Going the Distance ... Carrie Soholt

Which would you rather have? The mountain top or the valley? For many in life, we spend our time climbing mountains, looking for that proverbial "high", the experience that comes to only the few. Valleys are filled with shadows, and the famous 23rd Psalm describes them in the same sentence as death. Who'd want to dwell in the lowlands when the view from the top is so much grander?

Carrie Soholt knows of both habitations, but what makes her experience in four years of running interesting is that her story began on the mountain top. Like only a few before her, she literally burst on the distance running scene. She was varsity right out of the gate.

Though her frosh season was interrupted by four broken toes, (You read that right, it's 4, as in almost all five on the same foot!) she still managed to finish her season with dignity at CIF Finals. She then headed into track and proceeded to set the school record in the 800 meters.  She backed that up with a school record the next Fall in XC as a sophomore. But three days after that peak, a storm front of injuries rolled in and clouded the view from the top.

The hobbling seemed to never end. It was one, then another. Time ticked by and before she knew it, her mountain had melted into a valley.

What makes Carrie a remarkable young woman though is how she handled the shadows, the darkness that seemed to envelope her running. It was there in the shadowlands that she learned to appreciate anew her gift of running. She is quick to admit that going from the leader to one of the pack has taught her humility and grace. She has discovered the ironic truth that fruit grows in valleys, not on mountaintops.  The fruit ripening in her life has been a greater love, joy and peace; she's grown patience by the bushel. To those enduring the famines of injury, the harvest of her kindness toward them is bountiful.  It's an empathy born in her own hardships. Goodness, mercy and self control tattoo her life.  Through it all, she's remained faithful.

Even more remarkable is that she refused to allow the river of frustration to change her character with the eroding force of bitterness. She has remained so steadfastly positive and joyful despite the difficulties that one can only marvel at the depth of her integrity. An act of true generosity and sportsmanship she showed last track season was captured in the Press Enterprise as well as by CIF.  And while the public marveled at her "random act of kindness" those of us who know her saw nothng "random" about it, that was "Carrie being Carrie." 

While Carrie still aspires to ascend back to the mountaintop, she's now a seasoned runner and human being who has not allowed the altitude changes that come with living to rob her of her joy, her spirit, her generosity or her drive.  She presses on, cheerful in the climb, persistant and undeterred.

Could there be any better thing to say about a young person?

Wooden's Secret of Success - Poise

To reiterate, it took Wooden close to 15 years to create his Pyramid of Success. Because of this it is necessary to remember that each secret takes time to preview, process, practice and push forward.

As we near the apex of the Pyramid, we come to realize that the second to last tier is so hard to accomplish in all aspects of our lives. That, perhaps, is a good thing. If it were easy to achieve “Poise” and “Confidence” the pyramid might not even exist- we would seemingly achieve success without much effort.

When I think of people with Poise, I always think of someone who walks tall, has presence and knows what they want to accomplish. You can see it in his eyes. On the flip side, it is easy to recognize someone without it. There is a lack of discipline, work ethic and a constant look of concern, worry, or question.

Wooden believes that poise comes as a “natural result of the personal qualities that we put in place below (the blocks below).” His definition is simple: be yourself.

However, I think it needs to be clarified. Often times we accept negative or bad behavior as “just being you”. It’s similar to when we hear people justify their actions that produce negative outcomes as “hey, I’m just being me. If you don’t like it, leave.” But to be successful we need to understand that a negative outcome and deliberately trying to be negative, is not just being you, it is disastrous for our world, community, school and team. We should not accept negative behavior because it perpetuates the many wounds that so many people have worked hard to heal. In other words, if you hear a person put down a particular group or make degrading remarks to others, do you accept it as “just being themselves” or do you stand up to the negative, not letting it perpetuate?

Another way I look at poise is really asking yourself what your vision is? What are you trying to achieve? What do you focus on when in times of pressure? It goes back to all of our discussions from the past. If you constantly talk about “the negative” it will find you. It will haunt you. It will ring in your ears in times of stress. Showing poise means you are more worried about what you can DO for your team, your friends, your family, rather than what they can do for you. This holds true in all aspects of life. Relationships, friendships, partnerships can not survive if you put yourself first. You must ask yourself what you can do for the other person rather than what they do for you. You aren’t worried about always being right. You learn to be comfortable with yourself and be at ease in any situation not matter how difficult.

Poise shows that you can stand up for what is right while you know that your convictions, values, beliefs and qualities are what is best for team and yourself. You are working toward the ultimate goal of being the best that you can be. Poise is not something you pursue; it is something that you embody each and every day. You or others may see you as a leader, but you aren’t a leader if you don’t have poise: you don’t trust yourself. You don’t worry about controlling others- your actions and words are inspiring. At the same time, you learn confidence. You learn that through your natural actions and beliefs, you do not need approval from others. By not needing approval or worrying about other people’s expectations, you remove yourself away from fear controlling your life. When you remove yourself from fear, you achieve confidence, the next secret to success.

To be clear, each box is specifically placed. Look at the entire left side of the pyramid. See how they are all connected. What sort of pattern do you recognize? How are they building blocks on each other?

Please email me (leishaclendenen@yahoo.com)  your thoughts on this next block. It is so important to talk about it and share.

For all of you who willingly (without being forced to in Coach Peters’ classroom) wrote to me regarding team spirit, I was honored to respond to you. For the rest of you, you aren’t there yet.

You can not achieve poise without team spirit.

Written by Leisha Clendenen

Wooden's Secret of Success - Team Spirit

This week we asked the athletes to write what they do to contribute to "Team Spirit" one of the top blocks of Wooden's Pyramide of Success. Here is what many wrote

"This season I haven't contributed very much team spirit, but I've noticed that Carrie Soholt always cheers everyone on to do their best, even if she's not feeling good, and I want to be like Carrie."

