approximately 1/8^th of a mile. Come outdoor season, tracks are twice the length, 400m. Track and field features a great variety of different events, not just track events. The jumping events are long jump, triple jump, high jump, and pole vault. The field events include javelin, shot put, discus, weight throw, and hammer. Track events include races from the 100m dash, all the way up to the 10k, including team relays.

            Scoring differs between cross country and track. In cross country, a team wants to have the lowest score possible, kind of like golf. The first five finishers on a team count for scoring. The next two runners on the team play an important role as well, as they can finish in front of another team’s top five runners, affecting the scoring. For example, if a runner places first overall, the team receives one point. If a runner places 28^th overall, a team receives 28 points. In track, a team must receive the highest score to win. At most large invitational meets, the first eight finishers in each event score. The first place finisher will receive eight points; the second place finisher will receive seven points, and so on.  

            Cross country races often include huge numbers of competitors. I have competed in races with as many as four hundred other runners. Therefore, even placing in the top one hundred is a great achievement. Sometimes it is embarrassing to tell people that I placed 45^th in a race, because they do not understand that 45 out of 300 or 400 is actually a good performance. In a college race against juniors and seniors, I would be ecstatic to place in the top 15% or so.

            While cross country runners all run in one race, track races are separated into heats. At large meets, there can be as many as ten heats of the same event. Heat sheets are issued, with runners listed from fastest to slowest, so people run in heats against competitors of similar ability.

            I have found cross country to be a much more team-oriented sport. Cross country teams are made up of only the distance runners, so the team is a lot tighter knit. Cross country teams spend a lot of time together, so they often become very close. I have made good friends from other events in track, as well, but I do not spend nearly as much time as them. Also, cross country runners have the same interests, as they are all running the same type of race. I have definitely noticed differences between the personalities of distance runners and throwers, for example. Distance runners spend most of their time out on the roads, logging mile after mile. Throwers on the other hand, spend much of their time in the gym, working on their strength, or on the field, perfecting their throwing technique.

            Most distance runners either prefer cross country or track. For me personally, I enjoy aspects of both. I enjoy the team aspect of cross country, but I am better suited to track running. I am better at middle-distance races, such as the 1500m or 3,000m, which require more speed than endurance. Cross country is definitely more of an endurance sport. I easily beat some competitors during track season who ran faster than me in cross country, and vice versa. During a cross country race, you have more time to make up ground. If you go out too slow in an 800m race, you do not have much time to catch back up. In a cross country race, a runner can start out towards the back and slowly make their way to the front of the pack.

            Even though there are many differences between cross country and track and field, the two sports build on each other. The endurance I gain from training over the summer for cross country season carries over to my track performances come winter. The speed I gain in track helps me to outkick other runners at the end of cross country races. Running can be a very repetitive activity, and I welcome the differences between cross country and track. Each sport has much to offer, and I cannot see myself being solely a track runner or a cross country runner. So, next time you are talking to a runner about their competitions, keep in mind the differences between cross country and track. You may just impress them with your knowledge!

Why do I run?

     Whenever someone asks me if I play a sport and I respond that I am a runner, the most common response I receive is a grimace accompanied by a phrase something like, “Oh my God, I don’t know how you do that. I hate to run.” I would try to explain it to them, but it would entail too much effort. Even if I did explain, honestly, they probably still wouldn’t understand. Most people don’t understand the reasons why I run, but I wish they did. Running has been such a rewarding experience for me throughout my life and I wish others could also give running a try, because I think they would enjoy it as well.

     I recall a shirt the high school cross country team had made while I was on the junior high team. On the front of it the shirt said, “Why do I run?” and the back of the shirt said, as if answering the front said, “Why do I breathe?” (Okay, actually the back of the shirt said, “Why do I breath? because some dummy spelled breathe wrong and no one on the team noticed, but that is besides the point.) This may seem like just a silly quote, but for the last four or so years, the answer to the question of why I run really does seem this simple. Simply put, I am a runner. A great deal of my life revolves around running. I would not be who I am today if it were not for running.

     Running was not always such an important part of my life, though. When I was younger I was a competitive gymnast. My school did not have a gymnastics team, but I knew I wanted to be a part of a school team. So, naturally I tried out for the cheerleading team when I was in 7^th grade. After the tryouts I waited by the phone for hours, anxiously awaiting the call that would determine my fate as a junior high student. The call never came and I cried to my mom a lot that evening. Although I did not make the coveted spot on the cheerleading team, I knew that I still wanted to compete in a sport. The other options for the fall were soccer, swimming, basketball, and cross country. Basketball and soccer each required a lot of skill, and let’s just say, I was not that coordinated. I didn’t really like to swim that much. I hated getting water up my nose. However, I had always been a little talented at running. Whenever we would run laps at gymnastics I would easily finish first, and I had even won the 400m at the 6^th grade junior Olympics. (Okay, this may not seem like a big deal now, but as a sixth grader doing well at the junior Olympics was like winning a gold medal at the actual Olympics.) For these reasons I decided on cross country.

