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Monday Morning Finish Line - September 27, 2021

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ILXCTF - Mike Newman   Sep 27th 2021, 12:16pm
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MONDAY MORNING FINISH LINE

September 27, 2021

 

By Michael Newman

[email protected]

 

It is that moment in time where things make sense. It can be in a race, or in a workout, or in life. You make decision at that point that adversity is not going to overcome you on that day.

There is a quote that my former coach Joe Newton would always tell his athletes that is attributed from something that Lord Sebastian Coe said. “The nine inches right here; set it straight and you can beat anybody in the world.” You can do workouts that are mind boggling. If you step to the line and you do not think that you can do it, then you won’t. If you go to the line and tell yourself no one is going to beat me today, then you will be one tough cookie to beat on that day.

Controlling the narrative is an everyday moment in life. I did an interview with Brooke Johnston of Lake Zurich after an improbable win at Palatine on Saturday. I thought about it when I was driving home. It is fun to see a young athlete figure it out and then go out and accomplish so many things. Johnston did that when she was 10 seconds behind the lead with one mile to go. Do you settle on your circumstance, or do you drive to see what you can do? In that moment of time, Johnston stopped with the negative thoughts that were going through her mind and overcame the moment. Will you always want to remember or try to forget? After the race, it will be something that Johnston will always remember when she steps to the line in championship race.

I like the process that we go through at the end of the year in cross-country where athletes control the narrative of where want to land after all the miles put in during the summer and during the season. The state series where you have to go from regionals to sectionals to state to get to where dreams come true that have pushed you during the year. Getting to the state meet where you earn that moment of getting to Detweiller Park on Saturday to race is something you can control. We did not see that a year ago. Let me be invited to a meet is not the same as let me earn that moment.

Sectional assignments come out and you see parents and coaches complain how tough it will be to make to the state meet this year because our sectional is so “loaded”. Do you let it be a hinderance or do you control the narrative and accept the challenge? That 2% of your body above the neck will tell you that you cannot do it. It is whether you believe those thoughts or dismiss the negativity that will determine if you are lacing up you spikes on the first Saturday in November or you are watching the race from a far.

I see athletes after a race that did not run what they wanted and are down on themselves. I hope they find that moment the next morning when the sun comes up and a new day is upon them. Do you let that bad race control your narrative or do you embrace the fact that you can be better? It is those defining moments that you can define.

I love the sport of Cross-Country running. It is not like any other high school sport. Any young person can put on a singlet and challenge themselves to better what they did the time before. My college coach Al Carius has a famous quote of “Run for Fun and Personal Bests” that applies to life. Some of these athletes will never win a race. They just don’t have the talent of the elite athlete to be in front of that race. They do have the talent to push themselves faster than they did before. They may be alone on a course while everyone has finished, and they are finding their way to the finish. In fact, they have already won as they have crossed the line where others may have stopped.

It is those qualities that will carry them further in life than they can imagine whether it is with a family or in business. When the top seven runners of a team go out to pick up a championship trophy, it becomes part of every runner on that team is a part of. They did the same practice as you. They were at the same meeting. They shared the same hugs of joy after a race. There is no first-place or last-place in those moments. They controlled their narrative of whether they wanted to be a part of something special instead of watching life go by.

What will you do today to control that narrative? Have a positive attitude when you get to practice or let a bad day carry on? Find that moment in practice when you tell yourself you can instead of saying to yourself there will be other days to do it? Maybe there will not be another time to succeed in the moment.

You control the narrative.

I’m jealous again wishing I could do one more time what you can do every day, every week.

Whether you are first in a race, or in the middle, or one of the last runners to finish, I admire you all.

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