I contrubute team sprirt to our team by, encouraging people on our hard days, they arent easy and sometimes a little "keep going" will make someone finsh a workout!:)

Taylar Amiot
With ones ability to encourage one another, can lead to overall success for each and everyone. -- Kaelyn Manning

When other races are going on I try to go around the course and cheer our team on, right now I am working on taking initiative and trying to do things without having to be asked first around our tents. -- Ryan Gibeault

I contribute to the team by leading by example.. Chris Miller

“As being one of the leaders of the team, I try to radiate a positive mindset without coming off as being prideful. My hope is to make everyone work harder, run faster, and help newcomers to the team feel like they are apart of this wonderful team and family of KXC. That is my team spirit." Lane Werley

I can show my team spirit by just talking to everyone else on the team and genuinely asking them how their practices, races, the season, and injuries are going for them and by being supportive and encouraging in both their accomplishments and trials. --Claire Bradford

To increase team spirit, I always try to cheer for and encourage all my teammates at races. --Kimberli Graham

"Most teams don't do the whole 'team bonding' thing. They only know each other during practice/game/match/meet. Our team goes the extra mile, literally and figuratively, to befriend our teammates. Spaghetti dinner shows how we genuinely care about one another and bond as friends. Plus, we runners never miss a good meal." -- Joey Tompkins

"One of the ways I show team spirit is by cheering for my team mates to do their best." - lauren soholt

"Every day, i go to practice with a positive outlook and excitement, for i know that I am contributing to something bigger than me. I'm contributing to a team."  -Ryan Rasmussen

Team Spirit is letting your teammate borrow your watch when your not using it, it's showing up to practice and recording times for a hard-workout when you can't run and you could be at home in the air-conditioning! Team spirit is bringing noise-makers to races and taking your teammates' sweats at the starting line before their race . . . . . Emma

“I have made team spirit happen by telling some of the cross-country runners they did a good job on their workout and that they are improving.”-Mireya Ascencio

I help contribute to team spirit by cheering my teammates on at the races. Aubrey Kent

I try to outwardly display the lessons I've learned over my 4 years of running, consistency, positive attitude, diligence, the importance of team work and listening to the coaches. Members of any team need to know whats expected/ desired of them and I find that the best way to help my team mates is to be an example myself. – Chris Miller

You are always cheering for me so I will always cheer for you!- Jessie
I show team spirit by always having a positive attitude no matter what - Cayla Kim
My team spirit is through friendships. Im always willing to halp out a teammate with whatever they may need.- Courtney Girard

With the inspiration part i wish i could talk to more than just one person and a whole group about things but the truth is everyone is different so i try to help one at a time. When I'm walking with someone when we are at a meet and they happen to say a negative comment about their racing i always talk to them by telling them you can run as fast as you think you can and elaborate on that telling them that if they want to go sub 17 and they are running a 17 30 i always tell them that they work to hard to come off short. i often try to give them a strategy on how to tackle the race, when they tell me "I'm not going to be top JV or Varsity or make it to Mammoth or make it to Clovis because him/her is in front of me" i tell them well if your complaining about going obviously you wish you could go and then i tell them well stop wishing and beat them work harder than them do something where your no longer moping but achieving something you worked for. every time i talk to someone on the team i always bring up a poem by Marianne Williamson and here it is:
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.


Our deepest fear in that we are powerful beyond measure.


It is our Light, not our Darkness, that most frightens us.


We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?


Actually, who are you not to be?

You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the World.


There is nothing enlightening about shrinking


so that other people won’t feel unsure around you.


We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.


It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone.


As we let our own Light shine,


we consciously give other people permission to do the same.


As we are liberated from our own fear,


our presence automatically liberates others."
I always base it off of that poem because it is absolutely true.I like to see the word integrity as acting the same way when everybody is watching and when nobody is around also as to be the same with everyone. I'm still working on being a better model for integrity but it is contagious to others when they see me pick up trash that isn't mine. Today actually someone drop three dollars in the lunch line and i walked up and told him he dropped his money before anyone could steal it. sure i didn't know the guy but i would do the same for a friend why not a stranger. I really feel bad when i miss my chance to show my integrity but from what i am taught being guilty is good because it helps you correct the mistake later. just like my inspirational talks with individuals ill do it with anybody if they are willing to listen and come to me or just be around me and i catch a chance to. I do make a lot of sacrifices for my teammates i always try to help someone on our team while i am busy whether it be something as small as a ride way out of my way or for favors on school help or paying for lunch even though I'm very short on cash ( I don't know why i tell them not to pay me back and yet they still do).

Finally the smile a lot of people don't really catch me not smiling and its true i smile even when I'm really sad over something only because i see their is no use in having a frown over something sad because it doesn't fix anything it only brings people down around us but its the same with a smile its contagious when one smiles the other can help but to at least smirk. Even when i am the butt of every joke it doesn't really matter to me but ill still smile even if it doesn't happen to hurt a bit but that's rarely its really hard to get me too feel sad over a joke or what someone says. Some say its a sacrifice to smile even when I'm sad but it really isn't in my point of view because i see frowns as something that are face muscles shouldn't allow. All i know God put me on this Earth for a purpose and i think its to inspire and make people happy it took me years of Catholic classes but i figured it out and im inspiring kids in my church by telling them my 180 of a turn around in my faith and i inspire those on my team but letting them know what they can achieve and how it is limitless. but finally keeping a smile to let those around me know that if i can shine my light so can they. thats all i got to say about that. I'm glad you had us write you something on what we contribute. –Rafi Perez

"I seek out the opportunity to motivate or encourage others instead of sitting back and not taking initiative." - Brandon Berz

what I do for team spirit is cheer on others, attend ever night out the girls have but I also feel like I could do more and the people who inspire me to do that are Baleigh,Carrie,Raelyn,Lauren,Emma,Taylar,and Cayla. -Ali Clayton

I show team spirit through participating and helping plan girls days and always encouraging others and letting my teammates know that if they need anything I am always here. And standing along side the course cheering for each and everyone of them. - Samantha Enriquez

"Every day, i go to practice with a positive outlook and excitement, for i know that I am contributing to something bigger than me. I'm contributing to a team." -Ryan Rasmussen

“I have made team spirit happen by telling some of the cross-country runners they did a good job on their workout and that they are improving.”-Mireya Ascencio

Team Spirit is letting your teammate borrow your watch when your not using it, it's showing up to practice and recording times for a hard-workout when you can't run and you could be at home in the air-conditioning! Team spirit is bringing noise-makers to races and taking your teammates' sweats at the starting line before their race . . . . . Emma

As an individual I show team spirit by cheering everyone on, I love being there at the start line, giving them a good job along the way and waiting there at the finish for EVERYONE to finish. - Morgan Sherman

I believe that I show team spirit by showing others how to do specific exercises for their injuries and giving them my advise on how to endure injury seasons. I want them to get better quickly because I truly understand what it is like to be injured.- Carrie Soholt

I help contribute to our team spirit by offering advice to the rookies and underclassmen and also by encouraging my teammates to own me in races."- Ethan McAbee

