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Catalina Marathon – Here We Come – Videos from Coach Gary’s First to 2010
One of the most beautiful races on earth, featuring our marathon training program. From Coach Gary’s first Catalina Marathon and SoCalRunning.com’s 5th video ever, to my last year’s video. What a difference in technology.
Race Focused, Coach Steve – Certified ChiRunning® Instructor
Coach Gary’s Inspirational Race Day Marathoning Tips
Good luck all the marathoners and half marathoners this weekend in Long Beach. These are some of my best race day tips and strategies (with some prayers thrown in for you at the end…) Miss you all and love you dearly.
These are some of my best race day philosophies.
1. Think Positive. You’re better trained than any other marathon group out there. You’ve done these ridiculously long runs. You’ve practiced yoga and you use the ChiRunning® techniques
So tell yourself, “I’m ready. I’m in better shape than I have been in a long time.” I can tell by the pants that keep falling from my waist.
You’ve done awesome. All of you. Go to than mirror the night before and the morning before look yourself in the eyes and say “I’m READY!”
2. Kill the ANT’s (Automatic Negative Thoughts). These little critters pop up the night before or even on your run. The little bastards sound like…
“I didn’t train enough.” “I didn’t do enough speed work.” “My leg is hurting.” You get the drift.
When you hear these critters, bust out the RAID and spray them to oblivion. Replace themwith their hated cousins. APT’s. (Automatic Positive Thoughts)…
“I’m well trained.” “I did great speed, hill and interval workouts.” “My leg feels great considering I’ve already run 18 miles.”
3. Keep your posture good on the race. Solid core, keep that waistband level, and that spine straight.
No hunching!!! You will lose lung capacity and you certainly don’t want to come across the finish line looking like The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Negative style points for that.
4. Breathe! Breathe! Breathe! In the beginning of the race. Middle of the race. When you’re tired. When you’re not tired. The last few miles. Count breaths if need be. I like to pick a number like 50 then work up to that with heavy exhales counting each one. This keeps my mind off you know what….
5. Be sure to interact with the crowd. Thousands will be there cheering you on. Yes you. There for you. There to clap and inspire you. They got up on a Sunday morning, dealt with the parkingthe crowd, the weather, all that to see you. So be sure to smile at them. Wave at them. Pump your fist in the air. Give them a big “Wahoo.” Then watch the magic that happens.
6. Eat during the race. Anything that will give you some fuel. As Coach Steve says, “Eat early, eat often.”
YOU MUST EAT EVERY 30 MINUTES OUT THERE…GOO, CLIFF BLOC, POWERBAR…SOMETHING.
7. Use Electrolytes. Your body will need them to keep the muscles firing.
Supplement with an electrolyte tablet or Prolytes PLUS Sportsdrink every 30 minutes.
8. Inspire the other runners. Being part of the Beach Runners, you will be passing many runners especially the last 6 miles. So don’t just pass them without saying anything like you have a better place to go.
Tell them, “Good Running!” “You’re kicking ass!” “You’re my hero” “Keep up the good work.” “Looking strong.”
And, maybe, just maybe, they might believe you. And you’ve helped them in your little way. Because running a marathon is not just about you. It’s about all of us working together on the course to help one another finish.
9. Don’t worry about your time. Go out and run your race. Let me repeat that.
Go out and run YOUR race. Run at a pace comfortable for you. Not the guy in fancy running shorts ahead of you. Or the 80 year old woman surging ahead of you. Run a nice comfortable pace the first half of the run, then speed it up gradually on the last part of the run.
Run the last few miles in style. A smile on your face. Joy in your heart. Tears in your eyes.
What time you get is what time you get. Time is a function of your training and a deeper mystical equation I just don’t get and don’t worry too much about. Hey didn’t Einstein say it was all relative anyway.
BE CAREFUL OF CROWD SURGE. LET THE CROWD GET AHEAD OF YOU THE FIRST 5-10 MILES.
Too many people seriously hurt themselves running for time. Everything Steve and I have taught you is about running at a pace comfortable for you. Then gradually increasing it through your lean. So relax, run well, and you’ll have a “great time.”
