Comebacks
Every time you come back to the starting line it's a comeback story.
I love inspirational stories. I really do. I eat them up. I rely on them too. I’m not always running around my house salivating to start a run or write a post or film a motivational video. I’m not always smiling. Sometimes it’s a real drag. You can define it any way you want to. Running. Working. Driving. Cleaning. Coaching. Teaching. Sharing. Apologizing. Cooking. Explaining. Ignoring. Acknowledging. Appreciating. Celebrating. Being kind. Congratulating. Doing the right thing. Coming back to another starting line to do whatever it is that’s a drag. It’s not always easy. When it’s not easy for me I look for help. And the first place I look for help is a starting line.
One of my favorite starting lines is a park right here in Portland. We’ve got a gorgeous place called Forest Park. It’s 5200 acres and has over 80 miles of trails. It’s a real gift.
Side note… if you love this sport then you should support this sport and one way you can support this sport is by supporting the places where people take part in this sport. Tracks, trails, parks, etc. Find out how YOU can help share this sport and support this sport and celebrate this sport and save this sport and you’ll love this sport even more. And here’s a little secret that’s not a secret. The more you love this sport the better time you’ll have being a part of this sport.
Okay, where was I? Forest Park! There are two main trail entrances that I hit when I run there. One is called Germantown Road and the other is called Leif Erikson. Leif gets far more foot traffic. You’d think that would mean I go for Germantown. Nope. You’d be wrong. I want to be around people. I want to see people get ready for their runs by doing all their little doodads and skiddleydoos right before they start their run. One last sip of water. Sigh. Tie the trainers. Walk a little bit. Retie the trainers. Jump up and down. Stretch that problematic right calf one… more… time. Breathe. Check the temperature on their weather app. Moan. Then look ahead and press start on their watch and launch that first stride. Another successful comeback. That’s what I think to myself. And I’m a little more inspired now. I’m a little more motivated now. I’m a little more hopeful about myself and about you and about all of them too. And I’m grateful. Why? Great question!
I know it’s not easy to start a run. I know it’s even harder to start another run. I know that it takes guts to cross a starting line. I know you need hope to begin a run. I know that some people are having really great days there at the trailhead of Leif Erikson and they are about to start a really great run that they are really looking forward to running. I also know that some people that just pressed start on their watch are going through some truly horrible stuff right now. I know some people didn’t sleep at all last night. I know some people didn’t leave their house yesterday… or the day before… or the day before that… but today they are here starting a run. I know people are starting runs after they lost their job or lost a loved one or lost their way in this complicated and sometimes cold world. I know some people are coming back to the starting line after hard days, long days, terrible days, tough days.
I see people there trying to start their first run and truly believing this run is going to be the start of a good thing for them. I see people there trying to start a run while they are trying to convince themselves that this time isn’t going to be like all the other times because this time they are going to do it... really do it. Whatever it is that it may be. I see people there at the trailhead doubting themselves. I see people talking crap to themselves and beating themselves down and holding themselves back before they even start the run. I see them struggling. And then I see them start anyway.
If you’ve run with me before you’ve probably listened to me say “great job” or “you’re doing awesome” or “crushing it” or “badass” to runners and walkers we pass or that pass us. And if you read my replies to people on social media I almost always say something like that and add in a “thank you”. If you’ve ever wondered why I say and write those things to perfect strangers… well, now you know why.
So, to all of you that are planning on coming back to a starting line sometime soon let me just tell you ahead of time that I think you’re a total badass. I don’t know what you’ve got going on in your life but I do know you’ve got a whole lotta life going on. And whether it’s all good stuff or mostly good stuff or mostly not so good stuff I want you to know that you’re important. You’re important to me. Because I’m not always inspired. I’m not always motivated. I’m not always feeling up. But when I see you come back to another starting line… when I see you start another run… I feel better.
And that’s why I’m able to come back to another starting line to start again.