"I feel my way of showing team spirit is by getting to know all my teammates, especially the new runners, and encouraging them as we get to know eachother, also lettign them know i'm there for them on and off the course"- Raelyn Werley

i think i show team spirit by desiring whats best for the team and trying to always be there for them whether its trying to bring us together by having an ice cream party or asking someone how there run was/is going, i always try to be encouraging. I think our team does that well and its easy to encourage our team because we have a lot of positive attitudes. – Aubrey Bowman

"One of the ways I show team spirit is by cheering for my team mates to do their best."- lauren soholt
I believe that I show team spirit by showing others how to do specific exercises for their injuries and giving them my advise on how to endure injury seasons. I want them to get better quickly because I truly understand what it is like to be injured.- Carrie Soholt

To contribute to team spirit on KXC, I try my hardest to put my own complaints/injuries/problems behind me and focus more on helping others gain a more positive attitude. –Lori Dajose
What I thought team spirit was to me was not only encouraging others to run harder, but to be dedicated to the sport and do whatever it takes to do your best. – Tim Pungaew

Going the Distance ... Hanna Peterson

There are a number of words that one could use to describe Hanna's four years of running. The one that I'll settle on is, "amazing."

You really have to have the big picture to understand the appropriateness of that word. You have to see the bookends that are making her story read like a page-turning novel.

Like many 9th graders, Hanna tip-toed into running, much like one tests the waters of a cold pool before jumping in. She took her time, didn't push, didn't jump, didn't submerge herself during those first months. In fact, it was at the pool during the CIF season of 2007 that we first heard of Hanna's new resolve. Literally and figuratively she was going to dive in. With the league season over, that year's CIF squad was doing a low-impact water workout after school and Hanna sauntered into the pool complex at King.  She asked what the group was doing and after getting a brief explanation, she said resolutely, "That's going to be me next year."

If one had doubted the proclamation, it would not have been out of line. You see, Hanna finished no where near the varsity level that season. She was fully a frosh-soph runner without marks in racing nor training that would indicate in one short year she'd be toeing the line at CIF Finals.

But when Hanna makes up her mind about something, get out of the way. In one calendar, she did a full-180 in her running and like an Olympic diver she made the leap, head first.  That next year, she was at the line of CIF Finals, just like she had promised.

She commited herself to training in the offseason and despite a few injury setbacks, she was undeterred and steadily began her rise to stardom. Her sophomore year, even after spending much of the summer in a StarWars-like boot for a stress fracture, she made the varsity team and did pool workouts in November with the CIF squad. She began to really shine in track her sophomore year.

And then came her junior year. Oh my. Like a rocket she ascended. Week after week, she got better ... and better. Her November was the stuff of fairy tales and the dimunitive and determined runner emerged as King's #1 and helped carry the team to it's highest finish ever at CIF Finals and then on into State. Her track season was punctuated with a CIF Finals berth in the 3200 meters in which she proceeded to set the school record of 10:55.  The girl who could run a 1600 meters her freshman year in 5:28 can now do two of them, back to back, in that exact time.

The other bookend is now getting made. She's a highly recruited runner from schools ranging from San Francisco to the University of Arizona in Tucson. She's one of the fastest ever in 30 years to race across the Mt.Carmel course.  It's simply a marvel to watch her set state and national aspirations, take care of herself, plan for the future and work hard toward her goals.

From what she was to what she is ... well, there's only one word. Amazing!

Wooden's Secret of Success -- Skill

At the heart of the pyramid we find the 11^th secret of success. It is not an accident that “skill” is right in the middle. Look at all that surrounds it. With “alertness” and “initiative” holding it up, sandwiched in between “condition” and “team spirit”, and the foundation for the second tier of the pyramid, “skill” is truly the heart of it all. Symbolically, it is truly our heart and soul that pushes us to improve our skill. It is through positive conditioning that we tell ourselves we want to improve, we want to be better. We are inspired by our team and create purpose for all we do.

For Wooden, he believed skill meant being able to execute all parts of your job.  For instance, he had great shooters but they couldn’t get open fast enough to make a basket. Then he had other players who could move fast but couldn’t shoot a lick. True skill means you are able to both- quickly and effectively. One would think that someone with experience and more practice would be able to do this, but that isn’t always the case. Wooden said that although he valued experience, he would rather have someone with a lot of skill and little experience than a lot of experience and a little skill.

Why might he feel this way? Experience creates fear….experience means doubts…experience means wisdom, but it could also mean limiting your desire to learn more.

So, how can we use our skills and experience to make us more successful people?  In your lives I think it goes back to your ability to create specific goals and your ability to visualize. True visualization is not an easy task.

There are a few things that I have learned that I think make people truly “skillful”.

The first is to be a great listener. That means, when you have a lot to say listen to someone else first. Listening is a skill.

The second is to remain quick in your decisions. I don’t mean you walk into a restaurant and you know what you want before you sit down type of decisions, but maybe that’s the best example. When you know what you want and stick to your decisions, your actions will follow. There is no second guessing when you know what you are doing is right.

The next skill is the process of visualization. To do it well is no easy feat. Often we think visualization is only necessary in the sports’ world as we visualize ourselves throwing our arms to the sky in a moment of victory or scoring the winning goal in the championship game. But to truly visualize means knowing what your mind and body must do to get the desired result. Preparation is key. Knowing your desired outcome through all aspects of the race, the presentation, the homework assignment, the job interview is paramount.

I am somewhat of a news junkie. I love to read news, I love to watch news and I love to study the role of the media. While studying to be a journalist I began to understand that I needed to concern myself more with acquiring the skill of knowing my desired outcome in developing a story rather than solely on my writing style, length of copy, word choice, etc. What I needed to do is understand that if I wanted to create a story full of emotion, connection and compassion I would have to make sure my questions led me in that direction. I would need to learn to observe, listen, hear and understand my subject better than I ever thought. When learning about our great newscasters of today I came to understand that most  of them create 100’s of questions to develop stories rich in detail and emotion. Watch the great newscasters, they know what they want when they approach someone. They don’t waver, they are quick to decide what to ask next and they truly listen. They listen for what we want to hear more about and what will draw their audience into the news.

Consider how this connects to your practice of visualization. Do you use your mind so that your body will follow? Do you listen to the needs of what is best for you, for the team? Do you see your goals through your mind’s eye, or do you watch yourself as if you were someone else? Do you remain specific, clear and focused on what you want to achieve? Does every decision you make reflect the journey you want to take to become a more successful person?

I have actually taken a couple of classes in the art of helping athletes visualize successfully. It is a hard practice and one that takes experience to understand how to execute effectively.  I often find the explanations a bit daunting, but I came across these and thought they were the most clear. I can not encourage you to practice this enough. It works in everything you do. Know what you want to get out of every experience.