10. Connect to your higher power. This is where I get a little preachy.
Pray the night the night you read this. Pray the next morning. Pray the night before the race. Pray the morning of. Pray with some fellow runners.
Pray on mile 20 when you’re knackered. Or meditate, or say a sutra, or a koan, or whatever you do to connect to forces greater than you. Mainly, because, you’ll need it. There will be a point, somewhere in the race, where you feel you can’t go on. That your body is kaput.
That’s when you reach for something deeper. Another source of strength. And trust me, there are levels of energy out there that can help us accomplish anything. Just by asking with all your heart, a source of strength will come flowing to you making you want to dance and laugh with it as you pronuce towards your goal.
So spend a little time the day before doing something spiritual. A walk. Watching the birds. Where you can just listen and have your own private conversation with your higher power.
Tell it thanks. Thanks for your health. For the weather. For the team you trained with. For the new friends you have. For your new waistline. For all the people that believed in you. For the strength to finish those long training runs.
And then just listen. Watch for a sign. For me often it is the birds.
Then on the run, when I see the birds I get to go back to that place, that heaven on Earth, and can forget about any physical limitation I might be feeling or suffering from.
Alright, I’m getting carried away here, but do spend some quiet time the next few days praying and listening.
It will reward you race day.
10. Run with Joy. Remember the wild strawberry story.
Run with your heart out. Open your heart on Sunday. Feel the excitement of the starting line. The adrenaline of the first few miles. The fatigue of miles 10-20. The exhaustion of miles 20-26. The exuberance of the finish line.
Then cheer on the rest of your team. Give out as many hugs as you can. Tell them all what they have meant to you. How great the conversations were. How silly the coaches were. How fantastic the crowd was.
Because after Sunday who knows when we’ll all see one another again. So share those gratitudes and feelings
that day. Don’t wait.
I grew from meeting all of you. Hearing your stories. And seeing what I wonderful group of people all of you are.
Helping in whatever way I could to improve your technique, tell you to slow down, give you a minute to just chill and center yourself, sharing my silly rambling writing, hoping that somehow just one of you might find a little phrase that could get you to go just another mile longer.
Thank you so much for coming out being a part of this program and making it the special, and I mean really special journey it has been.
You’ve gotten fast and strong. More than you know. So go out and have the race of your life. You deserve it.
I love you all,
Gary
On Running, Recovery, and India
Have you ever had your identity just pulled out from under your feet?
Like you spent years building yourself up to be someone only to see someone else in the mirror the next morning?
I have. And a running injury was the turning point.
What seemed like a career ending injury has turned out to be a blessing. And I didn’t even know until I came across the world here to India.
By about this time of the year, runners are preparing themselves for a fall marathon. The last two weeks before a marathon becomes a really important time for recovery and rest.
This article will share some essential tips I’ve learned from years of doing marathons and more importantly, from coaching marathoners.
First a little update on my whereabouts: I’m traveling around Asia, currently in McCleodganj, India, the home of the Dalai Lama, and one of the most spiritual places in India. The brand of spirituality around here is Tibetan Buddhism.
The Dharma runs deep here. Saffron clad monks walk mindfully through these streets (that with cows, dogs, spaced out tourists, and lots of Indians hustling to make a living). Monasteries are all over this Dalhousar mountain range.
I’m having a profound and deep spiritual experience. And still recovering from a running injury and a serious case of RUNNER BURNOUT.
Marathoners don’t realize the impact on your body that running for three to five hours causes. Here’s just a sampler:
- Thousands of foot strikes. So if you’re not landing correctly like I was, wear and serious tear can occur.
- Massive OXIDATION in your cells. This means you’re creating lots of free radicals that can oxidize and prematurely age your cells.
- Lots of pollutants coming into your body from the Air especially in a city like Los Angeles or Long Beach.
The fact is, many people don’t continue doing marathons for a long period of their lives. It’s difficult and puts a serious wear on your body.
Yet marathoners just keep on going. We’re generally tough, goal oriented people. We like difficult challenges, it gives us purpose and makes us feel alive. The idea of slowing down and taking a rest is not something that appeals to our characters.
In addition, with good coaches like Steve Mackel of Solerunners, we learn many ways to keep going even though the body is telling us to slow down. Ways like ChiRunning, good nutrition, message, sugary goos, mental training, yoga, and even lots of post run celebrations.