     The first couple years I enjoyed running, but I definitely was not fully committed. I never ran on my own and I didn’t really care too much about my race times. As I got older I became more and more dedicated to running and at the same time discovered the reasons why running would become so important to me.

     One of the biggest reasons I love to run is because I thrive on competition. Running is one of the purest competitions there is. All of the competitors line up together on the line, the gun goes off, and it is a fight to the death until the first runner reaches the finish line. In a sport such as basketball or soccer, a player can rely on their teammates for help or make a lucky shot or goal. In running, the only one you can rely on is yourself. There is no aspect of luck. When it comes down to it, the runner who is most prepared will win. I love that raw sense of competition. I may not have the most talent in the world, but if I dedicate myself to running, my hard work can work wonders for me.

     I love the simple joy of running. Competing against other runners is fun, but I also find enjoyment on training runs. I love to be able to go on a long run on a country road or trail. I don’t worry about what pace I am running at or how far I may go. There is something distinctly pure and unique about a solitary run surrounded by nature. So often we take advantage of our surroundings. Oftentimes I hear students here at St. Francis complaining about the fact that our school is in the middle of nowhere. As a runner, this has never been a complaint of mine. I love the rural area our school is nestled in. My teammates and I run down the back roads around here that most people don’t even know exist, and this has led us to appreciate the area. I can do an early morning training run on a dark dirt path through a farm, and look out at the horizon to see the sun rising from behind a mountain covered in changing leaves. I can do a run we call “Three Mile Island” and run past a random house surrounded by three lakes with small islands in the middle, and a junkyard full of items from generations gone by. I have even stopped to pet new born baby cows at a dairy farm, something I probably would have never gotten to do otherwise. I have run along the rim of the Grand Canyon and along the waves crashing onto the beach as the sun rose above me.

Above: A picture of the Loretto countryside. 

     Running is a way for me to push myself to achieve feats I never thought I could. As a ninth and tenth grade runner, I was probably a little less than average. I was the fourth or fifth best runner on my team, and sometimes as low as eighth. If you told me as a ninth grader that one day I would be on scholarship at a division 1 school, I would have never believed you. I am still not an amazing runner by any means, but my dedication has proven to me that if I keep working hard anything is possible. In distance running, the only person who can truly hold you back is yourself. I finish my races feeling that I can always work a little harder, run a little faster, or go a little farther in order to reach my goals.

     I run because it has helped me to form meaningful relationships. The majority of my best friends have been people I have ran with. They go through the same trials and tribulations that I have encountered, and we are always there to lend each other a helping hand. The goal of accomplishing a common task can truly bring people together. It makes you work for a cause that is bigger than yourself. On long training runs, you have the chance to talk to your teammates about everything under the sun. This really allows you to get to know each other on a higher level than you do in normal relationships. We have struggled together, and I would do anything for my teammates.

     I run because it is more than a sport, it is a lifestyle. People who play contact sports may enjoy them during their youth, but not too many people play basketball, soccer, or football until they're well into their elder years. I can continue to run as long as I want to. I have been to road races where 80+ year old women have finished. In their eyes as they receive recognition I see pure love of the sport. Running also keeps me in good shape, which is a plus! I never have to worry about looking bad in a bikini come summer. A lot of people run simply for the physical benefits of it. Of course, I like being in shape, but that is not one of the primary reasons I run. I stay in shape so that I can compete to my best ability. I do not run to stay in shape simply for the reason of staying in shape.

     I run because I have faith. It makes me appreciate the incredible body that God has blessed me with. Running has made me realize just how much the human body is truly capable of enduring. Whenever I am in pain during a workout or race, I think back to the pain Jesus experienced while hanging on the cross. For him I continue to run. God has blessed me with a talent and I intend to use that talent to my best ability. Running has made me experience the natural beauties created by God. Through running I have been able to build relationships with people who share my beliefs in the glory of God. Before races my teammates and I huddle together and pray to God, thanking him for the ability to run that has been blessed upon us.

     I know not everyone will enjoy running as much as I do. It takes a huge commitment, one that many are not willing to give. However, I hope some of my reasons for running can convince someone else to give the sport a try. It may just change their outlook on life, like how it has changed mine. 

