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Nov
2
Desire to Win
Filed Under Running, Spotlight Runner | Leave a Comment
MVXC flew down to Portland this year for the Nike Pre-National race. It is a preview of the national championship course. My coach brought me along as the 8th guy, not to run on varsity and represent my team, but to run by myself in the JV Junior/Senior Race and Represent JV alone. The week leading up to the trip was filled with questions I had and the research to figure it out. I set the goal of winning the race.
Multiple times I would ask my coach if I could do it, to which he would blow the question off or just look at me and say something like, “What do you think?” I kept my goal and watched the course in videos and pictures online.
On the day of the race me and my coach left the hotel and went to the course alone. He late-registered me and I went on a lonely warm-up. At the starting line I met a kid named Daniel Rieger. Dan and I talked after a couple strideouts and he shared that he wanted to place top ten. I told him I wanted to win.
From the gun I had my mind set on 1st. At the first mile I was in 6th, the second mile I was in 3rd. Before the final turn I was in 2nd place. I was drafting off of the 1st place kid, who had led the entire race, and my coach told us both as we passed, “There is a group coming fast, you two need to go now.” I didn’t wait a second and I took off sprinting as hard as I could with about 600 left.
In those 600 meters, I lost everyone behind me by 10 seconds. I collapsed at the finish, pupils dilating, unable to see or walk straight, and wondering what the heck had just happened. Here is the video of my race.
You can see me at 1:05, 2:10, and 3:10. My finish is embarrassing to watch now, but I know I left it all on the course.
Daniel, the kid who I met and talked to before the race, finished in 2nd place. You never know what can happen if you run hard.
My coach wrote this paragraph about me on the team website:
Without question, the best performance was turned in by none other than JAKE TAYLOR- also one of the best, guttiest, and awesome displays of cross country running that I have ever seen. Several times throughout the race Jake could have packed it in and settled for 4th or 3rd or even 2nd, but he had set a goal for himself and he refused to settle for anything less than what he had set out to do. On paper there is no way Jake Taylor should have won that race! So much for paper. 16.34!!!! UNBELIEVABLE! What a performance and what a race to watch and learn something from. I talked to both varsity teams about Jake’s performance before their races and how never quitting and never giving up are are traits of Mountain View XC racers. Jake went out and proved it on race day! Not bad; one entry- one victory.
The proudest moment of my XC career so far has been the moment he came up to me after the race. I had PR’d by 54 seconds, set a new standard for the team (which they broke when it was their turn to race later that day), and had given it my all.
If you skip to 4:18 in the video and listen closely you can hear my coach yelling my name, the best moment of my xc season.
Jul
1
Nick Symmonds Qualifies for Beijing
Filed Under News, Quote, Running, Spotlight Runner | Leave a Comment
Nick Symmonds shot past competition to take first in the 2008 Olympic Track & Field Trials at Eugene,
Oregon. Symmonds ran the 800 in a time of 1:44.10, the second fastest 800 time ever run in the United States.
“It’s one thing to say that I have the potential to do it. It’s another thing to do it on the night everyone else is trying to.”
-Nick Symmonds
Something I admire about Nick is that he knows you cannot truly win unless you have to compete. I have known many runners who win races but do not run their hardest. They don’t set personal bests, they don’t feel tired after the race, but they get first place and are satisfied.
Run your hardest every race, don’t settle for what you know you can do. Remain curious.
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About
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This is where I write about running, training, races, and anything else running related. Because I run for Mountain View High School I may write about my team and opposing teams in the Treasure Valley. Everything written in this blog is my personal opinion and does not reflect the views of my coaches, my teammates, or my school.