The keys to effective visualization:

Visualize what you want- not what you don’t want.

See the outcome as if it was already complete.

Fill your visualization with vivid detail and rich emotion.

Repeat your visualization consistently.

Infuse your visualizations with people you love and care about.

                                                 

The last SKILL is that of “letting go”. Wooden felt that 95% of his job was done in practice. He had to feel confident that his players were ready for every game situation based on their success in practice. When they got to the game he “let go” as a coach, putting all trust and faith in his team. When you get to a race, how much faith do you carry with you? How ready, prepared, and complete do you feel physically AND mentally?

Here is a great quote to guide you through these thoughts, “Letting go is a product of faith. Faith enables you to feel complete today, yet strive for more tomorrow.”

Written by Coach Clendenen

Wooden's Secret of Success: Condition

Well, we are moving on up! Look back at the previous secrets to the pyramid and see how we keep building, working and pushing forward. As a team, I recognize you are taking on the initiative to do more for each other. You are recognizing the little things that need to be done to help our team improve. Remember, when the little things are done right that “big” things just fall into place.

The third tier on the pyramid is an interesting one when you look at it from left to right. Wooden says that it is the heart of the pyramid. When we look at secret #10 we see that it seems to sit atop “self-control” and “alertness” nicely. The second and third tiers are linked by “adaptability” to any situation. With self-control, we have to keep our mind in check so that our actions remain sound and respected. With alertness, we need to use our mind again to remain open to learning new things and taking on the challenge to do so with a sense of purpose and eagerness.

Notice how each secret to success starts with an individual’s mind and belief system. By training our mind the body will follow- not the other way around. For this week, we discover that “conditioning” is more than remaining fit and strong on race day. It is recognizing our conditioned responses to events as they arise. In other words, our mind seems to remain trapped in “familiarity.” This can be good and bad. Of course familiarity brings comfort and security, but familiarity can also bring you down. Your mind is used to knowing bad things can happen so we create mental blocks or use the negative situation as a defense mechanism. It is or becomes bad because you believe it can or could be bad.

Think of your racing, if you have had a bad race on a particular course, you already go into a new race on the same course with conditioned mental block. Something bad has happened there before, so it may as well happen again to you now. On a weekly basis, you have had a hard week at practice and your legs are tired. You have had homework each night and you are mentally drained. Your sleep habits haven’t been perfect, but you’ve survived. You actually don’t feel THAT bad, but then coach says it, “You need to do a two-a-day before the next race.” “You need to do an eight miler” the FRIDAY before the SATURDAY meet. “You need to run the morning of the race.”

What?

Your conditioned response is: “No, not me.” “What? I need to run fast, I can’t run a two-a-day!” “I will die if he makes me run that.”

You have conditioned your mind to believe that you may fail. You may not achieve what you wanted to achieve on that given day.

What if your new conditioned response looked something like this, “Sweet. Bring it on. It will be good to see what I can do with more miles under my belt.”

Remember your goals. Remember your team goals. Remember your future goals. Do you want to feel amazing in September knowing there are so many more miles to be logged, so many more chances to improve, so many more team experiences to be had?

Wooden says this about conditioning. “Supreme physical condition accompanied by mental and moral conditioning is foremost. Performance diminishes immediately when condition is insufficient.” For each of us, physical conditioning is different. What works for some may not work for others. To train to be a great doctor takes different training than being a great teacher or landscaper or restaurant manager. To be mentally sound is the same for all. It is a belief WITHIN us all that recognizes mental, emotional and spiritual conditioning should be balanced with our physical conditioning in order to achieve success.

Spend time each day thinking about your most negative beliefs. Write them down. Turn them into a positive. Write those down. Tape them up around your room. Instead of, “I’m not going to die at the end of the race,” change it to, “I am going to look ahead and make my legs fly.” “I am going to take three deep breaths and chase the person in front of me. “I am going to be a champion.”

Train your mind. Practice positive self talk in practice, in the classroom, in your relationships. Meditate. Breathe. Visualize you being better than you are today. Imagine the possibilities!

Read the following sentence one time through quickly.
FINISHED FILES ARE THE RESULT
OF YEARS OF SCIENTIFIC STUDY
COMBINED WITH THE EXPERIENCE OF MANY YEARS OF EXPERTS

Now, read the sentence one time through counting the times you see the letter F.
Before reading further, do that now.

Now, how many F’s did you count?
(I counted three)

Now read it again, counting the number of times you read the word of.
Now how many f’s do you see?

This little exercise shows the power of mental conditioning or mental “blind spots.” When we were little, we were taught to say “of” like “ov. “ Our mind is trained to ignore the f in of.
Condition is defined as “characterized by a consistent pattern of behavior.”

We rely on memory instead of using alertness and understanding. If we were conditioned at such an early age to miss the “f’s” what else are we missing? How are old conditioning, familiar patterns and blind spots affecting us now?

Wooden's Secret of Success: Intentness

The final link on the second tier of The Pyramid of Success is “Intentness.” The first and second tier is linked by “sincerity.” When we look below intentness, we see enthusiasm. When we combine all three, we see that we should remain diligent and persevere, but we must do so with an element of energy and sincerity that is sometimes hard to achieve when life is full of setbacks and adversities.

When we look at some of the great athletes of our time, we assume that the path to greatness was an easy one. Rarely do we see the hours of toil on the practice field or tears in working through an injury or the exhaustion from hours of travel, practice, game time and a life where a normal routine is often hard to find. Through the media we always seem more aware of the glamorous side of sports. We see the arms raised overhead in victory, the embrace with coach and family, the stoic face as they seem to effortlessly push themselves or their team to championships.

I am sure that if we did see the majority of our winning teams and athletes road to victory it would be marked with more setbacks than success. It is with reflection that we see how hard it is to remain true to the course when faced with adversity.

Wooden says that “the road to real achievement takes time, a long time, but you do not give up. You may have setbacks. You may have to start over. You may have to change your method. You may have to go around, or over, or under. You may have to back up and get another start. But you do not quit. You stay the course. To do that, you must have intentness.” Some of you have suffered through physical setbacks, but all of you have suffered through mental hurdles. How have you worked through those mental demons? Or, have you?

As a reminder to earlier discussions, Wooden began coaching basketball at UCLA in 1948. When he arrived there from Indiana he didn’t have a real gym, he was given a limited budget, but he was given the expectation to reach the top of the NCAA. Fifteen years later, the Bruins won their first National Championship. We don’t seem to have a lot of patience these days for teams who are expected to win. Can you imagine if Wooden had coached in today’s era? He probably would have been fired and the dynasty of winning 10 national championships in 12 years could have been lost.

