With Regionals coming up this Saturday, I wanted to write a short blog on, not so much what inspires us to run on a daily basis, but more so, what inspires us and helps drive us to run when it matters most. When it matters most? By that I mean, that very moment in the race when each of us is asked to give more, to break through that threshold of pain and finish strong. That moment when we either settle to avoid more pain, or go for broke and see how much we can really handle. We all get there, and we all have that voice in our head asking us: “Why am I doing this to myself?” That’s what separates running….. I mean, racing, from other sports. We go into the race knowing it’s going to hurt and we are confronted at some point in that race, (usually when we reach our pinnacle of pain) and asked, why are we doing this? At that very moment, we must make a decision. Do we surrender and stop pushing, or do we test the limits of our body, mind, and spirit?
Those on the sidelines, coaches, parents, teammates, and spectators, often wonder, what drives a runner to break through that line and push themselves to endure more pain than ever before?
When I coached at Louisville, I was in a hotel room at Notre Dame once, and Coach Brice Allen and I were discussing this very topic. We mused about what makes the guys on the team compete, what drives them at that key moment in the race. I could tell Coach Allen had thought of this over a longer period of time, and he stated that he felt for most, you could narrow it down to one of four things.
-God and Country
These guys run for a higher power, for the glory of (a) God or for their country. Either one gives the runner strength so that when that key moment arrives, they feel they are sacrificing their body for the higher power in which they believe. One gives me strength, therefore I have strength to give back in return. Ryan Hall would be a great example of this type of racer.
-Pride
We all know someone with a lot of pride, they seem to always think they are right, or can one up you at anything. A racer who turns to pride at that key moment, believes they are the best and that no one should, or could, beat them. “That’s not going to happen. I’m better. I want it more!” The ego can be destructive, but also a very good motivator. Holden Wells, a junior that I coach, broke 2:00 minutes last year and I’m sad to say I never have. We talk about racing each other this spring and to him, it’s black and white. He feels he should win because he’s broken two minutes and I have not, yet I continue to tell him I would break my leg before I see him beat me in an 800 meter race. Holden is way more gifted than I, but my pride would be on the line. To be beaten by a kid that I coach, would be terrible to me. I would not expect anything less than beating Holden! With 200 meters to go, it will come down to pride. The thought of never hearing the end of it, the idea, of a high schooler whom I train with every single day, getting the best of me, will scream louder than my legs.
-Gifted
There are athletes who were born to run. They live for this moment, because it’s their time to shine. They have a gift and when they reach that key moment in a race, they push the envelope and make it look so easy. They're gifted and that gift is put on display at the very same moment when most others are trying to sort through their thoughts. They are known as a runner in their school, town, community. They can simply endure pain easier than others. Matt Hughes was that athlete while I was at U of L. Yes, he was a two-time NCAA Champion, but the ability he had to just “do”workouts, and run anything from an 800 to a 10K, and be in the mix, was beyond talent. He was known to be good. He was known as a runner. And his mission, was to convince you that he belonged among the best, simply because he had a gift.
-A Dark Place
These racers are the ones you truly have to admire the most. These are the guys who seem to be out of place. When they race, you think they have given all they have, for whatever reason, they should be done, yet they find a way to press on. Coach Allen said these are the guys who amaze us, and we kind of feel sorry for them. When I asked what he meant by that, Coach replied, “At that key moment, these guys go to a dark place, a memory of an experience, perhaps, when they have endured more pain than they're feeling at that moment in the race, and they draw strength from it." Ryan Hill, who competed for North Carolina State, was Allen’s example when we were discussing this. I’d say the late Ryan Shay would be a also good example of this type of runner. It just seemed to me, that when he trained and raced, he was trying to run away from something. For some reason, I felt like he would draw from something in the past, a person, a place, a point, earlier in his life, that he was still trying to escape. And the only way to do that, was to run faster.
As Saturday approaches, only a few get to race, and more will be watching. Racers draw from whatever gives them the drive to push through, to seek the outer limits of their ability and desire. This is it. How bad are you willing to hurt, to press on, to go past that line of pain? Those on the sidelines watch in admiration and wonder, if it's simply the threat of a racer's opponent catching him and passing him, that drives him to press on. But maybe it's something else. Something bigger, deeper.
To all, let’s be safe, enjoy great competition, and support the greatest sport ever.