Rangers Lead the Way

I’ve noticed that I have a similar set of stages. It’ll be about two weeks before a season (excluding cross country) and I’ll start hauling to get in shape. I’ll give myself a weeks break and decide that I’m ready to get going again.

After that week I tend to think up some new innovative way for me to train differently than before. One year I called up a friend of mine running track for Leigh and talked about training and what worked for him then based it off that. Another year I had watched a clip of Bolt practicing with a weighted sled for extra resistance and the second I saw it I just had to try it out. This year I’m trying to focus on and scrutinize every detail of my form. I want to be able to look at it and have it be a prototype form (easier said than done).

I always start a season think it’ll be my year. A friend of mine who runs track year-round with me is a big Cubs fan. Whenever we talk trash about the Sox and Cubs he will always lead directly to “next year is our year”. Anyone who follows baseball knows that the Cubs need a miracle to pull of a championship. Anyway every pre-season I have the same attitude, I go in telling the coaches to put me down as the leading scorer for sprinters or something like that. I tend to get creative with my arrogance. I even told Coach Dowling I would win states for him this year. Don’t worry I was only partially joking, Mitch Morris you’re lucky I wasn’t healthy this year or I would’ve taken your title.

Anyway this blatant arrogance turns into angst the second I start practicing with the rest of the team and realize I’m far from elite. I’m still a little over-confident but that’s just who I am. I slowly start feeling as though all the hopes I had during the season were just fading away and became replaced with hopes of just making any impact to a team full of competitors. I always hated being injured in indoor most because I’m always taken away from the team. I’m asked my officials to help with clearing long jump pits or measure shot put throws. It takes me away from the main reason I got started with any of this in the first place, to be with people, friends, competitors.

It’s been tough. Trying to maintain all of the confidence through a season of pain, struggle and sacrifice. It always makes me think of whether being the “elite” runner I always reference is something legitimate. Something worth striving for. I’ve always contemplated

whether going for something so out of my reach was worth it, because to this point in my career all it has done for me is hurt.

Obviously I’m not going to be elite any time soon, that’s just unrealistic. But for some

reason I can’t get it out of my head of winning a race. Being the anchor for Greely’s 4X200 for some reason I can’t just let that go. It will never happen for me and I’ve accepted that but it’s been a dream for so long I really don’t want to watch it finally become something that running ability aside won’t happen for me. Once I finish my season it’s all over. I need to learn to accept that.
Staying motivated through all of this has been the hardest part.
I can’t do anything if I’m not motivated. I used to listen to my pump-up playlist to go to bed. I still have a playlist full of motivational speeches from movies to sports to everything anything that gets me going I have on my phone.

I have photos of things from stuff I have ran into, to messages people have sent me. Many of you who are reading my blog and have reached out to me are in that “Motivation” folder. I have quotes from everywhere that I pulled out to remember. I do more work to stay motivated than to come back from injuries, and I am perfectly fine with that. I save everything even slightly important to me. (I’m not a hoarder I swear)

Remembering the support people show is what keeps me pushing. I am gifted to have such support coming in at this point in my career. Whether it’s college coaches I have to regretfully inform of my severity of injuries wishing me a quick return to practice or it’s runners on my own team patting me on the back after my first practice back.

I have gone this far because of all of you and I’ve wanted for a long time now to find a way to give back for everything I’ve been given.

I want to find a way to motivate others to be better. Many people on my teams reach a level of ability that they are happy about and then decide to stop working. I want to find a way to change that.

I want to find a way to help the people who care most about this sport but are overlooked because of their lack of ability or inability to progress for whatever reason.Too many of the top talents in this sport couldn’t care less about the sport. In Greely’s case there are athletes who don’t have the passion for it. Athletes who look forward to the season ending. It hurts me to see it.

These are the people who get their names in the papers, get scholarships, get recognized.

Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t expect any athletic scholarships coming my way anytime soon. They are meant for athletes who can win and I get that. I have no problems with that. What I have a problem with is how when people reach a level. I refer to this level often as “elite” they lose all the passion and heart that goes along with struggling to get any good. The struggle that cripples most of us. Now I’m speaking from my own experiences. I’m sure there are athletes out there who have a passion for the sport and strive to get better.

I always like thinking of myself as like a Rudy/Rocky prior to success type person. (If you haven’t seen the movies you need to. I will argue with anyone that they are the best movies ever made.) I think that because I have a goal, I can see it. Every time I race, practice, think about running. My goal is right in front of me. Become “elite”.

It’s not going to happen in high school I’ve accepted that. However I think after high school I’m going to keep running. Except rather than wanting to beat people, I plan to race against myself.

Everything else aside, I want to prove to myself I’m more than just an injured nobody who never made it. I want to prove to myself that all of this, work, all the time, all the pain, all the anger and frustration that went along with this process for me was worth it.

“You’re only given a little spark of madness, and if you lose that, you’re nothing, don’t. From me to you. Don’t ever lose that because it keeps you alive.” -Robin Williams

I ran into this the other day and I wanted to share it somehow. He said it during a stand-up show. He went from his usual delerious self to a more relaxed, serious tone. I took more than I expected from it. I encourage you all to google the quote and see him present it himself.

I also encourage all of you to check out this new thing, #Iamunbroken or Iamunbroken.com

For any of you who read Unbroken this is something that has come directly from the future movie release of the book. Some great stories of people who fought through some real difficult situations. I watched some of the clips and wanted to go for a run the second after so I really recommend it for each of you.

As always reach out to me. I’d love to meet anyone reading the blog. Meeting some of you has been incredible, just another addition to the motivation folder.

No Regrets, -Matt Woolverton