Yes, boxes. As convenient as they may be for packing and transporting things, they can also destroy you, or at least the runner in you. How's that, you ask? Let's take a look at Larry Longbottom. Larry is a rising freshman at Carrboro High. He ran cross country in middle school and is super excited to run for in high school. He has heard that the Carrboro boys were state champs in 2010 and state runner-up in 2011. He dreams of getting faster and being a part of this program's success. Here's Larry in May, just before joining the team for summer training:
Guys like Larry Longbottom are plentiful in June of every year as we start meeting for summer runs. This type of motivation in our younger runners is exactly what we need to maintain our strength as a team year in and year out. In such an environment, young guys are setting themselves up for future success and the top guys on the team are feeling pressure (the good kind) from behind to keep improving and stay sharp. The result? A wicked strong top 7 and a slew of young guys ready and willing to fill holes in that top 7 as guys get hurt or graduate:
So, how do boxes screw this all up? Here's how. You see, Larry starts running with the high school team and, well, it's hard. He struggles with the summer mileage. He sees the top guys running much more volume with what appears to be relative ease. He gets discouraged. The season starts and his 5k times are consistently 4 minutes slower than the top guys. In Larry's mind, there is no way he will even get close to that top 7. He's a 20 minute guy, and that's just all he can be...Did you catch it? You see what happened there? One of those darn boxes was created. It's the "20 minute guy" box. Larry placed himself in that box, and it's darn near impossible to improve as a runner when you are stuck in a box. There are all kinds of boxes on a guys' cross country team. Here are some others:
Performance gaps begin to form between the guys as they box themselves up. 20 minute guys accept their roles and just train and race alongside other 20 minute guys. The same can be said of the 19 minute guys, the 18 minute guys, and the second 7. Upward mobility is out of the question now. The top seven guys get complacent because none of the others are trying to take their spots. As a result, the team as a whole is not very strong, and when the semi-strong top 7 guys graduate, their spots are filled by guys who have convinced themselves they are not very fast. That is not exactly a recipe for success, now is it?
My job as a coach then is to keep the dream alive for Larry and others like him. They have to understand that, even with no training at all, their bodies will grow much stronger between the ages of 14 and 18. Add to that years of training with gradually increasing volume and intensity and that top 7 is not at all out of reach. Most of all, Larry has to realize that the boxes are not real! They are in his head. It's Satan, whispering in his ear, telling him he isn't good enough; that he should just give up.
Well ladies and gents, if you truly want to reach your full potential, it's time to slap Satan in the face and erase those boxes you've created for yourself!
As we make our goals for next spring, let's think outside of our running boxes. Better yet, let's break down those boxes. Train and race harder than you think you can. I believe you'll surprise yourself.
Here are some awesome stories of Satan slapping and box erasing:
Cason Ragland -
Cason joined Carrboro's team in his junior year, having never run in his life. In his fist three big meets, he ran 20:37, 20:30, and 20:45 for 5k. He was a "20 minute guy." He could have just accepted that. He could have put himself in the 20 minute guy box, as many in his position would, but no sir. Cason said, screw this, I'm running faster. In his next three meets, he ran 19:32, 19:23, and 19:19. He also started training with guys who where faster than him, unwilling to accept any stupid boxes. Brovo, Cason. Bravo.
Jon Tipton -
Jon joined the Carrboro guys his sophomore year. Despite posting some of the slower times on the team, he has never let up. He is constantly pushing himself to improve, and it shows. He has a tendency to knock minutes (not seconds) off of his 5k PR, and I look forward to seeing what this kid will do in the future. Here's Jon gunnin' for the line in all his passionate glory (in the Carrboro singlet, of course):
I myself aspire to flirt with the 2:40 barrier at the Boston Marathon in April. My current PR is 2:51, set at the Myrtle Beach marathon in February. Too big a jump, you say? Not on the Boston course? That's unrealistic? Well I'm gonna try, and my PR before Myrtle was 3:24, so shut up, Satan. Don't box me in.
"Life's battles don't always go to the stronger or faster man. Sooner or later, the man who wins is the one who thinks he can." - Vince Lombardi