     Success as a runner does not come easily. It requires hours upon hours of training. Some professional runners log as many as 150 miles a week. I don’t run nearly as much, the most I have ever ran over a weeks time was about sixty-five miles, but that still comes out to an average of more than nine miles a day. I have completed workouts that made me fall to my knees in agony. Sometimes I feel like I literally cannot take another step. Runners often have to make sacrifices when it comes to social life. Going out late on a Friday night with friends is not an option when there is a race, long run, or track workout at 8 a.m. Saturday morning. I don’t have the option of procrastinating on my work until 12 a.m. like other college students, as sleep is a luxury I cannot afford to give up.

Training, sleep, and discipline are  the  more obvious factors that can affect a distance runner’s success, but running is also a very mental sport. It doesn’t matter how many miles you have put in or how fast you run intervals during your track workout if you experience a mental breakdown during competition.

Nerves have been something I have struggled with for my entire running career. In fact, I do not think there is a single runner out there who does not get nervous for important races. However, a good runner will not let their nerves get the best of them. Nervous excitement can actually be a good thing because it gets your adrenaline pumping, but being too nervous can prevent a runner from competing to their best ability.

Controlling my nerves has been especially important to my personal success as a distance runner. I have a disorder called Vocal Cord Dysfunction, which is similar to asthma. During periods of intense activity, sometimes my vocal cords slam shut instead of opening up when I am breathing in, making it extremely difficult to breathe. Stress greatly contributes to Vocal Cord Dysfunction, so if I get too worked up about a workout or race I will not be able to perform to my ability level. It is a terrible feeling to have to drop out of a race or workout because I simply cannot breathe.

Over time, I have become better at managing my stress levels. I have found that I usually perform better if I stay calm before a race and listen to music. If I sit on the bus and nervously think about the race, it is almost a guarantee that I will have trouble breathing. Every runner has different routines that they follow before races to help them relax. Some people follow routines before races religiously. There is not a one-size fits all framework for what a runner does before a race, so each athlete should see what works best for them to help them calm down. For example, I have had some teammates who would always wear the same sports bra, underwear, or socks for each meet because they thought it was lucky. Some would always do their hair the same way. Due to nervousness, a lot of runners go to the bathroom three or four times in the hours leading up to the race. My teammate Sarah would always visualize the race in her head because it helped her feel more comfortable. On the other hand, I have known other runners who try not to think about the race at all prior to its start. Most runners take ice baths the evening before important races. There is conflicting research on whether ice baths actually improve performance, but sticking to a routine that you believe helps you run well will help you stay calm. I have even had teammates who always eat the same meals on the three or four days leading up to meets. Many of my teammates read the same inspirational bible verses before each competition. 

Professional coaches and researchers have done studies on the effects of nerves on race performance. They have discovered the best ways to help people relax and run to their best ability. One of my favorite running books is a classic training book called Lore of Running, by Dr. Tim Noakes. Throughout the extensive 900+ page book he gives training advice to help runners succeed. One chapter in particular focuses on the mental aspect of running. I have read this chapter countless times, and I often read it before big races. Noakes emphasizes the importance of mental training during the precompetition phase of running. He says that it is important for runners to set goals for themselves. Their goals should be attainable and not too lofty, but they should also push limits. Having a clear cut goal will help runners push themselves, even when they fear that they are not capable of doing so. 

Noakes says that research has shown that the same mental processes occur in the brain while visualizing the completion of an activity that occur when the activity is actually performed. For this reason, he writes that it is important to visualize your races before hand.

Dr. Noakes also writes about focusing solely on the aspects of a race that you can control. Doing this, I believe, has definitely helped me improve as a runner. During my junior year we were at a track invitational and clouds were hanging ominously over the stadium. As soon as the gun went off for the 4x8 relay I was competing in, the rain started pouring down, the wind was whipping around violently, and lightning lit up the sky. I stood on the starting line, waiting for my teammate to hand me the baton for my leg of the relay. As I started to run, the rain streaming down my face made it feel like my contacts were falling out. I couldn’t see more than a foot in front of my face, and the wind was pushing against me. Under such circumstances, it would have been easy to justify a poor performance, but I focused on the factors that I could control and was able to run a personal record. I could not control the weather, but I could focus on my form and racing tactics to help me to a solid performance.

The mental aspect of running is definitely hard to master, but being mentally and emotionally calm leading up to and during races can dramatically improve performance. As a runner, I have learned different ways to improve my emotions, but it is still a learning process. Each runner needs to try different techniques for calming their nerves and see what works best for them, as everyone is unique. Best of luck to all my fellow runners and remember, stay clam!

Sources used in this entry:

Noakes, Tim M.D. Lore of Running. 1985. Human Kinetics: Champaign, IL.

Also, thanks go out to my teammates for offering their input on pre-race habits.