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At tonight's Zoom meetup, we looked at an example of an Olympian who overcame an injury that took far longer to rehab than anticipated. Sara Wells eventually achieved her goal and now leads a program dedicated to building self-belief and resilience in young students and athletes. We then saw a quick video that documents how athletes who had expected to be preparing for the Olympics are now creatively and resiliently continuing their training.
Our Lansing athletes are a part of a world-wide community of athletes who are using the adaptability and flexibility they have developed on the track to now navigate uncertain times. And these uncertain times offer our athletes a chance to strengthen their self-belief as well as their mental resilience and stamina. It's normal to have moments of doubt, dismay, or even despair. It's important to acknowledge those feelings. It's critical to then do the next right thing with those feelings. You might find yourself thinking: "Why me?" Why is this happening? Why is my season/spring/school year/event I was anticipating ruined? Make a shift. Ask yourself next: Why NOT me? Why not be the one whose success story we watch in ten years includes this obstacle and how you overcame it? Be the star of your own video that we'll be inspired by. Another shift: rather than thinking about all the things you can't do right now, think about all the things you CAN do. The creative training examples in the video above are a great start. And a video we shared featuring Kobe Bryant reminds us that this time at home is an opportunity to improve our sleep habits and hone our meditation skills. If you want to try a short meditation, check this out. The Headspace and Calm apps also have free versions that are excellent. Kobe recommends meditating first thing in the morning. Other people prefer to meditate just before bed as it can aid sleep. Personally, I have made it the last part of my stretching routine. Each day that I work out, I stretch and then take five more minutes to meditate. On my days off, I carve out 5-20 minutes to meditate during the time I would have been working out. In a world where, even when we are all staying at home, there are endless distractions as close as our phone, taking the time to "be where our feet are," to be in our bodies, is a gift we give to ourselves and will pay dividends in our sport, studies, and relationships to others and ourselves.
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An update re: the webstore:
Obviously no one could have anticipated a shutdown so expansive, and with apparel decorators being considered non-essential, our BSN representative has been working hard to track where our orders are, both in terms of the process of being decorated as well as location. He's told me that embroidered items are done but stuck at the embroidery location and that the screenprinted items are still waiting to be printed. My understanding is that he is attempting to personally pick up and deliver embroidered items to doorsteps as soon as he is able and he's continuing to track the screenprinted items. I've asked him to reach out directly to all who ordered as well. I apologize that this has not gone smoothly and thank you for your patience! Today, NYSPHSAA announced that all 2020 spring state championships are cancelled. This includes the track and field championships scheduled for this June. Our program is proud of have had many athletes compete in this championship over the years, and we know that several of our current athletes had goals of qualifying for and climbing the podium at this important meet. While this development is not surprising given the trajectory of events over the past several weeks, it is sad news.
We do want to confirm that while the state championships have been cancelled, the spring season is still considered "on hold." Our section track and field coordinators are in the process of scheduling an abbreviated season pending the reopening of schools. Stay healthy and strong, Bobcats. Reach out if you need anything. It's Week Eight of varsity track and field. Last week, we focused on how to be flexible yet focused in the present and still nurture our future hopes and goals. We are more likely to succeed when we surround ourselves (even virtually) with others who share the same resolve. So this week, let's give thanks for the opportunities we have to stay connected to ourselves, to each other, to our beliefs and values, to our goals and to our community. Continue to meditate, stay committed to being active daily, and resolve to make a phone call and write a text/email/note to a family member or friend. Pay forward a kindness. And this week, we have several opportunities to engage virtually with the running community:
Notes & Links:
Until further notice, all practices and meets are suspended at least through May 15. But you still have training options! See the attached workouts or use any of the options we sent in previous weeks (also posted to the blog on website). Team Virtual Events
Keep in touch, Bobcats, and stay well! 
Monday was Patriot's Day in Massachusetts, a state holiday established to commemorate the Battles of Lexington and Concord during the Revolutionary war and is now more popularly known throughout New England and running circles as Marathon Monday. The Boston Marathon has been run on every Patriots Day since 1897, even through World War years. Until this year. The 2020 Boston Marathon is now scheduled to be run in September.