Wooden makes reference to a couple of people he admires for their intentness through adversity. First, there was Lewis Alcindor- now known as Kareem Abdul Jabbar. Wooden said that despite his amazing skills and talent on the court, the press, the country and the life of a seven foot tall man worked against him. Kareem had to endure racism around the country and criticism from the media saying he was more of a “spectacle” than a person. Wooden insists Kareem was never rude and through it all remained in control and intent on helping his team win. During Kareem’s days a “no dunk” rule was put in place. Wooden believes that this rule and his intent to change to make himself better is what helped Kareem develop the deft skills and maneuvers around the basket that made him one of the best players of all time.

The other person that Wooden idolized was Abraham Lincoln who said, “Almost everyone can handle adversity. But, to test a person’s true character, give him power.”

Lincoln is known as one of America’s greatest presidents. Here is a brief summary of his career.

Failed in business 1831
Defeated for legislature 1832
Failed in business again 1833
Elected to legislature 1834
Sweetheart died 1835
Had nervous breakdown 1836
Defeated for speaker 1838
Defeated for elector 1840
Defeated for congressional nomination 1841
Elected to Congress 1846
Defeated for Congress 1848
Defeated for Senate 1855
Defeated for Vice President 1856
Defeated for Senate 1859
Elected President of the United States 1860

You each become more successful the more chances you give yourself at failure.
Don’t quit.

Written by Leisha Clendenen

What to Eat Before a Hard Run or Race

A few of you new runners have already experienced the stomach upset that comes when running, especially on Saturday mornings. Here's an article from Kristy Richardson, a registered nutritionist (she also gave a presentation to our team last year) on what runners should eat before a run:

Pre-Workout Nutrition
August 20, 2010,
Do you avoid food prior to your workouts because of abdominal discomfort or digestive issues? To avoid these problems, make sure your pre-training nutrition is low in fat and fiber and focuses on high carbohydrate foods.

Ready-to-eat cereal, low fat milk and a banana
Yogurt and fruit
Egg whites, toast and berries
English muffin, peanut butter and a banana
Bagel, light cream cheese and a piece of fruit

If you are not used to eating before a workout, start with something small that is high in carbohydrates and well tolerated.
Half of a banana
1 cup of low fat yogurt
½ cup of cooked cereal (e.g. cream of wheat or oatmeal)
1 cup of ready-to-eat cereal

As you develop a tolerance for pre-workout nutrition, you should be able to gradually increase the amount.

If you’re still having digestive trouble, try a liquid meal.
Gatorade Nutrition Shake
Ensure
Boost
Slim-Fast
Carnation Instant Breakfast

It might take a few tries before you find the pre-workout nutrition that’s right for you. Find comfort in the fact that the effort you put in will pay off in the long run. Proper nutrition before your workout will help you optimize glycogen stores, improve energy levels, avoid hunger, and may even assist in muscle building.

This information was brought to you by OC Nutrition, Your Trusted Source for Health & Nutrition Advice. OC Nutrition offers nutrition counseling services over the phone or in person in Newport Beach, Irvine, Orange, Anaheim Hills, Chino, Glendora and Long Beach. If you have any questions or would like to schedule an appointment, please contact:
Kristy L. Richardson, MS, MPH, RD, CSSD, CHESRegistered Dietitian & Exercise Physiologist
(949) 933-6788kristy@ocnutrition.comwww.ocnutrition.com

Wooden's Secret of Success - Initiative

As we move toward the right on the second level of the pyramid, we come to “initiative”. With initiative in the middle, we see how it stands on top of loyalty and cooperation and towards the right hand link of “sincerity”. When we combine all of these values together, we continue to see how Wooden promotes the idea of remaining a noble, strong, and fearless individual while we do our best for the sake of others. In taking initiative he says we should, “Cultivate the ability to make decisions and think alone. Do not be afraid of failure, but learn from it.” In looking at all the blocks, we must be sincere in our efforts to be our best while serving the team.

Wooden believed that a person’s character should be paramount to winning and if you don’t think and act like a leader then the team would suffer. While we may all not be natural leaders, we may affect others’ actions, thoughts and beliefs in ways we never realized. By not recognizing our unique abilities to sincerely help and lead others, we are not taking initiative. Wooden does say that we must “cultivate” this trait, in others words it can take time. While it may take time, you may realize you are taking initiative without recognizing it.

Do you throw away trash that you see left behind without any recognition or thanks? Do you wear a watch to practice, have good eating habits, stretch well vs. going through the motions, avoid people that take you away from being the best you can be? If the answer is “yes” to any of these, then you are showing initiative. You are acting as a role model for others even if they don’t acknowledge it. You are helping yourself and your team.

However, in taking these actions, there is very little risk involved. There is no chance of failing. It is in that fear of failure that we decide to never take action. We become stuck and unwilling to take action because the results could be less than perfect. If you can keep in mind that we are not and never will be perfect, you can perhaps free up your mind and body to achieve any type of goal.

One of John Wooden’s team managers was quoted as saying he would have to go into the gym ticket booth on game night to see who the team was playing that day. Wooden would never talk about an opponent, he never prepared his teams to go against any one team, but challenged them each to take initiative to be their best no matter who the opponent. “Respect your opponent, but never fear them. You have nothing to fear if you have prepared to the best of your ability.” By taking the initiative to do more than what you thought possible, physically and emotionally, you are improving yourself and thus improving our team.

In the book “Beyond Success”, the author Brian Dibiro says that when you take initiative, you are taking action. However, it is “the difference between knowing what to do and doing what you know. “ We know what it takes to succeed, but it is our ability to take initiative (the doing) that helps you lead a more noble life and become a more inspiring teammate. You can do more, even when nobody is looking. The end result will speak for itself. What do you want your results to be?

“Remember this your lifetime through- Tomorrow there will be more to do.- And failure waits for all who stay-With some success made yesterday. Tomorrow you must try once more- And even harder than before.”

Written by Leisha Clendenen

Brilliant Color Dotting the Earthy Brown

Rebecca came home today. Well, not "home", home, as she's been sleeping in her own bed for a few days now, but she came back to our program, back into the welcome embrace of those who have run by her side for the last four years and have been cheering and praying for her healing over the last three weeks.

She came wrapped in a surprise and burst forth in a mix of delighted shock and smiles of joy. It was quite a moment.