Toss in a good heaping of pride, your inner drive, the competitiveness of your team, the investment of your race, talk about pacing…and you create an inner drive that ignores what your body is telling you, over and over, again, until…
The body forces you to stop. That’s what happened to me. A running injury. I haven’t written about this before on SoCalRunning.com. I kept it my little secret. I was a running coach. My pride refused to let me admit that my own coaching advice had led me to an injury.
It was a double blow, to my identity and to my body. But now with some distance between that coaching life of mine and where I am right now, I feel I can be very honest with you.
Enough about me. Let’s get down to business. This article is about you. And how you can avoid the same mistakes I made so you can prepare and run your marathon taking the best care of your body.
Here’s some things that will help your recovery in the weeks leading up to your marathon and beyond:
1. Get lots of Rest. Eight hours of sleep (or more) is essential. Cut out the caffeine. Drink herbal teas. Cut off the TV and computers early in the evening. Take days off running after a long run. Don’t run if possible the week before your marathon. And seriously consider taking some time off running after you finish your marathon. Even professional athletes don’t train year round. Don’t push yourself on every run. Learn to take it easy. For me, burning the candle at both ends and not taking at least one six month break from marathoning in five years really put a toll on body that lead to an injury. Getting lots of rest and recovery will make you a faster runner in the long run.
2. Get SuperNutrition. Your regular diet is just not enough to compensate for the demands of marathon training. Runners seem to think a long run is just an excuse to pig out on the weekends, booze hard, and eat what they want to eat. Then they think that loading up on a bunch of carbs the week before the race will get them ready. When Steve and I interviewed Luanne Pennesi and Gary Null a year ago, it was a rude awakening on the nutritional needs of an athlete. And if you’re training for a marathon, YOU’RE AN ATHLETE. You need lots of antioxidants, supplements, juices, and proper rest. If you want to learn more then consider purchasing the interview series called Optimum Performance Athlete.
3. Slow Down. The way I see it. There’s two main ways you can run your marathon. One is to go out there and hammer it for a certain pace, shooting for Personal Record (PR). I’ve done this a bunch. But it takes serious training at that pace. In other words, you need to be close to that pace during all your long runs. Most marathoners way overestimate what they can do on race day (especially as they get fitter and fitter). So if you’re getting super nutrition, lots of rest, and doing long pace runs, great! Go for it! But if not, I simply recommend slowing down on race day, and making your race a CELEBRATION. In other words, make your race into a party. Slow down, interact with the runners and the crowds, and enjoy yourself. Even better, try to help some runners out on the course with good jokes or good Steve Mackel advice. The most enjoyable marathons I’ve run were the ones where I said, “Screw the time, I’m having a good time!”"
4. Get Professional Care early. For about a year, I knew something was wrong with my left foot and ankle. It really bothered me during trail runs and long runs. I hoped it would just go away. It didn’t. It just got worse. I didn’t even think of seeing a doctor. Why? I had a long training run to do, or some race, or a track workout. Anything but to face the reality of what was occuring in my body. And all this running on a minor injury, finally caused a MAJOR INJURY. Finally, I saw a podiatrist, good chiropractor, and then a physical therapist. Between all of them, I pieced together a pretty good picture of what happened to my foot. And more importantly, how to treat it. If you’re in pain, you must stop what you’re doing, and go get some professional care and advice.
Hopefully some of my experiences can help you in the weeks and years ahead as a runner.
It’s very typical in Western societies to overwork, under rest, eat poorly, and then just tough it out. Thinking that this hard work will all pay off. It does, sometimes. But the cost can be high for our lives and the health of our bodies.
There is a different way. Get rest, learn proper nutrition, slow down, and listen to your body.
And if you do get an injury. Maybe it is a signal to take a little time off running. Reassess your life. Try something new. That’s what happened to me. I realized I had accomplished almost all my running goals. So it was time to pursue some other lifetime goals, like seeing more of Asia, particularly the Himalayas.
Which is where I am now.
I still run. My running is much slower and more deliberate now. I run a couple times a week here in India, do lots of rehab for my foot. But more than anything, I’m learning to slow down in all areas of my life and live much more in the moment.
