Things You Already Know Eau Claire Clinic 2016 – Bill Miles, Retired Wayzata XC & Track & Field Coach
My assumption before I begin… I was told at a Teacher’s Workshop- to be successful a group needs a Mission Statement and an easily understood goal. The mission statement I chose was Anatole France’s quote: “To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.” I abbreviated it to “Act, Dream, Plan, Believe”, because it was UNDERSTOOD that we all wanted to accomplish Great Things. And Great Things are assumed to be working to develop our talents and gifts to their fullest and helping our teammates to do the same. So my assumption is that, if you are a XC Runner, you are striving to be great!
About General Philosophy Cross Country is not that important. Those who run cross country are special. What you get out of Cross Country is more important than a faster 5k. Your mother cannot buy you success, YOU earn it. Working with and for your community is more powerful than working by and for yourself.
About Fun It is fun to do things right. It is fun to accomplish goals. It is fun to work hard. It is fun to be fit. It is critical to enjoy the process.
About Goals & Summer Establish priorities, remember, & act on them. Set goals for the process. (Run 6 days a week, get to bed by 10:00, …) Dream as you build base. Get fit! It is not magic. Practice focusing and listening to your body. Yoga. Run a lot and do your ancillary work regularly.
About Practice Do the workouts your coach assigns. There are a lot of ways to skin a cat. Save your race efforts for races. Listen to your body and act accordingly. The little things matter. Do them right. Recover on recovery days.
About Meets Use early meets to practice behavior for championship meets. Realize that this is only a race. Trust your training. Don’t win the pre-meet cheer. Trust your training. (I know it’s listed twice- it’s that important)
About Racing Tactics They don’t give lap money in XC (as they do in NASCAR). Run even (or negative) splits. It works. It is not easy to race smart. You have to practice it, embrace it, and make it yours. It still hurts, but it’s a more efficient use of pain. At the mid-point be where you belong, then race the second half. Do not be ‘busy’, conserve.
About winning the race It’s not about you, it’s about the team. The final sprint is not necessarily about who has more speed. Make it about guts & fitness. Act with grace. You are not a big deal. Now it is time to start getting even more fit.
About dealing with a bad result Everybody runs a stinker now & then. Forgive yourself ( & others) and then focus on your next race or season. This chapter is over… get back to getting more fit. Choker- anybody who uses this word to label someone really needs to get a clue. (My pet peeve.) Whatever your coach, parent, or friends are saying; you are hearing positives.
About the “Little Things”. Recovery-morning runs, ice, replenishing glycogen stores immediately, rollers, rest, … Be positive- add to the culture Recognize that everybody matters Practice making hard choices Nutrition & Iron Walk the walk- don’t talk it- do it. Sleep Act with class Running Drills When you fall you get up Flexibility, Strength, & Core Work Whether you succeed or fail, you always respond by getting more fit Warm-ups & cooldowns
What are “Great Things”? In my mind, Great Things are developing your talents to the fullest and helping all others on your team to develop their talents to the fullest. Cross Country is important, but it is important because it is fun and because it gives us skills that are necessary to be successful in truly important things- family, academics, faith, the way you treat others- you fill in the blanks. What are these skills- perseverance, delaying gratification, self-discipline, consistency, loyalty, cooperation, an ability to tolerate discomfort, and to find fun with others in stressful times.