A Letter to the Younger "Me"
"Dear Rick,
This is your older self. In August, I'll be at my 45th class reunion. Because of that, I find myself thinking back to various crossroads where certain decisions had a significant impact on my life. One of those most distinct occasions took place in March 1978, the start of your junior year in Track. You were coming off a cross country season where your team won District but went on to a disappointing performance at State. You frequently tell yourself that you're now "serious" about running. But the truth is that you have no idea what truly means.
This letter is my attempt to help you figure all of that out. I'm limiting my advice to running. No guidance on the other mysteries of life like girls or if disco is here to stay or if all those comic books you're collecting will ever be worth anything.
I know that underneath a paper-thin veneer of bravado, you feel like you're only one social mishap from being completely exposed as the geek that you are. Let me assure you that you are actually no different than most other seventeen-year-old boys. And that includes your friends.
But let's get to your running. You do have talent. Not the kind that will bring fully paid scholarships to the University of Oregon or some other major university. You're not a threat to win the State Meet in this lifetime. But if you follow my suggestions, running is going to open a lot of doors for your future that you can't imagine now. (And that goes far beyond impressing that cute brunette in the third row of Civics.)
Develop a Training Plan for the Offseason. Being "serious" about running during the offseason means more than sleeping until nine am and running a three-mile loop a couple times a week. You need a workout schedule that incorporates some mileage as a base, speedwork once a week to improve your pace and time off so that you don’t peak too soon, risk an injury or burn out. Stretching before and after these workouts needs to be incorporated as well. You have an excellent Track and Cross Country coach. All you have to do is ask and I know he'll gladly help you out.
Shorten Your Stride. Sure, this sounds simple. Even a bit silly. But when I was given that same advice four years later, I shaved over forty seconds off my 5K times. So trust me on this and make the change now.
Watch Your Eating Habits. Just because you think you're a dumb kid doesn’t mean you need to always act like one. I know you tend to devour everything in sight. That's fine. It's part of growing up. What I'm talking about are those less-inspired choices such as donuts and maple bars with a Coke for lunch. I'm just throwing this out there, but I'm also guessing that the loss of the subsequent sugar high wouldn't hurt your social life either.
Visit the Weight Room. One of your best friends who letters in football and wrestling spends quality time lifting weights. You should join him a few times a week in that same weight room. I've learned over the years that a strong core leads to improved running. If nothing else, it you'd benefit by looking a bit less like the guy who continually had sand kicked into his face at the beach.
Compete in Local Races. Nothing but good will come out racing against kids from other schools outside your athletic conference and meeting other runners. You'll quickly learn where you are in terms of training, gain valuable conditioning and most important, have a keen opportunity to make some more friends.
Improve Consistency with a Race Day Routine. I'm you and I know you're still mad at yourself over your lousy performance at the District Cross Country Meet that past November. I hate to say it, but you've even more heartbreaking races in your future unless you do a couple of things. One, develop a routine the morning of your races. Eat a piece of toast or banana at the right time. Stretch out. Do a short warmup run 30 minutes before the race. Walk around to stay loose. Find what works best and stick to it. As for the other recommendation, keep reading.
It’s Okay to Believe in Yourself. You won't like hearing this, but your greatest challenge at this time of your life is simply getting out of your own way. Like I said before, you have talent. And that's okay. So is believing in yourself. Don't allow a lack of confidence to hold you back. Take those other runners off your imaginary pedestal and challenge them. I think I can say that if you do, you'll eventually beat most of them.
Stop Wasting Time with Jenny and Check Out Sarah! Okay, I have to offer just one bit of romantic advice. You need to know that Sarah will knock everyone’s socks off at the 20th reunion and she really liked you back then. Meanwhile, Jenny’s been through four husbands and nearly as many bankruptcies.
Bottom line, savor every minute of life. The highs and the lows. Take in the experience of it all. You will win as often as you fail and you will gain much from both outcomes. As for your comic book collection, you'll do okay when it comes time to sell it. Even better, there will come a day when everyone in the world knows all about Iron Man, Thanos and Rocket Raccoon.
Best wishes!
Yourself"
Okay, there actually wasn't a “Jenny” or “Sarah" or anyone like them in my life at that time. Nor did I even attend my 20th class reunion. In reality, such advice would likely be wasted. Bold words of wisdom probably would have had minimal impact on me at that time. While such imaginary practices like this have their appeal, the truth is that the most valuable lessons in life are often those we learn the hard way. By experiencing them. Finding out what works and what doesn’t.
But this was fun. Now it’s your turn. What sage running advice would you offer your younger self? Let me know in the comments below or on Facebook.
