Hope On The Starting Line
Cheers to those taking the line
Over the last few weeks I’ve been to the Nike Twilight XC Invitational just outside of Seattle, the Chicago Marathon, the Oregon HS XC Championships, the Ivy League XC Champs in Boston, and the NXR Northwest meet in Boise, Idaho. I’ve literally watched tens of thousands of runners stand on a starting line. Waiting. Some are excited. Some are nervous. Some scared. Some are ready to rock. Some are confident. Some are less than confident. So many feelings and emotions on one side of the line about what awaits them on the other side of that very same line. It’s my favorite place to be on race day.
Don’t get me wrong. I have places I need to get to beyond the starting line so I can coach. I’m a back straightaway guy when it’s T&F. I go to the quietest places of the course for XC. I look for the places where the running will be hardest and the runner will be weakest when it comes to road races. But no matter the kind of running that’s going to take place… I always pay my respects to the starting line. Because it’s the starting line where hope can always be found. And hope is like food, fluids, oxygen and live music… it’s an essential necessity for survival on this space rock.
Still, the real crowds can always be found at the finish line. I get it. The finish line is where those final confirmations take place. Can she win? We’ll find out at the finish line. Can he break 4 hours? We won’t know until the finish line. Will they pass enough people so the team can win? We have to wait until they cross the finish line. Those kinds of questions get asked at the starting line too. They just don’t get answered there. Nothing is confirmed on the starting line other than you must cross that line to have a chance. There are no guarantees on the starting line other than nothing is guaranteed on the other side of that line.
The unknown… that’s what makes the starting line the one place on Earth where more butterflies are born than any other. Will I have what it takes? Will I be brave? Can I break through this barrier? Can I take it? Can I do it? Deep breaths. Where the heck did all these butterflies come from and how did they get into my chest? Why does this matter so much? Why do I care so much? Good god… what if I fail?
I make my way to the starting line to be inspired. I go there to see the faces. I can’t hear those pounding hearts inside all those chests… but I feel the pulse. I get butterflies just being near the runners. And I want to cheer for every last one of them. I want them to know that I believe. Not in some time. Not in a some place. I believe in them. I believe that they can be their best. They give me hope that I can be my best. Hope that I can be better. A better coach. Better athlete. Better friend. Better brother. Better son. Better dad. A better husband.
They give me hope because they have hope. Every single one of them. Hope they can make it across the starting line. Hope they can carry themselves with grace to the finish line. Hope they can take on this thing… this race… this run… this journey… this challenge… this goal... this struggle. Hope they can do it even though they know… they might not be able to.
And as I stand there in awe and inspired by all these runners I want them to know that it’s not fitness that gets you across the starting line. It’s not talent that gets you across the starting line. It’s not speed runs or long runs or strength sessions. It’s not the eight glasses of water you’ve been drinking daily. (Staying hydrated helps though so nice work on the water!) It’s not that playlist you made that you think is just about perfect that gets you across the starting line. It’s not the shoes. It’s not the watch. It’s not the coach that gets you across the starting line either.
It’s hope.
So, if you ever feel hopeless. If you ever feel like you just… can’t. Find yourself a starting line. It doesn’t need to be painted on a road or track. You won’t need a race bib or a number. You don’t need to be registered or entered in anything. You don’t need to run a certain pace or cover a minimum distance or finish in a specific place. You just need to take a stride and you’re one stride ahead of where you were. You’re across the line.
And I hope you know that I’m cheering for you.
NCAA XC IS THIS SATURDAY
I love XC. I mean like really love XC. And the NCAA meet is one of the best XC races of them all. What’s that? What’s the best one? That would be the Nike Cross Nationals meet in early December. That’s the US high school championships basically. Don’t worry… I’ll be writing all about that one in a soon to be released Coach Bennett’s Newsletter. Anyway, check out this great write up by Citius Magazine about the NCAA meet that’s taking place on Saturday, November 18. And be sure to watch the race live on ESPNU. You’ll be shocked at how good the coverage is especially since most of the TV or streaming coverage that gets done for our sport is abysmal.
NEW COACH BENNETT’S PODCAST!
Not one… no! Two! That’s right! Two new episodes of Coach Bennett’s Podcast are ready for you to enjoy. So, cozy up or get those running trainers on or prepare for the road trip with these two gems.
Listen to 5 Fantastic Tips For Better Winter Running on Spotify:
You can also listen to this episodes on Apple Podcasts below or go ahead and listen to it on any other podcast platform because Coach Bennett’s Podcast is on most of them.
And be sure to check out Mindset Matters: Racing Edition. The always super mindset coach tammie of the show up society is with us again for this episode and we’re taking a whole bunch of questions that were sent in by listeners and followers.
Thank you for listening to Coach Bennett’s Podcast. Please subscribe/follow on whatever platform you get your podcasts. I really appreciate it.
UPDATED COACH BENNETT’S MIXTAPE
Just in time for the weekend. It’s been awhile since I’ve gone this hard. What can I say? Sometimes you need to just lay it down. So, enjoy the music… and make sure you turn this one up all the way to 11.
THAT’S A WRAP
Cheers and thank you for reading. It really does mean a lot that you subscribed to the newsletter and even take the time out of your day to read the words I write. I hope that you feel it’s time well spent. Cheers to you and one more thanks to everyone that’s a paid supporter of this newsletter or thinking about becoming a paid supporter. I truly appreciate it. So, thank you again. I know, I know, that’s a whole bunch of thanks. But it’s deserved. So just accept it.
Take care of yourself and take care of each other.
Until that next starting line…
Coach Bennett
Thank you for sharing! Running gives me some time to forget about all the awful things happening in the world for a time and focus on my breathing and the road or trail ahead (and sometimes I focus on some good music or a good audiobook, too). I love a starting line; no matter what the run is supposed to be, it will always be what it will be! The potential to be fabulous is the best part. I'm never disappointed, even if I don't run that whole 13 miles like I wanted that time (just a recent example)! LOL
Thank you Coach🙏 Your words are truly grounding. The second day in a row that I have heard you speak about hope and the hope line. I did the ‘suckcess run’ on the nrc app yesterday. Full of truth, wisdom and inspirational as always. Lots of starting lines for me to conquer 🤩