As I shared in our Wednesday team Zoom meet-up, I did a lot of thinking about the Boston Marathon this week. I grew up in New Hampshire, about 40 minutes north of "the city" (which meant Boston to me growing up, not yet NYC). Every Marathon Monday was about Boston and our family made the trip to cheer on runners annually. My extended family would ask me, at every gathering: "You run cross country and track -- when are you going to run a marathon? Will you try to qualify for Boston?" And every time, my answer was an emphatic no. I identified as a mid-distance runner who loved cross country, but 5K was as far as I ever needed to go. And then I dipped my toe in the marathon waters. It was an uncharted experience for me, and one that I figured would be a check on the bucket list while raising money for an important cause close to my heart. But I caught the road racing bug, and I raced with increasing frequency and intensity and eventually worked towards training to make the Olympic Marathon Trials to be held in Boston in 2008. I'd qualified for the Boston Marathon several times over -- but during each training cycle, I'd get injured before getting to the starting line. 2008 would finally be the year. It was not. I got injured once again. And then we started a family. And while I'd found a love of road races and half marathons and marathons, it seemed Boston maybe wasn't meant to be for me. Fast forward 10 years, and I finally made it to the starting line and all the way through to the finish line in Beantown. It wasn't anywhere near the times I'd been running ten years prior. But it was the most joyful race I've ever run, and each step was filled with gratitude. It was the realization of a goal that had been held through many different stages of my life and had necessarily changed many times over. I think it's the most present I have been except for one other race in my life (the 1000m at ECAC championships in 2002; another story for another time), and I wanted to remember all of it for exactly what it was. On Wednesday, we watched this mini-documentary on Emma Coburn during our zoom meet-up. I chose this one because the film focuses on a race that she sponsors for her community. Emma is a runner in her prime, still racing at the top of her field -- and she's also actively creating ways to remain connected to the running community when she's no longer racing. She talks about her nerves, the importance of being surrounded by positive people, and gratitude. She is one of many, many athletes who have had their training plans and racing goals upended by the coronavirus pandemic, and she's a great model of someone who is working to do her best to be focused yet flexible in the present while unrelenting and ambitious about her future goals and realistic in knowing that she won't race forever -- but she wants to have a connection to running forever. We then watched Allyson Felix narrate the rollercoaster ride of a preliminary-prelim redo-finals road to victory for the 2016 USA women's 4x100 relay team. Different context, but this is another example of goals and obstacles and holding many emotions simultaneously. These women had a goal, had to react to a massive obstacle/mistake, be ready to step up should there be another opportunity, and be unrelenting when the window of opportunity opened. Our training schedule asked you to "revisit your perspective, to reflect on your motivation and your WHY as an athlete. It’s bigger than just one season. While we continue to work hard now in hopes of opportunities to compete in the near future, we also want to keep looking at the bigger picture. This week’s focus is all about holding both the present and the future in our minds simultaneously, striving for that balance." We hope that these videos are some examples of this. If you're looking for another really fantastic dose of perspective, I strongly encourage you to watch the story of Gabe Grunewald. A promising American distance runner, she repeatedly fought cancer and, with grace and generosity, openly acknowledged both how crappy a situation was while fighting relentlessly for her goals, both in health and on the track, all while inspiring others and establishing a charitable foundation. Know this, Team: you are inspiring others, even if you don't know it. I am inspired by the athletes I coach, and I draw upon your everyday bravery when I have a moment of doubt in my training or races. When you make time to train or find ways to get stronger, your family sees this and perhaps is inspired to do the same. Knowing your teammates are working out at their homes is not a virtual connection, it's a real one, even across the distance. Being flexible yet focused on your fitness NOW allows space for you to keep dreaming about what is NEXT. Because even with all the uncertainty surrounding us, ask yourself: "Why not me?" Why shouldn't I be the one with the inspiring story of overcoming the odds to make it happen? As Robin Arzon says, Get ready to star in your own movie. It's Week Seven of varsity track and field. This is, even if you're a sprinter, a marathon. While our season remains suspended through May 15, know that we are in this together, and we'll get through it together. Now is a good time to revisit your perspective, to reflect on your motivation and your WHY as an athlete. It’s bigger than just one season. While we continue to work hard now in hopes of opportunities to compete in the near future, we also want to keep looking at the bigger picture. This week’s focus is all about holding both the present and the future in our minds simultaneously, striving for that balance. On that Note:
Until further notice, all practices and meets are suspended at least through May 15. But you still have training options! See the attached workouts or use any of the options we sent in previous weeks. Team Virtual Events
Keep in touch, Bobcats, and stay well!
