On those long, lonely runs, motivation is a key to
winning.
Inquirer Staff Writer
Certain things are embarrassing to Nick Brown, a junior on Central's cross-country team. The fact that he knows all the words to "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey, and sings it often, isn't one of them.
Hey, he's got to stay focused on his 3.1-mile practice runs somehow, right?
What's embarrassing, Brown said, was his time of 19 minutes, 33 seconds on Sept. 17 in the Briarwood Invitational. If only he could set up speakers along the course with Journey blaring, Brown would have left the other runners in the dust.
"I could run a 15-flat if that song was playing through the whole course; there's no doubt," Brown said. "I need to talk to somebody about doing that."
Brown, like many high school cross-country runners, is particular about what's going through his mind when he runs, whether staying focused in a large competition or just fighting boredom on less-intense runs.
Good runners and coaches make the distinction in their mental approach to training and races, Cherokee boys' coach Steve Shaklee said. On race day, strategy and form need to be foremost in a runner's mind, he said, but on non-race days they need to find a way to stay relaxed.
For many runners, that means singing songs. Cherokee senior Vinny Marziano's choice has a Jersey flavor.
"It's gotta be 'Born to Run' by [Bruce] Springsteen," Marziano said. "I mean, as a runner, there's obviously no better song."
The most difficult thing in a big race, Marziano said, is finding a middle ground between not overthinking and completely locking in mentally on what needs to be done.
Dean Lent, the cross-country coach at Central, said finding that medium is hardest at big events.
"It's a funny thing, but when you put a title in front of a race, [high school runners] think about it more," said Lent, referring to competitions such as Briarwood. "I tell them, 'The course is the same as we've done before. Just run it like any other day of the week.' But that's difficult."
The best strategy, then, said Cherokee senior Greg Bredek, is flexibility.
"You have to have a loose strategy," Bredeck said. "You can't have an insanely strict plan for a race because if one thing goes wrong, you'll panic."