Voloshen Week 5- Running Mindset

                                       

     I have been running for the past four years. I compete in both Cross Country and Track for Nazareth and I absolutely love it! The pressure of race day, the silence at the start line, and the feeling that you gave everything you had after crossing the finish line. Running is truly apart of who I am and it has helped me through so much. One of my favorite things about it is that it's an individual sport. Yes, you do count on your teammates to win a meet, but when it comes to your personal accomplishments and goals, only you can hold yourself back. Many runners and coaches say that running is 80% mental and 20% physical. Though running may seem tiring and torturous, your body can handle it. Ultimately, it all comes down to your mindset. Even professional runners, such as Mary Cain, have said that when they had a bad mindset, they lost the race before the gun even went off. 

    I believe that mentality is so important, especially because I have experienced a bad mentality's effects firsthand. Usually I am able to stay positive, motivated, and confident through my competitive drive, but since our Track season was cancelled, I had to find my motivation elsewhere. My mindset shifted from "running to be the best" to "running for my health and well-being". For months this kept me motivated, but I found that when the Cross Country season started, I wasn't as competitive. It felt so much more difficult to push myself than it had in previous years and I almost felt lazy during my races because I didn't want to push myself. Eventually, cross country ended, but with a not-so-great race. I took some time off to reset and figure out where my mind was. I'm still not in the same mindset I was a year ago. Fortunately, normalcy (and a track season) are around the corner and I may be able to regain my competitive drive again.