The fast lane is only one lane of the freeway.
God Bless,
Gary
The Body is Just a Vehicle
My Tibetan Buddhism class in Dharamsala, India.
Always as a marathon date comes closer and closer, I feel not a relaxed calm and confidence in my abilities but instead a never ending anxiety about training.
My sleep becomes more restless in the evenings as I battle through my subconscious asking me questions such as: “Am I training enough?”, “Am I doing enough speed work?”, “Am I on pace?”, “Will I make my time goal?”, and “Will this damn Plantar Fasciitis ever go away or will it derail my marathon?”.
Talking to all my fellow runners seems to make the anxieties worse. They all want to know things like about my pace, my goals for race day, even what I plan to do after race day.
Often my job seems to get its busiest right before the race. Just adding to this ongoing stress level.
Well I was thinking about all these things this morning.
A brief update. I am in Dharamsala, India (Home of the Dalai Lama). My dream for many years was to run a marathon. I kept on believing in that dream. Kept learning, kept making daily little progress. It came true seventeen fold. Even helped a few others complete a marathon.
My next major dream was to travel around Asia, especially to see the Himalayas.
That is what has taken me to India. Dharamsala is the spiritual gateway to the Himalayas. I look out of my guesthouse window to the beginning of the mountain range. They are huge and majestic.
Interestingly enough, I have been attending Buddhist philosopy classes the last few days.
They are held in a classroom next to the Tibetan Library. Most of the great Buddhist texts and scholars were destroyed by a tumultuous Indian History. The Tibetans, however, translated all of these into Tibetan. Then through their devotion to the monastic life and scholarship, kept the teachings alive through the centuries.
In other words, when you study Tibetan Buddhism you study some real authentic, old teachings. Some say the “real stuff”.
So this old scholar comes in in the morning, we all bow, say a bunch of prayers which I can’t even seem to read the English translations of. Then he begins talking. A lovely funny older English woman gives the translations. They have been working together for like 30 years. Translating like 10 of his books or so, to give an idea of his scholarship.
So he is giving a talk this morning which is part of bigger talk on some sacred text, which is a commentary on some other sacred philosophies.
And in the midst of it, I thought of people training for the Marathon.
The main theme of the talk is about how to be a Bodhissatva. This is a very holy Buddhist term to describe someone who doesn’t go off to nirvana in order to devote their life to care and compassion of all living beings. Like a Saint.
One of the essential characteristics of such saintly work is PATIENCE.
Here’s where it gets interesting. He says we all suffer. And some like the Tibetan people have suffered a great, great deal. And the more you persue a spiritual, or in my opinion, an athletic path, the more suffering, and enemies you will encounter.
It shouldn’t be that way. It should get easier right? Your training should get easier as you get closer to the goal.
Well, hogwash according to the spiritual master.
It gets harder so you can develop some patience. And this he defined as a calmness in the face of suffering. A faith in the direction of your work. A willingness to face your hardships. A certainty in the teachings of your coaches or spiritual masters.
Because this patience will allow you to learn. This patience will shatter your overblown pride as athlete so you can begin listening again. Listening to you body, your coaches, the old teachings.
And ultimately this patience will be your greatest teacher. To teach that you WILL get through this anxious time in your training. And you WILL survive those long training runs with that bunk ankle. And someway, somehow you find the patience in others to juggle all those people in your life so that you can just show up on Saturday morning.
Well when you get through all these little hardships, you will get some real patience.
This spirital master taught us to imagine that you are experiencing all of this in order to help all the other marathoners out there. To imagine that you are experiencing all of this to demonstrate to you family that you can stay strong in the face of adversity. And to imagine that you are experiencing these pains to show your friends and colleagues that great things are possible.
The Bodhissatva way is to experience all of this so we can develop the greatest of all human qualities…COMPASSION.
Because on race day, you will need some compassion. You’ll need to be compassionate and loving to your body and mind in that great battle of 26.2 or 13.1 miles.
Or even more important, and this is the part I love…
You’ll need that compassion to lift your head high to look around you and motivate the runners around you. You’ll need that compassion to share a joke when they look sad. To share an inspirational story when their spirit seems down. You cheer on every honorable runner you pass to let them know how awesome they are doing. Because YOU KNOW what they suffered through to just get there on race day.
