Hey flrunners! I think it's safe to say that we are all pumped that the 2014 season is finally underway. My season won't officially start until this Saturday, but it's still exciting to see all of the stats and times pile in from across the state.
It's great to see the Fort Myers boys' team shaping up to be a strong, cohesive unit. Our sophomores learned a lot in their freshmen track season's and it's evident in their training that they'll show a lot of improvement in cross this year. It's encouraging to see that they've slipped on their big boy trousers. They're not babies anymore. Time to move on from drinking milk and eating mashed up green beans to drinking lava and eating live, African elephants, training-wise.
The rest of the team looks fantastic as well. Everyone is working hard and trying to contribute to the team as a whole. Even the back of the pack is putting forth their best effort regardless of how tough the workout might be. It's inspiring to a lot of our runners that they're running for something more than just individual achievement
I've been piling on extra miles with double days and extended easy runs. It's great having extra miles to do because it gives me more time to think by myself. Like, how far could a gorilla throw a football? Are my hands sad that they can't touch their corresponding elbows? What does my cat do when I'm not home? Does it just sleep, or does it try on all my clothes and deal catnip?
I have my first race of the season this Saturday, and I am beyond ready to officially start my season. Of course, from the start, I'll have some fierce competitors to race against, Adam (Bradtmueller) at our Ft. Myers Optimist meet this week and Ryan at Mountain Dew the following week. I'm glad I get to kick off the season with two potentially great races, two perfect opportunities to show everyone(as well as myself) what I'm capable of. It gives me such a strange conflict of emotions thinking about upcoming races like this, I'm both excited and terrified. I carry the same feeling all the way to starting line, and sometimes until the first 400 because it's scary to not know if you'll perform adequately or if you'll make the right choices during the race.
I've noticed that the only reprieve from the nervousness and the corresponding thoughts, like "man, wouldn't it be great if I shattered my knee right now and had a good excuse to stop?", is getting in the zone and trusting myself, my strength, and my training. Running, racing especially, has always been a spiritual experience for me. I consider it a gift that I'm even able to run, let alone run at the caliber that I do. It's a blessing that I have Coach Palmer to keep me training, my team to keep me accountable, and my competitors to keep me pushing. I know that if I didn't have God in my life, I wouldn't be nearly as successful in my running career. If I was absolutely sure that I was the best I was ever going to be, those nerves wouldn't affect me before races, but knowing that I still have a long way to go to reach my potential this season is scary and daunting, yet conversely, reassuring and alleviating.
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