Track Blog #6 – Same Distances, Less Laps

By Brenna Cohoon

Outdoor season has returned, and we received a nice warm welcome at the DGS Invitational.

While many of my teammates ran in a quad meet earlier in the week, this was the first meet of the outdoor season for me.

We were truly blessed with the absolute ideal weather for a track meet on Saturday: temperatures ranging from the 50’s to 60’s, minimal wind, partly cloudy, and no precipitation.  There was even enough sun poking through the clouds to justify an application of sunscreen!  Our team was ready to host the incredible competition coming from Geneva, Glenbard North, Glenbard West, Hinsdale Central, Lyons Township, Naperville North, and Yorkville.

Going into Saturday, I was coming off of a solid week of training with which I was very pleased.  My teammates and I ran some strong workouts and got in some good mileage.  This definitely gave me confidence heading into my race.  

As I reflected throughout the week in preparation for the meet, I had a big realization: I feel as though a lot of our workouts are physically harder than running a race, because we often have to hit certain goal times and do multiple reps.  If that’s the case, why do I always get so nervous before racing?

I spent the morning talking with my friends and cheering on my teammates who ran in some of the earlier races.  I worked with three of my teammates and passed out hip numbers, which was something I’ve never done before.  It took a little bit of practice to find a quick and efficient way to check everyone in, but it was fun and kept me occupied for the early part of the meet.

When it was time, I warmed up and prepared mentally to race in the 1600 Meter Run.  There was a strong lineup of girls running in my race.  I felt very fortunate to have such an impressive field of girls to compete against; I knew that they would push me to improve.  I didn’t stress too much over crafting a specific race plan; I just told myself that I am capable of staying with the front pack. 

This is something that I have focused on doing more of this season.  Sometimes, I tend to overthink how a race is going to unfold and find myself to be mentally exhausted by the time the middle of the race rolls around.  That is definitely something I continue to work on. I want to get to a point where I do not feel intimidated by any challenge, whether that be in running or life in general.

So – on to the race itself.

The race began and I was sure to smile.  I didn’t just want to smile, though. I wanted it to mean something.  I have smiled in just about every race since competing at First to the Finish during the cross-country season.  Not to say that every race has been spectacular, but I do think it has helped add positivity to my races. 

However, there have been a handful of races where I have smiled but been disappointed with my results because I quickly forget why I am smiling.  I am smiling because I love running and competing.  I am smiling because running is fun!  I made sure to keep that in mind throughout my race, and ended up being pleased, but not entirely satisfied with my place or time, with a PR of less than a second in the 1600 Meter Run.

Shortly after the finish of my race, my coach asked if I was feeling well enough to substitute into the 4x400 Meter Relay for one of my teammates.  I gladly accepted the challenge and took the limited time in between the two races to jog around and shake out my legs a bit.  This reminded me of a shorter version of the 3200 Meter Run and 4x800 Meter Relay double that I had done just a couple weeks prior at Illinois Top Times.  I pushed myself to run a strong race and focus on finishing hard, which led me to run another small personal best in the 400 Meter Run.

Although I am excited about the slight progress I made in both events, I am even more excited to see what the rest of this season holds.  I want to move forward in races with the most confidence I’ve ever felt.  I know that from my training, I am ready to compete whenever I toe the line.  When someone starts to make a move in a race, I need to respond.  Or, I could be the one to make the first move!

While there are always things to improve upon, I know I need to keep learning with every race, taking things day by day, week by week.  There may be some bumps in the road along the way to accomplishing my goals, but I have accepted that and am willing to be challenged.

Photo: ©2019 Laura Duffy