There are certain elements of running that I try to get the high school kids (or really any runner) I work with to understand.  They had the biggest meet of their season this past weekend.  It is really hard to not get caught up in the medals and points and pursuits of team titles.  In the larger running world it is overall place, or even age grouping. That is how we measure ourselves.  It is what people ask about when they know you did a race.  These results are objective, a comparison to other athletes on the same day.  There is nothing wrong with this at all.  For many, competition is the point.  Put yourself to the test.  Feel the pressure of the lead up.  The nervous ache in your gut.  The moments of wondering, “how is it going to go?”  It is a feeling that you cannot relate to others.  You can only relate if you have been there yourself.

But as is usually case you don’t win.  You don’t meet that goal.  You fall short of the very thing you put all that work into.  That feeling is really hard to deal with.  But you better figure it out.  Because you are going to fall short far more times than you will achieve.  The pursuit is both frustrating and revelatory.  Like many individual sports, running has that trait.  The results are generally on you.  While other factors may be at fault (weather, course difficulty to name a few), how you deal with the results is up the runner.

One of the hardest lessons to be learned is to not define yourself by your place.  If you can be proud of the effort put forth to chase that time.  If you told yourself to run a certain part of the race a certain way, and you did.  If you finish with your best on that day.  Well then my friends, THAT is something to be proud of.