Cheers,
Coach Bennett
A NIGHT OF MILES
Two days before the Prefontaine Classic I was lucky enough to get to hang out with 800 of my soulmates. I know what you’re thinking. No one can have 800 soulmates. You’re right. I must have way more. But a little over 800 of them showed up at Hayward Field for the Night of Miles at the Pre Classic. TrackTown USA hosted this amazing event. There were something like 16 different heats of the mile over the course of a few hours. It was awesome. Kids and adults and teenagers and grandparents and I bet a few great grandparents raced 1609 meters and left with a memory that will last a lifetime.
Every athlete got to leave with a Sub something mile time and 500 left with MILER t-shirts. Note to self… have enough t-shirts next time. Extra note to self… remember that people LOVE the mile! And if there is a chance to race at legendary Hayward Field over the epic distance of one mile on a gorgeous night in July, well, lots of people are going to show up. And show up they did. TrackTown USA did an extraordinary job and a special shout out to one of the truly good humans in our sport - Danny Bowman - for making this night a reality.
I’m already looking forward to this event next year because I want to hang out with 1500 of my soulmates at Hayward and run a mile together.
SO, NOW DO YOU WANT TO RACE A MILE?
Everyone can race the mile now! And you can get expert* coaching while you do! That’s right. Because there is (finally) a one mile race audio guided run available in the Nike Run Club app. Tech Nerd alert: The 1 Mile Race guided run (as well as the entire library of english language guided runs) is available as long as your phone settings for language and location are set to English (US) and US respectively. After you do your run and close out of the NRC app you can rest your original settings.
So, get out there and let it rip. And make sure you let me know how you did. I love to do a lot of different things and one of those thing I love to do is celebrate milers.
NEW PODCASTS FOR YOU
As if you didn’t already have enough to do! Listen, those dishes can be done later. Laundry? You’re bring up laundry? Are you not washing your running shorts in the shower? Multitask my people! Now listen to these podcasts already!
A LITTLE TIP FOR HOT RUNS
Not everywhere is hot right now. But knowledge has no expiration date. So use the tip for hot runs when you need it. Enjoy the little video!
Did you make it all the way to here? Obviously you did. But did you read your way here or scroll your way here? Either way, thank you for being a part of this community that has developed around this newsletter and the runs and the races and the podcasts. I appreciate all of you. I appreciate you reading and running and listening. And I’m thankful for you sharing the messages and posts and videos with friends and family and teammates. I’m grateful for you supporting the work.
And cheers to everyone that has chosen to be paid supporter. It means a great deal to me. Until next time… take care of yourself. Take care of each other. And I’ll meet you on the next starting line.
Cheers,
Coach Bennett
I’m currently listening to “It’s OK to Not Be OK”, and I felt compelled to share a bit.
I live in Tel Aviv, Israel. A few weeks ago, during the Iran-Israel conflict, I went out for a morning run. Mornings were typically quiet during the war, and when ballistic missiles are detected, we get a terrifying alert sound on our phones and about 6–10 minutes to find shelter.
I was doing interval training, and during my second interval, the alert went off. I was 1.2 km from home and ended up sprinting harder than I ever have before. It wasn’t tempo pace, threshold, or marathon pace, it was a "run for your life" pace. The streets emptied in seconds. Ironically, Strava claim I PBed for 400m, half a mile, 1K, and a mile.🤦♂️
I reached a shelter just a minute before the air raid sirens began, and missiles started falling not far from where I was and where my family was.
A few days later, I did the “I Don’t Wanna Run” guided run, and it really helped. I ended up running 20 laps around the block, didn't wanna get caught out again.
Since then, we’ve also welcomed a new baby, which has been incredible! That said, juggling parenting, sleep, and running has been a real challenge.
There’s a ceasefire now, but I still haven’t quite found my rhythm with running again. It’ll take time, I know. But thank you for that episode! it came at exactly the right moment.
Thanks!
I ran the Comeback run earlier today. Four weeks ago, I started the half marathon training plan. Two weeks ago, I had emergency gallbladder surgery. I’m feeling better and ready to slowly start over. The Comeback Run is my comfort run, I use it every time I’ve been away for awhile. Today was more of a walk-jog and it felt so good to cross the starting line again.