Create your own lifelong running memories
Last June I had the pleasure of attending the Wisconsin High School State Track and Field Championships held at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. For the uninitiated, the Wisconsin state meet is the oldest high school track and field meet in the United States, having debuted in 1895. It's hard to imagine how many thousands of young athletes have competed in the past 104 meets - no meets were held in 1933, 1943 and 1944. Perhaps you, your family members or friends have had the opportunity to test yourself on our high school's biggest stage.
This year, like every other, the meet was filled with great competition. Running the gamut from thrilled excitement to personal satisfaction and crushing disappointment, this year's young athletes wore their emotions as proudly as they wore their medals. For some, the climb up to the elusive podium never came. Yet, everyone who had the courage to get out and compete will long remember their 2011 experience.
Perhaps the common denominator among all of the athletes was how much they cared about their performances. Certainly, there were some who were just thrilled to be there, to have the opportunity to compete in one last meet this season and to be counted among the top athletes in the state. Others came into the meet with a chance to set records, or to win an individual or team championship. Regardless of their place in the hierarchy of their event, everyone truly cared about their performance. It is this commitment to doing their absolute best that make lifelong memories.
Many of us have run dozens or hundreds or even thousands of races. From small events to mega-events, we have paid our entry fees and toed the starting lines. Yet, what do you remember of these races? Which events stick out in your personal memory bank, and why do you still get fired up when you think about them?
When talking to one of our athletes after she had just finished her last high school race, I was struck by how clearly I remembered my most significant high school competition. Unfortunately, it was my last individual race as a high school runner and I failed to qualify for this very same state championship. I had just run the fastest race of my life in a driving rainstorm and was totally crushed that I fell one-tenth of a second short. Even now, some 40 years after the event, I can still clearly picture the race and relive my emotions as if it were last week. I think this race stands out because I cared so deeply about how I performed.
It becomes all too easy to take our successes and failures for granted. If we run well, great. If we are off a bit, so be it. One race, another run, they all blend together in a swirling mass. We never get too high. We never get too low. We don't get too excited and we just don't make those memories. This is not how it should be. Every time we step out the door need not be cause for something special to happen, but we owe it to ourselves to care about what we do and how we perform.
Running is a sport where we measure ourselves not only against others but most importantly against ourselves. We can set our own goals for time, distance, frequency, heart rate, speed and just about any other variable you can think of. We can track our rate of improvement, or as we age a bit, our rate of decline. We have an objective measuring stick and we can use it if we so desire. The bottom line is that we can create moments that will stand out if we feel what we are doing is important.
Think about some of your most vivid running memories. What makes it stick out in your mind? Was it your first race? Did you meet your partner or spouse? Did you run through a hailstorm? Everyone will have a different answer because each of us decides what is most important in our lives. As an older runner who has been doing this for 45 years, I have no idea how many races I have run - I'm sure it's approaching 1,000 - and I most certainly do not remember all of them. I would have to look through years of running logs to recall my PRs at many distances. Yet, there are a few events, like my final high school 440-yard dash, that are clear as a bell.
All of us can make memories when we run. We owe it to ourselves to make this happen. So many runners who come to our club track workouts are self-deprecating when talking about their performances. "I'm not a real runner like these people, but I'd like to become one" is a refrain I hear all too often. I always tell these runners to take pride in what they have accomplished and try to improve on it. Care about what you are doing.
A look at the front cover of the program from this year's state meet shows the faces of young athletes all engaged in the struggle to be their best. Only a few finished as champions, but all succeeded in creating a moment that will stay with them for years to come. We can all achieve this same lofty goal. We may not always win, but we can continue to strive toward our individual victories and make our own memories along the way.
Good running to you.
Tom Kaufman, of Madison, Wisconsin, has run more than 40 marathons in as many years of running. He teaches high school phys ed and coaches high school track and cross country, as well as community and masters athletes. He has a master's degree in physical education and a specialization in exercise physiology.
This year, like every other, the meet was filled with great competition. Running the gamut from thrilled excitement to personal satisfaction and crushing disappointment, this year's young athletes wore their emotions as proudly as they wore their medals. For some, the climb up to the elusive podium never came. Yet, everyone who had the courage to get out and compete will long remember their 2011 experience.
Perhaps the common denominator among all of the athletes was how much they cared about their performances. Certainly, there were some who were just thrilled to be there, to have the opportunity to compete in one last meet this season and to be counted among the top athletes in the state. Others came into the meet with a chance to set records, or to win an individual or team championship. Regardless of their place in the hierarchy of their event, everyone truly cared about their performance. It is this commitment to doing their absolute best that make lifelong memories.
Many of us have run dozens or hundreds or even thousands of races. From small events to mega-events, we have paid our entry fees and toed the starting lines. Yet, what do you remember of these races? Which events stick out in your personal memory bank, and why do you still get fired up when you think about them?
When talking to one of our athletes after she had just finished her last high school race, I was struck by how clearly I remembered my most significant high school competition. Unfortunately, it was my last individual race as a high school runner and I failed to qualify for this very same state championship. I had just run the fastest race of my life in a driving rainstorm and was totally crushed that I fell one-tenth of a second short. Even now, some 40 years after the event, I can still clearly picture the race and relive my emotions as if it were last week. I think this race stands out because I cared so deeply about how I performed.
It becomes all too easy to take our successes and failures for granted. If we run well, great. If we are off a bit, so be it. One race, another run, they all blend together in a swirling mass. We never get too high. We never get too low. We don't get too excited and we just don't make those memories. This is not how it should be. Every time we step out the door need not be cause for something special to happen, but we owe it to ourselves to care about what we do and how we perform.
Running is a sport where we measure ourselves not only against others but most importantly against ourselves. We can set our own goals for time, distance, frequency, heart rate, speed and just about any other variable you can think of. We can track our rate of improvement, or as we age a bit, our rate of decline. We have an objective measuring stick and we can use it if we so desire. The bottom line is that we can create moments that will stand out if we feel what we are doing is important.
Think about some of your most vivid running memories. What makes it stick out in your mind? Was it your first race? Did you meet your partner or spouse? Did you run through a hailstorm? Everyone will have a different answer because each of us decides what is most important in our lives. As an older runner who has been doing this for 45 years, I have no idea how many races I have run - I'm sure it's approaching 1,000 - and I most certainly do not remember all of them. I would have to look through years of running logs to recall my PRs at many distances. Yet, there are a few events, like my final high school 440-yard dash, that are clear as a bell.
All of us can make memories when we run. We owe it to ourselves to make this happen. So many runners who come to our club track workouts are self-deprecating when talking about their performances. "I'm not a real runner like these people, but I'd like to become one" is a refrain I hear all too often. I always tell these runners to take pride in what they have accomplished and try to improve on it. Care about what you are doing.
A look at the front cover of the program from this year's state meet shows the faces of young athletes all engaged in the struggle to be their best. Only a few finished as champions, but all succeeded in creating a moment that will stay with them for years to come. We can all achieve this same lofty goal. We may not always win, but we can continue to strive toward our individual victories and make our own memories along the way.
Good running to you.
Tom Kaufman, of Madison, Wisconsin, has run more than 40 marathons in as many years of running. He teaches high school phys ed and coaches high school track and cross country, as well as community and masters athletes. He has a master's degree in physical education and a specialization in exercise physiology.