Ladies,
In the early days, when I was a boys' coach, I never had trouble laying down the smack. Boys don't take it personally, at least not the way girls sometimes do. If I were to stick a finger in a boy's chest and give him a direct challenge, he might for a split second be angry, but then realize I was giving him truth. He could accept that and choose to do something about it, or he could deny it and do nothing. That's where my responsibility was abrogated; I'd done my part.
My Achilles' Heel has always been my daughters. My love for them has always softened my words, because whatever hard I had to give them was magnified tenfold by their desire to please me. In other words, whatever I said to them always stung far more than intended. I sometimes see you girls as my daughters, and I am ever fearful my hard words will hurt rather than help.
In life you can surround yourself with people that only tell you what you want to hear, wrapping yourself in a protective bubble of self-confidence. But it isn't real. Sometimes those outside need to tell you the truth, and it may not be a comfortable thing to hear. In this case, that someone is me.
With all that said, understand it is never my desire to hurt any of you by giving very direct comments. Though they are intended to be surgical and precise, they are often perceived as crude and blunt. Always know my intent is for the positive. I am not trying to tear anyone down; I am trying to give you a path upward.
I told you I am a pragmatist. Here is how that is defined by "Vocabulary.com":
I think that sums it up quite nicely. The job before me is to take in all the data, analyze, interpret, and decide a course that will get the team to our goal. The last two races have given some good data, and I'm beginning to get some takeaways that are focused and specific to each of you. Painful or not, that information must be imparted or the opportunity is wasted. It also must be done now, because there is only so much time to do anything about things that need corrected. This is why we did today's workout, and it's also why I made such direct comments to you all. Nothing personal at all is ever intended.
Let's dig into the psychology of a competitive athlete.
First, there are athletes, and there are competitive athletes. Athletes are those that have physical abilities and use them for fitness, exercise, and occasional light competition. If they win, great. If they don't, great. It's all for fun. Then there are competitive athletes. They want to win. Always. Every time. Every thing. Every. Thing. They will make competition out of every athletic foray, every conversation, every flick of an eyelash. They are through-and-through competitors, sometimes to their detriment.
You might guess this is not necessarily an either/or situation. There are definitely variations - just think of these as the two ends of the spectrum. However, to be a competitor in a sport, you must have at some level of a competitive athlete in you. You simply won't allow yourself to hurt when the moment comes if you don't. It won't matter enough.
I have been (often) referred to (by my peers) as one of the 3 most competitive athletes in Bedford (True!). Don't confuse this with "3 best athletes in Bedford", it's not the same thing. Those that have known me a long time know I don't like to lose. Anything. Ever. And I will bust a lung to keep it from happening.
I can't let anything go. If someone takes off from the group in a run, I chase. If someone busts loose on a climb during a ride, I chase. If someone sprints past me in a final, I fight. I don't win all of them, but I contest every one. Every time.
I take it as a personal affront, that person is asserting their dominance on me, and I won't have it. You might beat me, but you're going to have to earn it. Every time. And you can count on me coming back tomorrow harder than ever, mad at myself I let you have it. There has to be a way to beat you, and I'm going to find it. That's my mindset.
This is where the mind is so critical to you as a racer, where everything in front of you must be viewed with an adversarial eye. The group I train with is composed of my friends, and I truly love them all like brothers, but I am always looking for their weaknesses. I race against them, and I don't want to lose. No... I won't lose. Some are better runners, some are better in transition, some have strengths over me in a lot of different ways, but I am always analyzing them to find the way to break them down. In a one-on-one race with any of them I know exactly when to make a move and what to do.
If I sound awful, know this; they are trying to do exactly the same thing. Nothing personal. This is how competitive athletes help one another become better. And, assuming people of similar talent, it always comes down to whoever is willing to hurt more, right now, to do what it takes to push a little more.