Accompanied by her Mom, Dad, brother and Coaches Clendenen and Griesinger, she "interrupted" our Monday meeting at the start of practice. It was a most welcome interruption!

Oh my, what a grand occassion. Three weeks to the day since CBU's terrible and tragic accident ... three weeks after traumatic injuries ... three weeks of intensive care in Reno, Rebecca walked in Riverside and right back into our lives.

We shared in the joy of seeing our loved one again. We marveled at her pace, her determination, her sheer grit. Those of us privy to the accident details could only stand in awe at what we beheld ... a lovely young woman, walking now with purpose, planning to run again and fulfill her mission in life.

My mind was taken back to the stunned silence of the night three weeks ago today when, in the dark of a Mammoth midnight, we got the news of the accident. A numbness descended over our camp the next morning. We wrestled with the fact of fear, of uncertainty ... the confusion of "what next?" We ran that morning ... it was a trudge for some ... but we ran up the big hill called Dead Man's Pass, our minds fixed on pain, real and imagined. We ran to the top, soaked in the view from 10,200 feet under a canopy of blue. Wild flowers painted the ground in yellow and purple, adding a festive hue to the earthy browns. We heard the muffled symphony of creation but it was hard to catch the tune. It was that kind of moment. A big, gigantic run, a celebratory tradition of our week in Mammoth, deadened by our sorrow. It was hard to let it rip and feel the joy.

In Riverside today, Rebecca shared time and words with us, her presence pushing our practice time back by ... well who cares. We ultimately did run, but there was no magnificent climb to ascend, no grand vista to greet us, just a mundane route we've done many times, checkered by suburban spreads painted in terrocotta shades of earth.

Yet Rebecca's visit, at least for this runner, did something to that routine. Energized by the gift of life, reminded of it's fragility, this "normal" run took on new colors and new meaning. How grateful I am for Rebecca's life, for the opportunity to have shared the road with her for four years, to taste the struggles and joys of sports and life together. I saw that idea in clear, vibrant colors as I ran through the housing maze of Orangecrest.

Today Rebecca came back to us, packaged as a gift, a new treasure of life. From the shadows of a great crash, her life and smile and radiant beauty reminds us of the brilliant colors that dot the earthy browns and greys of life. David Crowder puts it well: "A certain sign of grace is this, out of the broken earth, flowers come up..."

For those six miles today, the normal took on new beauty, a freshness and splendor not unlike the rooftop of Mammoth.

Thank you Rebecca, for inspiring us yet again. Oh, and welcome home!

Wooden's Secret of Success - Alertness

When you typically think of being alert, goal setting does not come in to play. We need to stay alert while driving, be aware of our surroundings when we go from place to place, and work to remain focused and sometimes awake doing everyday tasks. Sometimes we work through our daily tasks without even thinking about them. We go to class, say hi as a formality to people we may not really know and finish our days not really thinking about whether we moved closer to any goal we had set for ourselves.

On John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success, his seventh secret is “alertness” which he tells us to “Be observing constantly. Stay open-minded. Be eager to learn and improve.” When you connect this to last week’s secret of self-control and ambition, we see how the block of alertness does affect our goals. Without goals, we won’t remain alert while completing practice, studying for a test, pursuing a job or living our best life.

Psychologically it makes sense. Let’s say you really want to save money to take a trip to Disneyland or to a great destination. You will start to become alert to what it takes to save money. You will become aware of every money earning possibility that confronts you rather than not being alert to them if you didn’t have to earn money. When you set the goal of earning a certain amount of money you become alert to the opportunities it takes to achieve that goal. On the opposite side if you only focus on the negative- the what if’s, the fears, the bad things that have happened in the past, we have turned our attention from our goal to one of defeat before we have done anything. You do this when you race or confront a hard practice. You become completely alert to all the bad feelings you could have, the pain you may feel, and disappointment of possibly not doing your best. Instead of being alert to our goal and outcome we focus on being alert to possible negative results.

In our hectic, busy and cell-phone filled lives, we may feel as if we are always alert because we are always on the go and connected to everyone and everything. Rather, the opposite is true. With our heads buried behind computer screens and phones, we may miss half the people that cross our paths. We may miss beautiful scenery or the opportunity for an important face to face conversation with a loved one or even someone new. It is often difficult to quiet our minds and to remain still, but this is when the most alertness occurs. We become completely present with our thoughts, where their taking us and what we want from our lives. Through quiet observations of ourselves and others, we become increasingly alert and sensitive to other’s needs as well as our own.

As a coach and teacher, I must remain sensitive to each student and athlete’s method of motivation and inspiration. I must become a better observer to their needs. Whereas one person might like a daily dose of questions and answers another might like a random comment once a week. In asking better questions and working on truly listening, we actually grow as a person, a leader and in our alertness. Whereas we may want nothing but answers, it’s our questions that help us grow.

Written by Coach Clendenen

Wooden's Secret of Success - Self Control

This season we are focusing weekly on the John Wooden's famous Pyramid of Success. Our aim is to instill in our athletes the character traits of team work and the building blocks of competitive success. While in Mammoth, our discussions focused on the base level of the pyramid, and now that the season has started we're working our way to the top and a block a week will be our aim.

These short articles are being written each week by Coach Clendenen:

Secret #6 in John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success is “Self Control”. We show self-control each day as we avoid eating too much, spending too much money or making choices that don’t help us become the best person that we can be. Wooden defines self-control by saying we must “practice self discipline and keep emotions under control. Good judgment and common sense are essential”.

Building on the base blocks of hard work, enthusiasm and team play, Wooden links the block of self-control with the trait of “ambition”- an ambition for NOBLE goals. When we combine the two, we see how they must go hand-in-hand for without having a goal, any goal, there would be no real need to practice self-control of any sort.

At first glance it may appear that self-control is what we need to discipline ourselves away from the playing field. We have goals to race better, improve our times, to rise to the occasion and therefore we must eat right, stay focused, go to bed early, and make sacrifices for the sake of our sport. Ultimately these are important, especially as teenagers who are surrounded by so many out of control people. Through self-control you will indeed become a better runner. You will feel strong; self confident in knowing you have done the right things to help you become a better athlete. More important to all of this however is how self-control will help you become a stronger individual and one that can truly set, create and achieve a noble goal.