And even better, when you develop more and more patience and compassion your performance, your race day time, your goals will just dissolve away into the practice of something deeper….seeing just how many people you can help on race day.
And in that, you will find happiness beyond your dreams. That by making others happy in training, before the race, and on race day you will find….happiness.
So hang in there, be patient, this time like all others, will pass.
That is why you suffer. So you can help others. So simple and beautiful.
This was the teaching I heard today, that has been taught for over 2,000 years and just might help you in your journey today.
Namaste,
Gary
Coach Gary’s 2009 Catalina Marathon Part 2
http://www.socalrunning.com/
This is the second part of Coach’s Gary’s Catalina Marathon in 2009. It was an amazing weekend with lots of good friends and training partners at Sole Runners. To train with us visit http://www.SoleRunners.net/.
God Bless, Gary
Coach Gary’s 2009 Catalina Video Part 1
http://www.socalrunning.com/
Coach Gary of SoCalRunning.com does the Catalina Marathon with the rest of the gang from Sole Runners
It was my fourth Catalina Marathon and my most enjoyable one.
Thanks to everyone involved for such a wonderful experience.
God Bless, Gary
Look For Part 2 Tomorrow!
Yoga Teacher Training with Rosie Good Starts in May
Dear SoleRunners,
“If you want to learn something, teach it” Yogi Bhajan
It is my pleasure and honor to introduce you to Rosie Good. This is my yoga teacher. If you wonder why the yoga you practice with me in class or after running is so effective…this beautiful woman’s spirit and dedication to yoga is the reason.
Four years ago I began doing yoga. And three years ago I decided to take Rosie’s teacher training. Mainly just to learn more…she has more in class hours than any other yoga teacher training in Los Angeles.
Something happened to me in that training. I cannot even begin to explain the shift in consciousness…but it was profound. Runners comment every Saturday why I seem so calm and relaxed…I simply say it’s because I practice yoga.
I could barely touch my toes when I started Yoga Teacher Training with Rosie and now I have amazing flexibility.
More than that though, in a teacher training class you learn about the history, philosophy, and traditions of yoga. You read amazing books like the Bhagavad Gita and The Upanishads.
The best thing about the training for me was…I became a yoga teacher. Rosie has you teaching from day one…granted just one pose…but it builds from there.
By the time I was finished the training, I could teach for 30min – 60min easily and with confidence. Since then I’ve taught classes throughout Los Angeles, Catalina Island, Thailand, and Cambodia.
Most importantly, I’ve helped a lot of people become more flexible and recover from their running. I’ve brought a little peace and harmony and love in the world through a yoga mat. That’s pretty cool. And it wasn’t even me…it was just teaching this amazing tradition of yoga.
Well, SoleRunners is about to start in April. Since Steve and I started coaching together a few of our runners have become yoga teachers. We love to give aspiring yoga teachers the opportunity to teach to our runners or to help out our classes in the studio. We will help mentor you and give you teaching opportunities.
To tell you the truth, we need more yoga teachers. The one’s we’ve mentored like Larry and Laura have gone on to develop a busy teaching schedule beyond SoleRunners. Yes, yoga teachers are in demand.
So if you’ve been doing yoga for a while and would like to take things up to the next level, or would like to become a teacher so that you can impact the lives of many people in a positive way, then seriously seriously think about enrolling in Yoga Teacher Training.
And if that’s the case, I can think of no better teacher to study under than Rosie Good. Both Steve and I have taken many a yoga class from many a yoga teacher and Rosie is as good if not better than many of the “big” names in Los Angeles. And you get the convenience of a local yoga studio in a small class.
Her teacher training starts on May 1st and goes to October 4th. It is INTENSIVE (that’s why I loved it). You meet on Fri’s 7-9, then Sat/Sun 12-5. So if you are marathon training, you can still make the class.
The cost is $1400 which is an AWESOME price. Especially for all those in class hours and personal treatment from Rosie. Just look around on the internet for other programs…you’ll see.
So if you’re interested contact Rosie soon. Her number is 310-521-9555.
You can also visit her and talk to her about the training at her studio…http://www.yoga-bindu.com/.
