The Psychology of Running

Athletics are largely about physical ability; strength, agility, and endurance come to mind. While the bulk of today's practice focused on those skills, with 1-kilometer repeats around the rugby field, our weekly meeting focused on the often-ignored mental aspect of sport, with the help of a special guest, Vassar Psychology professor Jay Bean. I've never taken a psychology class, and I know very little about its application in most situations. However, from Professor Bean's sessions with our team, which take place once or twice per season, I've learned a little bit about applying psychology to cross country. In the past, these talks have focused on remaining positive during races, smiling, and blocking out that negative voice that provides excuses for poor performance.

Tonight, we focused on things we can individually do to act as better teammates. Between time at practices, meets, and in the locker room, we probably spend up to 25 or 30 hours together per week, not including meals and time at the library, where we generally cluster together. With that amount of time together, it's almost inevitable that everyone's toes are going to be stepped on once or twice.

However, when we went around the room, people mentioned things like being on time, which shows we respect what we do and that we all have places to be, and acknowledging people's efforts while they're out on the course, or in the middle of a workout, I realized that the individuals on our team are actually quite good at being teammates already. Professor Bean also urged us to remember that we run largely because we enjoy it, and that if we aren't enjoying it, we shouldn't be here. With teammates like this, it's often hard to imagine not wanting to be here.