I posted to Instagram with my final installation of our spirit week but wanted to share here in case you don't use that platform:
I can't remember a time when I didn't measure time by which running season it was. Even in times when I haven't been actively running, the knowing that it was cross country or indoor or outdoor track or fall marathon season or summer training has been an anchor. So a shout out to running, the reason my husband and I met. Shout out to the teams I'm blessed to coach and the athletes who make me want to be the best coach I can be. Shout out to the friend who brought me to coaching and shares the XC adventure with me. And always: shout out to my family who bring laughter, love, curiosity and joy to all of our adventures together (even when we are stuck at home). Amidst all the uncertainty swirling today, I am filled with gratitude. And when we can't run and train together, this gratitude and the knowing that we will one day be running and training together again are an anchor for me now. Thank you, Bobcats. It's Week Six of varsity track and field... ...and it's Team Spirit Week! Take a photo or video of your activity, include a caption and post to your groupchat and/or Instagram with #lansingTFbobcats. You're encouraged to tag teammates to keep the motivation and team spirit high! Measure Up Monday How far can you standing broad jump? Time It Tuesday How long does it take you to run from your door to the end of the driveway and back? Wednesday Weights Show us your lifting routine while at home. Are you using canned goods? Gallons of water? Reusable bags filled with books? Breathe Thru Thursday Where do you meditate or visualize how you'll tackle your next challenge? Friday Form What's your event specialty? Show us your best form (start, run, drill, throw), or share a clip of an expert example. Shoutout Saturday Take a moment to send shoutouts to teammates, friends, or family who make you smile and who inspire you. Important Notes:
Practices, Meets & Meetings Until further notice, all practices and meets are suspended at least through April 29. But you still have training options! See the workout below or use any of the options we sent/posted in previous weeks. Team Virtual Events
Keep in touch, Bobcats, and stay well!
 We all received word that the closure will now last at least through April 29. (In my head, I keep saying August 29...and then I'm actually pleasantly delighted that it's only April 29 and not August. Whether I should be concerned about my inability to keep track of days and now MONTHS is another issue entirely....)
It's true that this is another setback. It's hard -- mentally and physically and maybe even metaphysically. Making the shift to training solo was one of the harder transitions I made as an athlete after college, and our high school athletes are being asked to do this at a younger age and with less experience under their belts. But think of this: you're figuring out that transition now. You're training solo -- and you have a whole team of people doing the same thing. You know that you're not really alone, you're just apart. And the fact that you are navigating how to do this now means that you are setting yourself up for being physically and mentally trained in your future, no matter what is thrown at you. By practicing self-discipline now, by committing to staying connected to your classmates and teammates, by maintaining a schedule, even by feeling all the feelings that keep coming in waves during this unprecedented moment in history: you are setting yourself up to be a stronger, more resilient human, citizen, friend, athlete. This setback is a setup for your future. Another way to put this: when the going gets tough now, when you don't want to get your schoolwork done or your training done or even get out of bed, focus on investment. Everything you do now contributes to what will come tomorrow, next week, next month, next year. Sometimes, this means you need to pick yourself up by the bootstraps and get tough and get it done. Sometimes, this means you need to take an intentional recovery day. Stay strong and well, Bobcats, Coach Becca |
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