Ladies,
Last night there were many heroes. Tons of great times, some PR's, and some downright gritty performances. It was a good one.
Still, some niggling thoughts have plagued my mind all day, especially over a couple of the runners. While our times were good, for a few they could easily have been better. I know, I know, this sounds like I'm not satisfied, but dangit, my job as a coach is to get the best out of you all, and I know there is more to squeeze out of you. But how?
My biggest concern is the mental hurdle some of you are struggling to clear. There has to be a way, a different way, of viewing racing. For me, it's not a difficult thing. A bunch of us are standing on a line, and some of those fools think they're better than me. Time to prove them wrong.
Simple, isn't it?
I'm not naive enough to believe that works for everyone, and it certainly doesn't. So what is the motivation, the focus that might carry someone not motivated by proving superiority?
When I was a swim coach, we had a deal called a "hero swim". The idea is based on "quid pro quo" - you have something I want, I have something you want. I am willing to knock down the quantity if you give me quality. It's not a deal I give lightly or often, but sometimes it's just the right shaking of the apple tree that gives results. So I decided to shake some trees. Thus, the first "hero run" of my career as coach was born.
It was simple - if anyone in the practice ran faster than they did last night, the whole team got tomorrow off practice. We would run the time trial on the track, so it would be easy to monitor and pace. The distance was the full 5k - 12.5 laps. I didn't want to tell you about it until the very last second - why have anyone obsess about a workout we were going to do no matter what? On top of that, I was trying to break mental barriers, and always doing things the same way can only yield the same results.
After I explained the workout, it was obvious who was going to do well and who would struggle. The faces tell everything. When I was a 5k racer, I would look around at the starting line. It wasn't hard to pick out who was scared and who had their game faces on. Just like touching your side in a race, your face at the start reveals a great deal about your mindset. Get your mind in the right place and your body will follow every time.
After a too fast first quarter, everyone settled down. After that, Carrie was just a machine, clicking the quarters off one after another. There was never any doubt about her hitting her time. Madison started strong, had a bit of a fight in the middle, then finished with a fine kick to come well under her time. Chloe just tapped out the rhythm, with a fair amount of help from Diana.
So, the times?
Carrie was 21:41.
Madison was 23:10.
Chloe was 25:16.
Diana was 25:47, only about 25 seconds slower than last night.
Was it worth it? Giving up the miles? I say, "ABSOLUTELY YES!"
Look, we've run back-to-back hard days in the past, so this wasn't a crazy idea. There are at least 3-4 girls from today's workout that now have more confidence than ever in their ability to compete hard. Were there some who were disappointed? Yes, but they shouldn't be. Even if you didn't make your time, you put in a hard effort, which was something else I really wanted today. Not everyone was going to be a hero today, and it would have been unfair to expect it. What I did know was that someone would.
You have to be able to line up any time there's a challenge and have no fear. What is there to lose, really? Lay it out there, have no regrets. So long as you're honest with yourself, and know that you've done your best, there can be nothing to regret. If you find a weakness, look it straight in the eye. Recognize it, evaluate it, fix it.
Guys who work out with me will tell you, often someone will pop a crazy idea for a hard workout. I might say something like, "Oh, I don't feel good" or "I don't feel up to that" or something similar. They would also tell you they don't listen when I do, because almost universally I will say "Heck with it!" and go right ahead and do the workout, and more, try to lead it. I'll often make it even harder. My mindset is always, "I came here to work hard, and that's what I want to do." It's a very simple philosophy that serves racing.
There is no shame in failing. There is shame in not trying, or not giving your best. There is nothing to fear except imaginary devices you create yourself. It's you and the course and the clock, and that is all. Giving all you have, and inspiring those around you to do the same, man, that's a hero.
Last night there were many heroes. Tons of great times, some PR's, and some downright gritty performances. It was a good one.
Still, some niggling thoughts have plagued my mind all day, especially over a couple of the runners. While our times were good, for a few they could easily have been better. I know, I know, this sounds like I'm not satisfied, but dangit, my job as a coach is to get the best out of you all, and I know there is more to squeeze out of you. But how?
My biggest concern is the mental hurdle some of you are struggling to clear. There has to be a way, a different way, of viewing racing. For me, it's not a difficult thing. A bunch of us are standing on a line, and some of those fools think they're better than me. Time to prove them wrong.
Simple, isn't it?
I'm not naive enough to believe that works for everyone, and it certainly doesn't. So what is the motivation, the focus that might carry someone not motivated by proving superiority?
When I was a swim coach, we had a deal called a "hero swim". The idea is based on "quid pro quo" - you have something I want, I have something you want. I am willing to knock down the quantity if you give me quality. It's not a deal I give lightly or often, but sometimes it's just the right shaking of the apple tree that gives results. So I decided to shake some trees. Thus, the first "hero run" of my career as coach was born.
It was simple - if anyone in the practice ran faster than they did last night, the whole team got tomorrow off practice. We would run the time trial on the track, so it would be easy to monitor and pace. The distance was the full 5k - 12.5 laps. I didn't want to tell you about it until the very last second - why have anyone obsess about a workout we were going to do no matter what? On top of that, I was trying to break mental barriers, and always doing things the same way can only yield the same results.
After I explained the workout, it was obvious who was going to do well and who would struggle. The faces tell everything. When I was a 5k racer, I would look around at the starting line. It wasn't hard to pick out who was scared and who had their game faces on. Just like touching your side in a race, your face at the start reveals a great deal about your mindset. Get your mind in the right place and your body will follow every time.
After a too fast first quarter, everyone settled down. After that, Carrie was just a machine, clicking the quarters off one after another. There was never any doubt about her hitting her time. Madison started strong, had a bit of a fight in the middle, then finished with a fine kick to come well under her time. Chloe just tapped out the rhythm, with a fair amount of help from Diana.
So, the times?
Carrie was 21:41.
Madison was 23:10.
Chloe was 25:16.
Diana was 25:47, only about 25 seconds slower than last night.
Was it worth it? Giving up the miles? I say, "ABSOLUTELY YES!"
Look, we've run back-to-back hard days in the past, so this wasn't a crazy idea. There are at least 3-4 girls from today's workout that now have more confidence than ever in their ability to compete hard. Were there some who were disappointed? Yes, but they shouldn't be. Even if you didn't make your time, you put in a hard effort, which was something else I really wanted today. Not everyone was going to be a hero today, and it would have been unfair to expect it. What I did know was that someone would.
You have to be able to line up any time there's a challenge and have no fear. What is there to lose, really? Lay it out there, have no regrets. So long as you're honest with yourself, and know that you've done your best, there can be nothing to regret. If you find a weakness, look it straight in the eye. Recognize it, evaluate it, fix it.
Guys who work out with me will tell you, often someone will pop a crazy idea for a hard workout. I might say something like, "Oh, I don't feel good" or "I don't feel up to that" or something similar. They would also tell you they don't listen when I do, because almost universally I will say "Heck with it!" and go right ahead and do the workout, and more, try to lead it. I'll often make it even harder. My mindset is always, "I came here to work hard, and that's what I want to do." It's a very simple philosophy that serves racing.
There is no shame in failing. There is shame in not trying, or not giving your best. There is nothing to fear except imaginary devices you create yourself. It's you and the course and the clock, and that is all. Giving all you have, and inspiring those around you to do the same, man, that's a hero.
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