Define yourself (and be postive).

Becoming a football player.

There wasn’t a time in my life when I felt more nervous as we sat in the locker room that Friday afternoon. As sophomores in high school, it was the first opportunity that my classmates and I had to contribute at the highest level of high school athletics. It was the first opportunity for our class to prove that the success we had in Junior High and during our freshmen year wasn’t a fluke. For me it was a chance to show that I was not the same kid that a couple years ago dropped 85lbs. on my face, not knowing what to do. It was the chance to prove that hard work in the weight room really meant something. Even though I was only able to get my body weight up to 123 pounds, I felt that my strength to weight ratio made me competitive. I felt quick.

I also was told that I would have a position on the kick-off team. Not a glorious position, but a chance to prove I could play. That anxiety of being ready for that first play was also making my skin crawl. That was until the coach walked over to talk to me…

Coach: “Ditsch”
Me: “yeah”
Coach: “We’ve decided we need a little more size on the kick-off team. Kelley is taking your place.”
ME: “ohh, ok”

I looked around for some words of support from a teammate or coach, but everyone else was dealing with their own anxiety. The game started, but not with me. I honestly don’t remember if I played at all during that game, but in reality – I checked out for most of the season.

Spending the year on the “meat squad” wasn’t what I considered to be fun, especially because I was playing quarterback. A position I hated and a position I didn’t have the skill to play. I was a receiver… a cornerback. At least I thought I could be one.

The junior varsity team was fun at times, but I still had to play quarterback. Playing football in a small town in Nebraska meant you played some version of the option offense. If not for any other reason, because The University of Nebraska ran an option offense. Playing the quarterback position in an option offense means you get hit a lot. It still was an opportunity to show I was an athlete. My favorite play of the season was a fumble. The other team fumbled the ball… I picked it up and ran the other way. Touchdown! It was called back due to a penalty, but I felt like it allowed me to show my speed.

The next day in class, my teacher (and basketball coach, the sport I really wanted to play) joked about how I ran so fast because I didn’t want to get hit. I realized then that I would never be a football player. In my own mind I had defined myself as too small.

I decided not to play football the next year and go out for cross country. (Not a popular choice.) A happy story would end with me saying that I was a stand-out runner, but I wasn’t. I was an average runner at best.

How does this relate to the marathon this week?

I hear people define themselves and the type of runner they are all the time, and it isn’t always in a good way. There is a chance that the marathon will be run during a hotter and humid day, this weekend. As the weather begins to change, I have begun to hear the following on a more frequent basis:

- “I don’t run well in the heat.”
- “I cramp up really bad when it is humid.”
- “I sweat way too much when the sun and heat are out…”

Or even worse is when you hear people providing positive reinforcement to these comments. This conversation may go as such:

runner a: “I don’t run well in the heat.”
runner b: “Yeah, you sweat a lot. It’s hard to replace all that fluid.”
runner a: “I hope it isn’t hot for the race.”

There are two problems here. The first issue is that the person is defining themselves in a negative light, which will impact there ability in most (if not all) conditions. The second issue is that the second runner is reinforcing that perspective AND the first runner is allowing them to be defined.

As a football player in high school, I accepted people defining me as too small. These runners are defining themselves by their inability to perform.

The truth is that I was small to play football, but after I allowed myself to believe that I was too small – I didn’t have any heart. If I missed a tackle or had a bad throw, I always had an excuse. These runners may not run as well in the heat – who does? But if the first thought a competitor has when the air gets a little warm is, “I can’t run in this weather” – their true potential will not shine through.

This is true with any aspect to running. You may not be great at climbing hills, running downhill, running in the cold, running in the rain, running in Nike’s or Asics… whatever the thought.

Don’t define yourself with a negative perspective. AND definately don’t allow someone else define who you are and what your capabilities are.

Next time you are in a race and it’s too hot say this: “I may not like running in the heat, but I can run better in it then most.” It may not be true and you may even be lying to yourself, but it will help your race. To make it even better, smile as you go through the water station and laugh a couple times. It will make you feel even better and people (especially other runners) will wonder what the hell is so fun.