Being A Good Listener Speaks Volumes

Sometimes, I'm not as good of a listener as I should be.

You see, James, my coach, has a lot of sayings having to do with running. James lives running. He embraces the science of running (even though, as an Anthropology major at Vassar, I have a hard time seeing him embracing lab science in general), he loves quoting obscure running coaches from the 1960s, and he loves sending along inspirational videos of recent professional races. One thing James has said a lot is that September is for training, October is for...well...something, and November is for...something else. The point is, it isn't September anymore, and it's time for us to start thinking about something else in addition to training...and I think it's probably racing.

We'll be toeing the line at the Liberty League Championships on Saturday. As a senior, I know what to expect. For the second year in a row, we'll be at St. Lawrence for this race. Most of us have run this course before, and knowing about footing and terrain is invaluable. We'll be competing against the same five teams as last year: St. Lawrence, RPI, Clarkson, Union, and Hobart/William Smith. I've been following these teams' results over the last few weeks, and I know roughly where their top runners are. I'd be lying if I said I haven't developed some personal and team expectations for where I want us to be.

That said, on Saturday morning, when we're in the thick of things, everything goes out the window. A successful race is all about reacting to unforseen circumstances. Maybe it will be unseasonably cold...this is in fact a definite possibility in the North Country in mid-October. Maybe the race will go out faster than we anticipated. Maybe another team has been hiding their cards, and puts up a strong challenge at the start that we didn't expect. Maybe we'll stay together in big packs, maybe we'll have a few guys take chances and try to hang on someone else's pack. Responding to myriad situations is just as much a conscious as an unconscious effort, and I think one of my greatest strengths I've developed as a Vassar runner has been the ability to process what's going on around me and make adjustments mid-race. Racing isn't just about running fast, it's about relativity. I'd rather we come in first and run slow times because the conditions were awful, than come in 3rd with fast times on a beautiful day.

This blog has inspired me to cut back on the scouting, and focus on the big picture a bit more. Workouts have been going well. We feel ready. It's still October. Now is the time to begin racing.