I am always hesitant to directly say what groupings are on the team, because I think it builds mental limits that become unbreakable. I am going to do it now, in the context of this passage, so that you know I am merely stating what I believe to be true at this moment. Take the rest of what I am saying above and apply it. We all start at some point of the hierarchy in a group; where we go from there is our choice. If you want another position, fight for it!
Runners 1-3: Joslyn, Carrie, Madison. This might be stating the obvious, but not so much as you think. The physical difference between the first three and the next group is inconsequential. The difference is mental. For you girls, the goal is simple; win every day. If any of you see one of the others take off, you follow. Never let them go, never let them have an edge. Those gaps are built day-by-day, decision-by-decision. If you get in the habit of letting one of them get away, you'd better get used to watching her backside, because that's all you're ever going to see in a race.
Runners 4-7: Zoe, Katlyn, Chelsey, Diana. As I said, the physical tools are all there to challenge the top 3. The challenge starts with believing you can. How do you create that belief? Easy - never, ever in practice let these three girls drop you. Not on a daily run, not on a hard run, not ever. They might do it, but you never let them do it. What you will begin to notice, day by day, is you hang with them longer and longer until they can no longer drop you.
Runners 8-10: Kate, Cynthany, Sara. This group is a bit different from the others, in that health has been an issue. That will always be so, ladies... there will always be injury or sickness in sports. Still, you have to fight to get back into the main group. When you can run with the girls, you run with them. You do it until you just can't any more. You are all very talented, and you've had some misfortune. Your challenge now is to overcome as much as you can. You can still do great things by the end of the season, you simply have a harder path to follow. Know this; your glory is all the greater if you succeed in spite of everything.
Here's the final thing... we have to bring the level of every single girl up by tournament. No exceptions! More than that... we need to close the gap between runner 1 and runner 5. Conventional wisdom says you want a gap of no more than a minute. Well ladies, who do you think this puts more pressure on? If you said, "runners 4-7", you are exactly right, or nearly so. On this team, that would be runners 4-10. I figure we'll have 3 girls running anywhere from 20:30 to 21:30 very soon... we need a couple more who can run in the 22's. We have them already - they just need to believe.
Is it you? Could it be you? Are you willing to find out?
In the early days, when I was a boys' coach, I never had trouble laying down the smack. Boys don't take it personally, at least not the way girls sometimes do. If I were to stick a finger in a boy's chest and give him a direct challenge, he might for a split second be angry, but then realize I was giving him truth. He could accept that and choose to do something about it, or he could deny it and do nothing. That's where my responsibility was abrogated; I'd done my part.
My Achilles' Heel has always been my daughters. My love for them has always softened my words, because whatever hard I had to give them was magnified tenfold by their desire to please me. In other words, whatever I said to them always stung far more than intended. I sometimes see you girls as my daughters, and I am ever fearful my hard words will hurt rather than help.
In life you can surround yourself with people that only tell you what you want to hear, wrapping yourself in a protective bubble of self-confidence. But it isn't real. Sometimes those outside need to tell you the truth, and it may not be a comfortable thing to hear. In this case, that someone is me.
With all that said, understand it is never my desire to hurt any of you by giving very direct comments. Though they are intended to be surgical and precise, they are often perceived as crude and blunt. Always know my intent is for the positive. I am not trying to tear anyone down; I am trying to give you a path upward.
I told you I am a pragmatist. Here is how that is defined by "Vocabulary.com":
A pragmatist is someone who is; pragmatic, that is to say, someone who is practical and focused on reaching a goal. A pragmatist usually has a straightforward, matter-of-fact approach and doesn’t let emotion distract her.
Let's dig into the psychology of a competitive athlete.
First, there are athletes, and there are competitive athletes. Athletes are those that have physical abilities and use them for fitness, exercise, and occasional light competition. If they win, great. If they don't, great. It's all for fun. Then there are competitive athletes. They want to win. Always. Every time. Every thing. Every. Thing. They will make competition out of every athletic foray, every conversation, every flick of an eyelash. They are through-and-through competitors, sometimes to their detriment.
