It’s been a long day. This isn’t for affect. It started at 5:11 a.m. with a run through the “crackiest” part of Alexandria, LA and ends with me crawling into a different hotel bed 5+ hours away. Multiple hours of cross country meet coaching was in the middle. That’s what I’m unpacking. Coaching. Could I have done more. How do I make these kids better?  

I’m not a data guy. I mean I am but I’m don’t live by it. Pre and post race I say little.  I’m not giving any “We are Marshall!” speeches. There’s never a big mile by mile run down.  Maybe there should be, but I don’t think so. The athletes have to learn for themselves. To find their lines in the sand. That’s not coachable. 

I’ve said before that there are no magic workouts. The longer I coach the more I believe it. This isn’t to say that the workouts and the running don’t matter, that would be a disservice to the hours put in. What I mean is that the biggest coaching job I have is to get these kids/athletes to believe. Or better yet suspend their disbelief. Either or. 

The best runs (life experiences) we ever get are the ones that surprise us. When we pushed beyond or just didn’t think.  That’s the goal and there’s no step by step process to get there. You have to figure it out on your own. You have to believe you belong. You have to trust that you can. 

As such. There’s not a lot to say after a big race. It’s their time to look inward. You ask some questions to make them think. To see if they saw their lines. To give the run some space. To learn for themselves. 

Like life. Sometimes it’s just not your day. The best preparation comes unhinged. Again. It’s here that we can learn the most. It’s hard. You have to crack through disappointment as well. 

So we look in. We create space. 

We lace up. And we run again. 

#hugsandhi5s