Blog #2 – Busy is a Good Thing

By Brenna Cohoon

Last Saturday marked our third week of racing this season, and I’m glad to say that overall, things felt good! We competed in the Batavia Quad on Leap Day, receiving our first opportunity of 2020 to race on a 200 meter indoor track.

It was my busiest meet yet this year, as I competed in the 4x800 Meter Relay, 1600 Meter Run, and 4x400 Meter Relay.  With little time in between each event, my main focus was placed upon listening to my body’s demands.  If I needed to jog or do dynamics, I would move around.  If I needed to relax, I would put my legs up and stretch.

There have only been a few meets throughout my high school career where I have competed in this many events.  Similar to taking my training day by day, I had to take Saturday race by race.  If I didn’t run well in one of my events, I couldn’t let that negativity impact the others.

Thankfully, things were off to a solid start with the 4x800 Meter Relay.  It was my first 4x800 of the season, so it was great to regain a feel for that event.  Since I led off the race, I simply treated it like a normal 800 Meter Run.  I began at a conservative pace and tried to pick things up lap by lap.  By the end of my leg, I had run myself to an exciting season best time and got to watch my teammates make history.

The other DGS relay team was comprised of three sophomores and one freshman (Madi Sisson, Sophia McNerney, Renee Kowalski, and Madelyn Sumlin).  These girls went into the day feeling determined, their minds set on breaking our school’s freshman/sophomore record.  Not only did they accomplish that goal, but they did so pretty handily, crushing the record by over 20 seconds!  It was exciting to see such a driven group set the tone for the rest of the team that day.

After completing a short cooldown and resting my legs for a moment, I warmed back up again for the 1600 Meter Run.  After the relay, I felt as though I had some good momentum heading into my next race.

Similar to the 4x800 Meter Relay, I went out at a controlled pace and wanted to focus on having a really strong second half of my race.  Unfortunately, I found myself trapped in no-man’s land pretty quickly, as Katrina Schlenker of Batavia pulled away early on and there was a small gap between the next people behind me.  I had to keep my eyes up and stay engaged in the race, challenging myself by trying to surge and pick up the pace wherever possible.

As soon as I finished, I felt slightly disappointed in myself.  I ended up running four seconds slower than the previous week, which was obviously not my intent.  I want to improve in every event at every meet, but sometimes, that just doesn’t happen.  I had to acknowledge the fact that I ran a hard 800 earlier and needed to push myself due to the position I fell into in the mile.  Of course, there are a million other factors that come into play, but I very quickly accepted the fact that I had a disappointing race that I can use to fuel me forward.

Last but not least was the 4x400 Meter Relay, which came and went with the blink of an eye.  I led off in this relay, as well, and had fun finishing off the day with a final two laps.  My main goal in this race, just like my others, was to finish strong.  Although my time did not reflect it, I was proud to accomplish that objective and push through the race after missing the mark in the 1600 Meter Run.

One of the highlights of my day took place as I was coming off the track after finishing my leg of the 4x400 Meter Relay.  A spectator, coach, official - I couldn’t quite tell - was standing on the inside of the track and noticed that I was smiling.  He seemed surprised by my glee, saying, “Wow, you look happy!”  I nodded, smiling even more, and exclaimed, “I am happy!  I just love to run!”

This man’s observation got me thinking.  The mental side of this sport is often the most challenging.  Why do we let it get to us, though?  Why don’t we always smile?  Why don’t we always remind ourselves of why we love to run and compete?

This is something that I’m guilty of myself.  As much as I love smiling when running, there are times that I forget the real reason why I’m out there competing.  I do it simply because I love it.  Running fills me with life.  Being around my teammates and getting to cheer for them makes me feel complete.  Without it, I’m not sure where I would be.

This Thursday, our team will be competing at the North Central College Cardinal Classic, our first invitational of the season.  I am excited for this meet as I love the track and the atmosphere that comes with it.  I feel like the energy that comes from the teams and fans within this facility is some of the best when it comes to indoor track.  

I am also excited to simply have another opportunity to take some steps towards improvement this season.  Every meet, every race is a chance to grow mentally, physically, or in both ways, honestly.  I am eager to move forward but want to savor every moment I can while it lasts.

Photo Credit: Catherine Cohoon