You might guess this is not necessarily an either/or situation. There are definitely variations - just think of these as the two ends of the spectrum. However, to be a competitor in a sport, you must have at some level of a competitive athlete in you. You simply won't allow yourself to hurt when the moment comes if you don't. It won't matter enough.
I have been (often) referred to (by my peers) as one of the 3 most competitive athletes in Bedford (True!). Don't confuse this with "3 best athletes in Bedford", it's not the same thing. Those that have known me a long time know I don't like to lose. Anything. Ever. And I will bust a lung to keep it from happening.
I can't let anything go. If someone takes off from the group in a run, I chase. If someone busts loose on a climb during a ride, I chase. If someone sprints past me in a final, I fight. I don't win all of them, but I contest every one. Every time.
I take it as a personal affront, that person is asserting their dominance on me, and I won't have it. You might beat me, but you're going to have to earn it. Every time. And you can count on me coming back tomorrow harder than ever, mad at myself I let you have it. There has to be a way to beat you, and I'm going to find it. That's my mindset.
This is where the mind is so critical to you as a racer, where everything in front of you must be viewed with an adversarial eye. The group I train with is composed of my friends, and I truly love them all like brothers, but I am always looking for their weaknesses. I race against them, and I don't want to lose. No... I won't lose. Some are better runners, some are better in transition, some have strengths over me in a lot of different ways, but I am always analyzing them to find the way to break them down. In a one-on-one race with any of them I know exactly when to make a move and what to do.
If I sound awful, know this; they are trying to do exactly the same thing. Nothing personal. This is how competitive athletes help one another become better. And, assuming people of similar talent, it always comes down to whoever is willing to hurt more, right now, to do what it takes to push a little more.
I am always hesitant to directly say what groupings are on the team, because I think it builds mental limits that become unbreakable. I am going to do it now, in the context of this passage, so that you know I am merely stating what I believe to be true at this moment. Take the rest of what I am saying above and apply it. We all start at some point of the hierarchy in a group; where we go from there is our choice. If you want another position, fight for it!
Runners 1-3: Joslyn, Carrie, Madison. This might be stating the obvious, but not so much as you think. The physical difference between the first three and the next group is inconsequential. The difference is mental. For you girls, the goal is simple; win every day. If any of you see one of the others take off, you follow. Never let them go, never let them have an edge. Those gaps are built day-by-day, decision-by-decision. If you get in the habit of letting one of them get away, you'd better get used to watching her backside, because that's all you're ever going to see in a race.
Runners 4-7: Zoe, Katlyn, Chelsey, Diana. As I said, the physical tools are all there to challenge the top 3. The challenge starts with believing you can. How do you create that belief? Easy - never, ever in practice let these three girls drop you. Not on a daily run, not on a hard run, not ever. They might do it, but you never let them do it. What you will begin to notice, day by day, is you hang with them longer and longer until they can no longer drop you.
Runners 8-10: Kate, Cynthany, Sara. This group is a bit different from the others, in that health has been an issue. That will always be so, ladies... there will always be injury or sickness in sports. Still, you have to fight to get back into the main group. When you can run with the girls, you run with them. You do it until you just can't any more. You are all very talented, and you've had some misfortune. Your challenge now is to overcome as much as you can. You can still do great things by the end of the season, you simply have a harder path to follow. Know this; your glory is all the greater if you succeed in spite of everything.
Here's the final thing... we have to bring the level of every single girl up by tournament. No exceptions! More than that... we need to close the gap between runner 1 and runner 5. Conventional wisdom says you want a gap of no more than a minute. Well ladies, who do you think this puts more pressure on? If you said, "runners 4-7", you are exactly right, or nearly so. On this team, that would be runners 4-10. I figure we'll have 3 girls running anywhere from 20:30 to 21:30 very soon... we need a couple more who can run in the 22's. We have them already - they just need to believe.
Is it you? Could it be you? Are you willing to find out?
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