Does Confidence Play a Major Role in Racing?

Let me provide a dramatic analogy of an officer on a battlefield...



The general has allowed himself to prepare and study for warfare in the midst of a firefight. He passed all of his exams in West Point, offered outstanding leadership to his platoon during the grueling training exercises, and had a gameplan for the battle he's faced with. However, if the platoon officer doesn't have confidence in his ability to fulfill his duty on the front lines, he already lost the battle before it had begun.



The comparison between a running race and bloodshed on the battlefield might hold the same significance as ball bearings and a circus act. However, the point of having confidence when it counts hopefully shines through rather easily. Our team, particularly the distance group, focuses on having one high-intensity workout per week during the racing season. In addition to the workout on the track, the meticulously paced intervals are coupled with consistent mileage throughout the week, diligent core sessions, strides on easy days, and doubles in the afternoon following class. It does not take a Nobel Laureate to expect all these factors or pillars of excellent training to contribute to a great race and maybe a personal best most weekends.

The unfortunate reality of our sport is that disappointment after crossing the finish line occurs as frequently as ice in an igloo. A fantastic training block just isn't enough. The missing piece to the puzzle resides in the title of this post- confidence. Every runner can check their GPS watch for the mileage and pace they should be hitting, but the athlete who really believes they arrived at the starting line better than the rest will always walk away with hardware. Sometimes, life works out in such a way where we don't have the luxury of a great day, week, or month of training and have to race with a standard of training lower than we would prefer. However, we don't need to lower our expectations or think we can only set insignificant goals.

Jordhan Hasay Sick- Get's 2nd PAC 12


Suprise Sub-4 Mile- Sam Penzenstadler


Biggest Upsets & Biggest Disappointments 2015 XC


One great article from a sub 28:30 10k guy which exemplifies why we don't need to harp on training so much and just enjoy the process, " I was too busy focusing on the details to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. Running is a very simple activity."

Hopefully, we can all train to the level and discipline of a sub-4 miler and actually come close to, or break that barrier.

Tom Slattery