Hey everyone!

It’s been awhile since I last wrote, but I have been extremely busy with school work and training. A few weeks ago, I had one of my best finishes ever at the Illinois Prep Top Times Meet.

It was one of the first meets I got to run against state competitors. The 3200 race, especially, was the most rewarding for me. During this race, I was in second place for mostly the entire race until the final 600 meters or so. At that point, I was about five seconds behind the leader. My legs were tired, and I thought I wasn’t going to be able to pick up the pace. As I was running along the backstretch, I heard my my mom yell out to me, “You’ve gotta want it, Katie! You can do this!” After that moment, I decided to go for it no matter if my legs could handle another gear the last few minutes or not. I completely blocked out the pain and stopped listening to that voice in my head saying I couldn’t do it. Soon enough, I passed the leader and found yet another gear. When I finished the race in first, I realized that I had more in the tank than I thought. I just needed that boost of confidence to go and not look back. Running under 11:00 was VERY exciting! I exceeded my goal time coming into the meet which gave me a good indicator of where I’m at training wise.

Later on that day, I ran the 1600. I knew it was going to be a tough race, considering my legs were not fresh. My plan was just to run it as hard as I could, leaving it all on the track. I took the lead from the start and maintained it for as long as I could. I ended up coming in second, only one second behind the winner. Nevertheless, I was still very happy with how I did! I put my best effort forth and could ask for nothing more. Overall, it was an AMAZING day! My team even placed 3rd overall at the meet! It was extremely rewarding to bring that trophy back to my high school.

Achieving desired results at a meet are great. However, it is not only how I do that makes a race memorable. It’s also about the lessons I learn from a race. In every meet, I try to take at least one thing I can learn from and improve upon. On that day, I learned that I must have confidence and trust in my training because I am capable of more than I think. Our minds hold us back so much sometimes. They tell us that we can’t go farther- we can’t push harder.

We need to start telling ourselves that we CAN. I think a large part of feeling that sense of victory and accomplishment after a race has to do with overcoming our mental barriers. And that all starts with Positive Self-Talk. ALWAYS remember that Positive Self-Talk is the key to unlocking your potential. Even if you have a bad day, don’t let it ruin you. Even the best of the best have “off” days. Just stay motivated and keep your head up. Leave the past behind you. Discipline your thinking. BELIEVE.

Best of luck to everyone and stay warm! (;

-Katie

For some inspiration...(:

"Believe that you can run farther or faster. Believe that you're young enough, old enough, strong enough, and so on to accomplish everything you want to do. Don't let worn-out beliefs stop you from moving beyond yourself."

-John Bingham, running speaker and writer

"Running is a big question mark that's there each and every day. It asks you, 'Are you going to be a wimp or are you going to be strong today?'"

- Peter Maher, Canadian marathon runner