Your Next Step!
As the dust settles, the clocks move back, and the colder temperatures arrive, it’s easy to forget pretty quickly just what it took for you to reach your goals this fall. On November 6th several runners on our team toed the line at the Indy Monumental races. For the majority of athletes on the team, we saw huge PRs, BQs, and fast times across the board. Now don’t let these race results fool you. Their successful performances weren’t created on race day.
As a coach the days where everyone seems to PR and hit their goals never get old. The beauty of being in the position I am in is that I get to see an athlete at every stage of training. Sure not every stage is pretty. There are times where you as the coach are public enemy number one. But ultimately in the long run, I am hired to help hold people accountable for their wants and desires in the sport well after they proclaim them to the world. That’s what makes it so special for me when I see their end result. At the Indy Monumental, we had an athlete break the barrier of 2:55 in the marathon which was a year long goal of his.
This was also his third Boston Qualifying performance in the marathon. After the race, he found me and said some incredibly inspired words that really resonated with me. I don’t have his quote memorized verbatim but he said something along the lines of that this result was earned on the dark and lonely days where no one was there to see him put the work in. I get cold chills thinking about what he said because our journey to success can be very quiet and quite challenging most of the time. When I work with any athlete, my priority is on trying to find the best way possible to help that person accomplish their goals on race day while being happy and healthy in the process.
Health is a huge piece to the puzzle but the reality is that somewhere down the line you will not be happy. Your coach can be extremely motivational, positive, and have you on the right path but putting the work in sometimes sucks. But that’s the reality of what you will deal with on race day. If you want to be successful on the day that counts, you must be willing to face the good and bad miles. Your attitude propels you forward. It’s easy for us to sit months out of our goal races and say what it is we want to accomplish.
It’s another thing to toe the line on race day knowing you decided to push forward well after the honeymoon stage of training faded. As many of you are still riding the highs of your fall glory, let me remind you that these performances were indeed impressive. They are very much worth celebrating too. However, after you press complete on that credit card payment for your next race, remember it’s the months between race day that made you the champion you are. Commit to wearing your winter gear, linking up with a group, and staying consistent because if you want to taste that sip of champagne again on race day, it’s going to require your best effort and more these next several weeks. Let’s go get it!
*Spewak Training is currently accepting new athletes. Email contact@spewaktraining.com to set up for your free 30 minute consultation meeting.*
