Some Inspiration

As we talked briefly the other day, the meet on Monday was not that great. In running and in track, there are few opporunities to compete. You put in countless miles and training for only a few chances to excel. This is not a 20 game season and that means you need to take advantage of the days when you do get to compete. You need to be fired up and ready for the challenge, not prancing around the track and giggling to one another. As I said yesterday at practice, be friends with your competitors before the race and after the race. When you are on that line, they are the enemy. This is not the time to be day dreaming and joking around. I want you to watch this video. Take note of the looks on everyone's faces. No one is giggling and smiling, they are ready to compete. They have looks of determination and courage. This is what track and running is all about. You push yourselves to the ultimate limits to see what you are capable of doing, not just in track, but even more importantly, in life. If you get to that starting line and you do not have the desire to push yourself beyond what you think is physically and mentally possible, this is not the sport for you. I have completed 4 marathons so far and each one has taught me something about myself that I did not know before. This sport teaches you discipline and shows you what you are capable of doing. After pushing through 26.2 miles and being beaten down physically, mentally, and emotionally and you can still find a way to keep going, what is there in life that you can't do? This is the mentality that I want to pass on to all of you. We're not just learning how to run faster or jump higher or throw farther, we're learning about how to get through life when it hits you down. We have 1 more meet for a few of you to qualify. Think about this, think about this video and believe in yourself.