Having a coach to help you with your
goals:
I ran well in high school. I
did not run well in college.
In 2004, when my four years of undergrad were done, it made sense that my competitive track and cross-country meets were over as well. Another four years passed and I completed grad school, coached at a local high school (and loved it), coached collegiately (and loved it) and volunteered and stayed quite connected with the competitive running world. I watched many track athletes accomplish great things from what I knew took consistent hard work and dogged determination and discipline. I knew that I would always be involved in the running world. I did not and could not feel like an underachiever and hypocrite for all the years to come. It was in the spring of 2008 when I knew I couldn't again volunteer in khaki shorts and a polo shirt day-after-day for USA Track & Field. At that moment I wasn't quite ready to don bunhuggers and a tight top and racing bib, but I could not simply stand there and watch my peers compete in the Trials and qualify for the Olympics. I hit Pre's trails and so it began. I knew what I wanted. I knew what was meaningful to me. I came up with my four goals. In the summer of 2008 they were far off and seemed lofty, yet I was sure of them.
In 2004, when my four years of undergrad were done, it made sense that my competitive track and cross-country meets were over as well. Another four years passed and I completed grad school, coached at a local high school (and loved it), coached collegiately (and loved it) and volunteered and stayed quite connected with the competitive running world. I watched many track athletes accomplish great things from what I knew took consistent hard work and dogged determination and discipline. I knew that I would always be involved in the running world. I did not and could not feel like an underachiever and hypocrite for all the years to come. It was in the spring of 2008 when I knew I couldn't again volunteer in khaki shorts and a polo shirt day-after-day for USA Track & Field. At that moment I wasn't quite ready to don bunhuggers and a tight top and racing bib, but I could not simply stand there and watch my peers compete in the Trials and qualify for the Olympics. I hit Pre's trails and so it began. I knew what I wanted. I knew what was meaningful to me. I came up with my four goals. In the summer of 2008 they were far off and seemed lofty, yet I was sure of them.
1) acquire athletic sponsorship
2) make the PanAm team
3) compete in Europe
4) automatically qualify for the
Trials finals and have an Olympic mark
Over the next few weeks I will touch
on these goals and the process of getting to them and what I learned.
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| Just a couple of us from Bishop Kenny High School |
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