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Dive into the mental and physical process of being a runner
By: Addison Bruckman & Addison Streetman
Though Cross Country requires you to be physically in shape, it also requires a stable mentality. Many runners, such as junior Olivia Shaieb, struggle with the mental aspect of this tough sport.
“Sometimes I get in my own head and start being negative when I’m getting tired and telling myself I need to stop or I can’t do it,” Shaieb said. “I’m trying to overcome it. I just try to think a bunch of positive thoughts. I try to just think your brain doesn’t process the negative information. Right? So I just tried to motivate myself to just keep going like 10 more steps than another 10.”
When runners start to mentally give up, they have to be able to set goals and overcome the challenges. Each runner seems to have a unique way of motivating themselves.
“ I like to reward myself with something special after the race, like some nice meal or I do something fun later that day,” senior Kate Varitek said. “We always like to exchange gifts, like Little Sister, Big Sister gifts, and I like to eat the candy that I get from that.”
It doesn’t always have to be a specific thing either. Sometimes it can be a person or specific people that motivate you.
“The team is very motivating, and the idea of running in college” is what junior Caleb Snyder said motivates him.
The coaches also play a big role in athletes performance. Many athletes admitted to looking up to their coaches, and they trust that what their coaches say is true. Cross Country coaches, like those in other sports, are typically there to help push athletes to be better and to be happy with their own results. The hope is that, at the end of a season, athletes can see that their hard work has paid off.
Senior Sam Gibson remembers one his favorite inspirational quotes from one of his coaches.
“One time Coach Todd was telling us, ‘it’s like you’re a machine. And you gotta control the driver because the machine already can do this stuff.’ So I think about my body as a machine,” Gibson said. This powerful idea gets Gibson through a hard workout or race; He takes the advice from his coach and applies it to his performance.
As well as the mental part of Cross Country, the physical part also is said to also play a big role. Runners say they have to be able to train hard and race harder.
But, many cross country runners said being able to train hard is not always as easy as it sounds.
“Definitely putting in the work, whether it’s on a workout or just an easy run, just like working as hard as you can… and just being confident,” said junior Annabel O’Haver about what makes her better.
And, according to runners, that hard work usually pays off in races. Still, the runners have to learn how to stay in the right mindset.
During a race, senior Charlie Munson likes to focus on getting a PR.
“I like just thinking about my times and how close it is to being over, and if I’m already a mile and a half into the race, I might as well just finish out,” Munson said.
Knowing how to get through a race is a vital part of Cross Country. Munson said being able to just focus on running and on himself, rather than what his mind is telling him, is the way he has been able to overcome the negative thoughts during a race.
Even though these tough athletes have to physically push themselves, they also have to convince their minds to work with them.
Despite having these challenges to face, these amazing athletes always find a way to persevere and strive to reach their goals.
