Track or running, in general, has much in common with life. We set expectations for outcomes and if we don't have those expectations realized, then we become disappointed.
It does not take much research or thought to come up with a disappointing outcome. In fact, we probably spend most of our time reflecting or obsessing on them. With all of our invested hard work and diligent training or preparedness, coming up short almost becomes unbelievable. However, more often than not, our failures will always outnumber our successes. Without this becoming a pep talk, we should focus on how to handle the most challenging aspect of this sport.
Since disappointment so often permeates into our training and lackluster race performances, we should take a minute to best figure out how to handle this inevitable reality. However, a more valuable take on this issue might also be in how not to handle it.
- Sudden changes in training
- Moping around for too long
- Not taking responsibility
- Taking too much responsibility
If someone goes into a race expecting to run a personal best each time, they're an idiot. They are not an idiot for trying to give it their best effort since they have trained for that particular event on a consistent basis, but they are a moron for thinking it's that easy. In order to have that exceptional race, our body needs to be responding perfectly to the training block, diet, and external factors of that given time period. Expecting to run your best time every time can become an unrealistic expectation.
The feeling of disappointment is a natural response to an upsetting race. We owe it to ourselves to feel that way at least for a little. However, what good are we doing ourselves if we reside in that sullen state for weeks at a time? The reality is that we can't do anything about the past, we can merely set ourselves up for the future.
We have all seen the person who blames everything in a game or race on any meticulous factor other than themselves. You could blame the sun, moon, and stars in addition to the rain that day, or you could suck it up and realize that you may have not tried hard enough.
However, there are also those times when we only feel like blaming ourselves for something that truly couldn't have been in our control. The person who tripped in the lane next to you was indeed the only reason why you might have fallen. There is nothing we can do in those situations that occur outside of our power. We can only toss the experience in our pocket for next time.
Hopefully, we can all share joy in our next race as our best effort yet, but if not, we can all relax with the knowledge of how to handle any shortcomings.
Tom Slattery
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