Wooden says that “Success is peace of mind, which is the direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you’ve done the best of which you are capable.” Self-control seems to be the clear stepping stone to achieving the kind of success that leads to the peace of mind that you have indeed done the best of which you are capable. How many times have we finished a race, practice, test, assignment, conversation with a friend or loved one and said, “I could have done better. I can be better.” We are full of regrets. We don’t race, act, believe or speak nobly. With clearly defined goals, ambition to become bigger than we have ever been before, we must practice self-control in all paths of life. Your actions, thoughts, values must become natural and not forced. They must be applied to your life and your life only for we are all faced with different circumstances and must rise above them. It is our head that must rest soundly on the pillow at night knowing we have peace of mind in being the best person we can be.

In the book Beyond Success, based on Wooden’s pyramid, the author Brian D. Biro, shares the story of Jackie Robinson, an obvious candidate for someone that epitomized self-control. Robinson, is a baseball hero who broke the color barrier when he became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball in 1947. Robinson, who played for the Brooklyn Dodgers, was obviously a success athletically, helping his team win the World Series six times, winning the National League’s MVP and playing on six All Star teams. Robinson clearly had to show self-control as a professional athlete, but in an era where people spit on him in public, mocked him on the field when he was up to bat and forced him to do things separately from his teammates while they were in public, he had to show self control in even more profound ways. Robinson was known to never complain, never fight back and never put anyone down. He was there when his teammates needed encouragement and made it a point to reach out his hand to a fellow opponent. He is known for saying that it did not matter if people liked him or not, the only thing that mattered was that they respected him.

Self-control knows that you must treat your own life with the sort of respect you hope to earn from others. It is a knowing that you are rising above the value that sometimes society places on us. It means living a life nobly to better those around you and to live your life in a way that helps you realize you are becoming the person that people can recognize as a goal-setter, a leader and a team player that stands up for what is right even when others may disagree. It is living your best life. This goes back to the groundwork for the pyramid. In order to be a good teammate you need to not strive to be like someone else on the team and compare yourself to others, but to make yourself a better person for the sake of the team.

As long as we are breathing, living and enjoying all the great opportunities we are presented with each day, we must strive to be better. We will be faced with adversity, obstacles and difficulties. We will have to help others overcome their own personal tragedies, defeats and struggles. We will face circumstances that we just can’t control- but we will want to control anyway. It will make us sad, mad, scared, and feel defeated. It is our amazing ability as humans, however to rise above these challenges and show great self-control because we respect the gifts and lives we have been given and to act with great ambition for the next opportunity to succeed in practice, in the classroom, in a race, in your home and in your community.

Big Run, Big Game, Big Names

Yesterday we had a fun, challenging, and busy day. The morning started with our traditional "Big Smokey" long run, with the boys getting a full half-marathon in while most of the girls ran a tick over 11 miles. All finished well and it was a successful run.

After some time to rest and recover, we headed over to Shady Rest Park for the afternoon. A second-annual game of kick ball commenced, with typical hilarity. The Meecen (don't ask, it's a word that just came to be, born from men in Mammoth) were victorious, in large part to Dustin Means' cannon of a right leg, the "rookie" launched two long balls and circled the bases in dizzying fashion. He won the Player of the Game award, a title so prestigious that the game ball goes to the winner. This year's sphere was a baby blue bouncer with Star Wars figures painted on it. Sweet stuff, that.

We were treated to a delicious BBQ of burgers and dogs by Coach Peirce and the "Lords of the Grill", Mr. Andy Schupp and Mr. Mike Ritter who cooked 'em up to order. It was goooood.

The night was topped off with a presentation of Q-and-A by members of the Mammoth Track Club, a group of professional runners who live and train in the altitude of Mammoth Lakes. Among the six who spoke were Ryan Hall and Deena Kastor. Both are the leading marathoners from the United States, and Ryan ranks as one of the best in the world. Deena was the bronze medalist in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, and was poised for an even higher finish in 2008 before her foot broke at mile three of the race. These and several others shared candidly and with humor the lessons they've learned along the way. This, after serving watermellon to the couple-hundred high school runners who came to listen. There was no fee for their knowledge.

Following the presentation, the pros mingled with the kids posing for photos and smiling gamely. Truly a unique aspect of our sport is the humility of it's very best! Good times.

The boys with Ryan Hall


Trevor Berney makes the catch


The girls with Ryan Hall


Girls, girls, girls!


MVP of the game, Dustin Means!

An Uphill Climb

We ran and in some ways are still are running with heavy hearts on the news of CBU's tragic accident and the traumatic injuries to one of our beloved alums, Rebecca Trupp. While the prognosis as of this writing is hopeful, she still has a long way to go and will be working hard to recover in the coming weeks and months.

The news hit us hard Tuesday morning and we were somewhat numb as to what to do. After some time of talking and crying we decided to go ahead and do the planned run up Deadman's Pass. Some said, "It would be a tribute to Rebecca."

Knowing some would struggle with the emotions and carry the weight of sadness and fear, we made our way up the hill in whatever fashion we could muster. Some ran, some walk, some did a little of both. Some cried.

As I struggled up the mighty grade, I thought of Rebecca and how she was such a fighter, especially on hills. During her years running with us, she was just so tough on hills, she was such a fighter. As my heart rate redlined and my quads ached, I thought of her. I thought of how I never once witnessed her giving up. I kept going. So too did her former teammates and those few among us who never had the opportunity to know her and be inspired by her.

Our usual celebratory spirit at the summit was naturally muted. We enjoyed the view. The brisk wind whipped at our dampened bodies. We waited for the last to arrive, took photos and headed back down.

I couldn't help but think of the parallels this run had to what perhaps Rebecca is now going through. She's on an uphill climb of recovery. There will be pain. Patience and endurance will be critically important.

Along the way, she'll need our cheers, our support, good words well timed. Just as we urged each other on to the top of Deadman's Pass Tuesday morning. Those words of encouragement ... "You can do it, keep going" will be what will sustain Rebecca in the coming weeks.

Some wonder why we annually choose to tackle such a tough run. You could say it's because it's hard. But really its because of what awaits us at the top. The view is simply spectacular, and given the toll such vistas require, they are all the sweeter.

I can only imagine that such views await Rebecca when the healing process is complete. I hope so. Until then, she will trudge onward, one step at a time, progress made.

You and I must cheer her on. We must not fail.

The Passage of Time

Time is an interesting concept. It moves almost without notice. It doesn't need an engine. It's measure by light, shadows, wrinkles and watches. It creeps up on us. It flies by. Moments can seem frozen in time, and then there are times when we remark, "my, where has the time gone?"

We marked the passage of time last night, as two of our own celebrated birthdays. Hanna (17) and Sabrina, (14). One is entering the last year of high school, the other just entering it. Like bookends, they are beginning and end.