Namaste and God Bless,
Coach Gary
Coach Gary’s Catalina Marathon 2009 Part I
http://www.socalrunning.com/
Coach Gary of SoCalRunning.com does the Catalina Marathon with the rest of the gang from Solerunners.
It was my fourth Catalina Marathon and my most enjoyable one.
Thanks to everyone involved for such a wonderful experience.
God Bless, Gary
Some Last Thoughts for The Catalina Marathon
Open Letter to Buffalo Run Medal Winners
To ALL THE MEDAL WINNERS,
You are a champion if you finished the Buffalo Run Half Marathon in Catalina. It’s so easy with all the podium success of SoleRunners (ten podium spots) for the rest of us to think that we didn’t do well. So this letter is to remind you that you’re a champion for just running that day. And I’m proud of you.
Why?
You Had the Faith to do The Race. Something like 300 people do that race. Over 10,000 just did the Super Bowl 10K in Redondo. Why? Well the Buffalo Run has lots of hills and the fact is most runners avoid them like the plague. Just look at the elevation profile online to see the massive hills you had to face. And by all means race reports would suggest a very very difficult hilly trail race.
Yet you took the leap of faith to sign up for that race. Maybe you had some crazy advice from coaches. Maybe you needed some hill experience for an even harder race, the Catalina Marathon. Maybe you signed up because your friends were doing it.
So very few people take this leap of faith. Very few people get out of their comfort zone. They stay with the tried and true…the races they know…the races they’re “good” at. They hope to take a few minutes off their times. Good enough. But that wasn’t “good enough” for you was it? You didn’t know what would happen when you signed up then got on that boat. You dived off the springboard into the great unknown with Faith at your side.
For that you’re a champion.
“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.
You Persevered the Bad Weather. It had been raining for days before the race. It was raining that morning. It was raining on the boat ride over. It was raining the first hour of the race. The trails were wet, muddy, a little dangerous. Yet none of this didn’t stop you did it. You found the power of perseverance. You found a way around the wet spots. You ran on grass to avoid the mud. You kept going. Because you knew you had it in you.
You do have it in you. When you get out and race in those conditions you are a winner. Many runners including on our teams would look outside their windows and say “No, way am I running in that!” But that didn’t stop you.
“I do not think there is any other quality so essential to success of any kind as the quality of perseverance. It overcomes almost everything, even nature.”
John D. Rockefeller
You Had the Strength for the Big Hills. A six mile uphill to start the race is tough. You might have been cursing, and wondering “how much longer can this hill go on?”. This was not just Signal Hill in Long Beach. This was a hill that kept rising. Asking more and more out of you every turn. And did you quit? No. You kept going. You kept breathing, swinging your arms, believing, believing, believing. And as you rose, the views kept getting better and better. The clouds were dancing above the ocean. Then, on top of mile six it opened up and we felt we were on top of the world. A 360 degree view of the Ocean…looking down at Avalon, rain clouds dropping life on the ocean, San Clemente on the background. Tired, spent, you had to use everything to get up and when you get a view like that, when you’ve hit your limits and then still had to keep going like you did…you’ll remember that view always. And for that, for conquering that big bad ass hill, you’re definitely a champion.
“People do not lack strength; they lack will.” Victor Hugo
You Had no Fear on the Downhills. The downhills on that race were challenging to say the least. Wet, a little dangerous, little streams running down the side of them, majestic views to distract you. Then after yet another gut wrenching hill on mile 8, the downhills started. Four miles of downhills. Fast. With you tired. Yet you accomplished these also.
Downhill running is all about conquering your fears…
You found your way down the hills, darting, dodging, picking up your feet, feeling the flow of gravity until you passed the Wrigley Memorial and flew down the road past the golf course into Avalon. Such hills can destroy most runners…yet you found a way past that obstacle also. And for that you’re a champion.
“He who is not everyday conquering some fear has not learned the secret of life.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
You Dug Deep in Your Human Spirit. Why do we love watching sports so much? Because we watch humans overcome their limitations, their doubts, their failures, to find something deeper, confidence, strength, courage, hope, teamwork, flow, and that very special moment in all eternity when the athlete transcends to something so much bigger. And that journey, that overcoming of limitations, is what we love. It is as much a journey of the spirit as of the body. Our spirits need it, oh how they need it.
