Never Give Up

You never know what is going to happen in a race. So why on earth would you ever just give up and put it into cruise control. People fall, people drop batons, people get DQ'ed. Strange things happen. So always run your hardest. A few seasons ago, our boys 4x400 team had not lost a race all season. And now we were in our conference championships. There was one team in the conference who was running similar times but we had not yet faced all season. So we knew it was going to be a great race. Our first leg good off to a great start and had a good lead coming into the handoff. And then the unthinkable happened. Has the first leg was handing off and the second leg was starting, they bumped into another runner (who did cut into my teams lane I might add) and he dropped the baton. The second leg had to let everyone pass and grab the baton. At this point we were in 8th at the start of the second leg. But that wouldn't last long as he made up tons of ground and got us back into 4th as he handed off to the third leg. Our third leg was our strongest 400 runner and most experienced. He made up the rest of the ground and we were neck and neck with the only other team that was as competitive. Our anchor runner was the most competitive athlete on the team and was a train runner. We knew that if he was close to the front he would do everything he could to win. And sure enough we did by more that a second. Still won after dropping the baton. Good thing for them that they never gave up and kicked it into that extra gear. So many times I see teams drop the baton and give up. Or fall back a little bit and give up. Never give up and never stop thinking that you can win. That 4x4 boys team was a state qualifier that year and came in 7th I believe at state.

Indoor Track

I know it has been forever since I've posted anything.  With track season ending in June I knew I wouldn't post as much but I never imagined just stopping.  Then this Fall, I had some life changing things happen in my life that made things even worse.  However, I am back on track now (no pun intended), and things are looking up.  Coach Hansen cliche festival.  Anyway, I'll try and be a little better. 

These last few weeks we have been preparing our athletes for the indoor track season.  We are also working on the indoor schedule.  We have a few staples, Ohio Wesleyan, Marietta College, Mt Union, and possibly Bowling Green.  Then Akron for state indoor.  There are a few other colleges we are looking at to mix things up.

The real reason I wanted to talk about indoor track is because of the recruiting.  This is an excellent chance for track athletes from ANY size school to get noticed.  Because Indoor Track isn't sanctioned for high school athletes, all schools will compete against each other regardless of size.  In other words, D3 athletes will be racing against D1 and D2 athletes.  So if you are coming from a small school and racing against kids from bigger schools and do well in doing so, then college recruiters, scouts, and coaches can take notice.  All indoor results are posted online and can be viewed by anyone else.  One good race and you might be receiving some letters from schools. 

My favorite story from indoor track season happened last season.  It was the first or second indoor meet of our season.  I bumped into a coach from a college that we had sent an athlete to the year before.  However, he was there for another sport besides track.  I was telling the coach that he should look at the kid that was up there because he was also a solid track athlete.  I found out that this coach was down to watch a certain athlete they were recruiting.  Ironically, one of my athletes was racing against him.  I mentioned that to the coach and told him to keep an eye on him. 

When the race was over and my athlete from a D3 school beat the athlete he was recruiting from a D2 school, the coach just handed me a business card and asked me to give it to my guy. 
  

Words From Track Kids 2

I think the punishment for missing practice, should be eating burritos filled with bugs.

Coach, can I skip practice on Wednesdays? I'm in D and D club.

Why would I want to run anything over a 400? I don't want to die.

Terry Bradshaw

Mental Strength

So much is made of raw speed and power in track and field events. But there is not a single event that does not require some mental capability.

For example, the strategy that goes on in races 800m and above is intense. And it takes a lot of thought and preparation. During practices the day before meets, we simulate the race for our distance runners. Placing them on different spots on the track and letting them know what should be going on in their heads during certain times of the race. We know our opponents and how they like to approach a race. So if someone we are running against is an out and front runner, we'll make sure our team knows that. Or if someone sits back and kicks at the 300 or 200 mark, we'll remind our team of that too.

We even do this for sprinters and hurdlers. We do this for them a little less often, because strategy isn't quite as important. But we still encourage them to visualize the race in their head and making sure they always finish first.

Its so important to know your opponents, prepare, and have that mental strength to outlast who you are racing against. It's what makes good runners, into great runners.

Things to do:

1. Use the restroom well before your events. Athletes are horrible about this. It's one less thing to worry about.

2. Eat and stay hydrated, especially on hot days. High school athletes sometimes have poor nutrition. Bananas, yogurt, Graham crackers, bagels, are all great snacks for a meet. As well as having water or a sports drink around. Nutrition is a huge topic though. I encourage people to test what works best for them.

3. Meditation. I'm not talking about sitting cross legged and humming. I'm talking about finding a quiet place before your race where you can relax, close your eyes and visualize your race.

4. Take a few deep breathes right before your race. This allows you not to panic and focus on the task at hand.

Heroes

Boys Thoughts Before A Race

Follow-up to the Girls Thoughts.

Boys Thoughts Before A Race

1. How much is pizza?
2. I should not have drank that third Red Bull.
3. Oh well.
4. Have they had first call yet?
5. Maybe I should warm-up.
6. I wish we had uniforms like that team.
7. I wish I could listen to my iPod while running.
8. Second call!?!?
9. Ok well maybe a shortened warm-up today.
10. Dude. That guy looks freakin' fast.
11. What lane did Coach say I was in?
12. I guess I should pay attention to the official.
13. Third call. Let's do this.
14. How much was that pizza again?