So it was a moment in time worth celebrating. Cupcakes with an abundance of frosting were handed out and an off-key rousing rendition of "Happy Birthday" was sung at the top of our lungs. Given the altitude, we were a bit winded by the time the last note was sung off-key.

In the morning we made the most of our time with a run around Convict Lake, a truly inspiring place of serenity and beauty. We stopped along the footbridge at the western edge of the lake to soak in the artistry of creation and enjoy the time we had.

An easy pace back down the road brought us to the end of an hour spent running along trails, around a lake, under the heaven of blue.

It was a good time. What did you do with your time today?

Day One on Day Two

We've had a good day today, with great weather and sunshine, a lot of sumptious food and about 11 miles put in our collective banks.

As I wrote yesterday, our traditional first-afternoon run along the scenic Mammoth Rock Trail had to be scrapped due to potential thunderstorms. So, we did Day One on Day Two.

It was beautiful. We're still acclimating to the altitude, so we kept the pace well within our comfort zones, allowing time to laugh and look. The view along the hillside trail is truly spectacular!

The Eagle Has Landed, We're Here!

While the weather down South has been pleasantly delightful all summer, we were greeted upon arrival in Mammoth to actually cool temperatures and a strong breeze! Our drive north was a breeze too, thankfully, and we've all made it safely through our first run.

Tradition had to be scrapped however. For 10 years, our traditional first run has been to take the very scenic Mammoth Rock Trail that overlooks the village and the valley, the White Mountain range off in the distance.

Some ominous storm clouds have been brewing over the Sierra's since we arrived, and since they seem to have congregated for a meeting over the trail, we decided to avoid potential lightening, and opted for an easy run through town. True to Mammoth form, we spotted no less than four other high school teams getting their run in as well. We'll get the Mammoth Rock trail in tomorrow evening.

So it's off to a good start. Ham and baked potatoes are cooking up and dinner's callin'!

Why Hills?

In light of the hill training we've been doing of late, I thought this short article by one of America's top coaches could be helpful explaining the what and why of hills in a training regimen.

"So why do we add in hill training? Hill training – either as continuous uphill runs or as hill intervals accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. The hill itself will provide you with great resistance training as you run. If the incline is steep enough then you will recruit many more muscle fibers over the course of the workout. Your hips and glutes work over-time when you are climbing over 2000 ft of elevation in one run.

With time and repetition you will get physically stronger as well as run faster once you hit level ground. Hills are also a great way to improve your running mechanics. Since the energy demand to climb a hill is that much greater than running on a flat surface you will learn how to use the right muscles to get you to the top. This workout has a way of getting rid of what isn’t working in a hurry.

In addition, hills provide you with the aerobic training that you need, but with much less pounding then when running on flat or downhill surfaces. Since you are always going up there will be less joint stress and eccentric muscle overload and this means that you can add in miles on hills without feeling like you ran a marathon in training.

Finally, hills are great for teaching mental tenacity and patience. If you go full steam into a hill you will probably get knocked over quick. A few more attempts like that and you will see that the prudent way to make it to the top is the steady approach. Conquering hills is much like conquering a marathon. The wise runner is the patient runner. Don’t give up if your first attempt goes south. Take the tortoise over the hare approach here and you will see a steady improvement that will bring tremendous dividends once you hit the streets. Running on a flat surface will feel like you are not working hard at all and then you can just watch the miles will fly by."

Commitment

Ever thought about what it takes to be successful in running? I bet your mind goes pretty quick to the things like "talent" or "ability". While those are part of the equation, I've been coaching long enough (started in 1989) to have seen plenty of talented runners who weren't very successful. Their ability didn't get them very far.

The reasons for those detours are numerous, but so often it's simply because they lacked commitment. To neglect commitment in running is to invite an early end to running. "Uncommitted runner" is an oxymoron.

The problem is that in our society, studies are showing that a lack of commitment is becoming the norm. It's now acceptable, cache. Just two years ago, more than half of people ages 20-24 had been at the current job for less than a year. Young Americans are marrying later in life than at any time in our history.

The obituary of commitment comes with the collateral damage to community. While we exalt a commitment to ourselves, narcissism (an obsession with what we think will make ourselves happy) stands in the way of developing a team, of nuturing the collective good. All of the foundations of a healthy society crumble with the religion of self-focus. Commitment is at the core of all human relations, and it is the essence of great teams.

So how does this apply to us? Well, it begs a question: How committed are you? What kind of determination have made to contribute in a committed way to the well being of this community we call King Cross Country?

More specifically:
How committed are you to your teammates?
How committed are you to improving?
How committed are you to serving others?
How committed are you to listening?
How committed are you to having a positive attitude?
How committed are you to us?

The irony in all this, is that our self-absorbed society has abandoned the principles of commitment in search of personal fufillment and happiness. Studies show that we are among the nations of the world, one of the least content, least happy?

Why? Because to gain more life, you have to give more of yourself away. Without a commitment to others, our individual lives are empty and barren.

I challenge you to die to yourself this season and find the life that comes from living for others. Start with a teammate, then two, then three.

If all of us do this, we'll have the most successful season we could possible have.

Selfishness

I was thinking on the run this morning. I do that on occassion. It's how I role.

What I was thinking about midway through the run -- and consequently mid way through the series of hills we were taking on -- was how easy it would be to give in to the discomfort and pain. How very simple it would be to just slow down and make it all go away...

By mile 5, most of the runners I could see were singletons, the groupings that formed early had evaporated like fog in sun. Hills have a way of doing that.

So there in mid-hill, alone, I'm sure the temptation to slow down and take an easier pace to the peak must have tempted some of you. Right?

Well my next thought went to the team, and it dawned on me that in a team sport like ours, every mile run well, helps the team. Every mile run too slowly hurts the team. It's easy in the midst of a workout where you might be splintered from a group to get selfish and think only of how much you hurt, how much "faster" everyone else is and order up some cupcakes with extra frosting for the little pity party you're holding in your mind.

"Cross country is an individual sport" say the uneducated. Far from it, yet in the midst of training (and suffering) we can convince ourselves that the pathetic pace we're holding, or the bail we just took on the longer route, will only affect ourselves.

It will ... but it will also affect your team.

How? Because your failure to improve makes us less competitive. Because your cutting a workout short may "convince" someone else to go with you. Now we're two people down. On the reverse, when you run hard, you inspire others to do so as well. We get better as you get better.

Selfishness. It's tempting, it's even celebrated in our culture. It's also the worst thing for a team.

As the days stretch out into weeks, I challenge you to conquer your selfishness.