And on the Buffalo Run, you experienced what we’ve always called a battle. You’re body ran out of energy, out of juice, all your limitations, all your negative thought patterns will arise. You don’t know if you can do even one more mile. Yet you did!!!
You did what all the great athletes do. You did it. You went beyond.
We’ve all got our limitations. Mine yesterday was a severe case of plantar fasciitis. I hadn’t run in three weeks. But like you, I took that chance, and used my infinite source of strength resting deep in my spirit to keep going. We must keep things in perspective, every time you get THAT tired and you keep going…well, you’re a champion.
“Champions aren´t made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them – a desire, a dream, a vision.” Muhammad Ali
You Crossed that Finish Line. It’s so easy to quit. Geez, I should know, I’ve done it hundreds of times. Especially on a wet muddy day on the hardest race of your life. The thoughts might have crossed your mind. You might have even quit running. Switching perhaps to walking some of those hills. But then you started running again didn’t you? You made to the next turn. You made it to the next tree. You made it down that steep hill. And finally you made it to the top of that monster of a hill.
And even better, as you made it around the last turn, you saw the finish line and ran towards that sign like your very life depended on it. To see the love and cheers of your team mates, your fellow warriors, the ones that went into battle with you.
Then they put a medal around your neck and you might have too tired to even notice. But we noticed and wanted to cry with you. So many athletes have tears come out in these moments, even professional football players. Why would such grown warriors cry? Because tears come when the magnitude of our emotions go beyond our emotional little cages, and then it’s just simpler to just cry…tears of love, tears of exhaustion, of victory, of your spirit breaking out of its shell, that’s why we’re glad to hug you, tell you we love you…you’re a different person after every tear. And especially after every finish line. So for crossing the finish line yesterday…you’re a Champion.
“We shall neither fail nor falter; we shall not weaken or tire…give us the tools and we will finish the job.” Winston Churchill
For Cheering on the Podium Winners. You’re a real champion when you stay around and cheer on the Podium Winners. These runners had great races. To win a medal means so many “pieces must fall in place”…rest, training schedules, nutrition, efficiency, motivation, right level of competition. It’s not easy. And it takes some time to make it ever happen. But the majority of runners in the world will not ever get to the Podium for a medal.
Yet, like you, most runners keep on going. Some of them coming in hours later…with still the determination going. With still the human spirit sprinting across the finish line. That’s why EVERYONE GETS A MEDAL. If you got a medal, YOU’RE A CHAMPION.
So when you stuck around and clapped for the podium winners, you did an honorable thing. Those folks deserve some recognition. A special medal for an exceptional performance. I’ve been up there, it’s great. I thought it would never happen. And when you go up to them and congratulate them…you give them a very special opportunity for them to show the true heart of champion by asking HOW YOU DID. Because great champions need to show humility and grace which you give them an opportunity to do. And if they don’t? Well you simply congratulate them again and take note in your mind not to do that when you win okay? Humbleness, humility, and gratefulness we can practice at every race.
And I felt that from so many of you on Saturday. And not getting up there on the podium I was able to practice all those wonderful qualities myself. It’s a harder path than the trials and tribulations of pride but the one that’ll feel right, connected, and gratifying. Before getting up to the podium you must look up for years like I did. Patience hard work and believe in yourself, and you just might surprise yourself with your results.
So wow. You are a such a hero for running a tough race. You had a medal around your neck making a real champion. You fought hard, you took the chances, you found something about yourself, you cheered others on.
I am so proud of everyone that ran with us that day. And that means especially you. The one that found the race was hard and came in with your own personal victory. While the podium stand might not recognize your victory…I do…your coaches do…your team mates do…your friends do…your children do…your coworkers do…your ancestors who gave their lives to give this chance do…You’re such a winner and I’m proud to run and train with you any day.
And when you align yourself with such wonderful powers like you did that day, and close your eyes, and thank our loving creator for such an amazing life changing experience, then just maybe, just maybe our good and loving God might send you a special present…like this…
Coach Gary
Rainbow over Avalon Harbor at Catalina
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