This morning I had my normal Wednesday run with G2 and she texts me at like 6:30 saying she's got a bit of a head cold and just not feeling normal. I asked her whether she had a fever and if she didn't I said, "It's December, its not snowy and icy, we are running."
G2 hates hills more than you can imagine. Complains the whole way up it and just about why it sucks. My response do it more often because then you can make your weakness your strength by doing it more often. We ran up the biggest hills in town today, why? To make us stronger To make us have less 'I can'ts' during a run. Oh and mental toughness. And for those high schoolers reading, since its winter track, when _______ tries to pass you in __________ event, you say "Look I ran the biggest hill in town four times and you are not going to beat me...why because I run to see who has the most guts, and if it comes down to a pure guts race, I know I will win."
Said no better by the best hero of all time. Steve Prefontaine. Run for him. No matter how hungover or how sore he was he puked, he probably had violent diarrhea on bushes, he peed in the woods when there was no bathroom in site and heck, he probably had a head cold at some point but when it comes down to it, he was running. He ran because he loved it and he knew that he was good at it because he practiced often and always pushed his comfort zone daily because each day, he was preparing to be an Olympic champion.
This fall, I said to one of the athlete's at practice, "well, I am not training for the Olympics anymore."
He responded, "Well, I am."
Sometimes if you work at something long enough and you are willing to:
1) Work at least 1% harder than your competition
2) Realize that pain is temporary, pride is forever
3) Love the process of training and practice and be excited to compete every time you get a chance
You might be good enough to try out for the Olympics someday. I know I talk about my parents a lot but they helped me out for a good amount of my life and they helped me believe in limitless possibilities. I was (5-6, 138) trying out for the Olympic team in the javelin. Look up Kara Patterson and Rachel Yurkovich, they are currently best female javelin throwers for the US, the US record holder and a World Championships finalist respectfully. I look like a miniature version of these two. I was a physiological anomaly for the event, yet somehow, through the power of positive thinking, lots of painful walks home from maxing out in the weight room, support from my friends and family and trust in my coach that she would bring me to the level I wanted to be at, I got there.
Which brings me to Bridget Franek, the current #2 3000m steeplechaser in the US.
She never failed to make the NCAAs in her four years at Penn State. She listened to her body and backed off when she started to get hurt. She practiced as hard as her body would let her. She cared about respresenting Penn State with pride (Success with Honor as JoePa has always preached). She trusted in Coach Sullivan and she became an NCAA Champion by the time she graduated and now she is living the dream as a professional runner for the Oregon Track Club in Eugene, Oregon. When we went kayaking after the Trials, we were cold and miserable and still laughing our heads off, I asked Bridget, "Is this how all Franek adventures are?"
She responded, "If you are not cold and miserable at some point, it's not a Franek family vacation."
Bridget will try to make her first Olympic team this summer and I think she has a great shot. Currently, we are working out the details of a T-shirt design competition for kids under 18 to make a fan club t-shirt for Bridget. The winner of the competition will get a free t-shirt with their design on it and if Bridget makes the team, your graphic design work will be displayed on the jumbotron at Hayward Field when Bridget is running and hopefully again as she takes a victory lap when she makes the Olympic team. Who knows if you go to the Trials, you might get zoomed in on, just like those "GO PRE" shirts back in 1972. The proceeds from these shirts will help fund a scholarship fund in Bridget's name down the road for other kids following their dreams, just like she did. She followed her dreams, and she's asking you "Why Knot?" Please continue to follow the blog for more details about this opportunity.
So keep running, have fun and remember to smile. You cannot make a day good for you and someone else if you forget to smile.
Keep living the dream!
Heidi
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