One Word for One Great Season

By Rosie Poling for DyeStat Florida

Words are full of strength. Potent and dangerous enough to destroy, yet beautiful and poetic enough to inspire. Words have great power- a power that can be tapped into for transforming a person into a better runner and into a better person.

Last track season, a friend encouraged me to adopt a word to live the season by. This singular word would signify a unifying principle to adhere to and follow devoutly, with all actions and thoughts revolving around the word. Like other runners, I know I’m guilty of trying to fix everything in one season, attempting to make changes to better every bit of my training at once. Overwhelmed, I always fail miserably to make progress on all my promises and end up abandoning my vows towards self- improvement. This new method allowed me to focus on one element of myself to develop. Ultimately, I decided to elect a principle I that struggled with – “faith”.

    The next step after selecting a word was to create my personal definition. For me, “faith” is the belief that everything happens for a reason. Faith is also trusting in your team, in your coaches, and ultimately in yourself.  While these are easy sentiments to remember in times of success, in the light of obstacles it can be difficult to maintain faith. As the season progressed, my devotion to my word was challenged.

I began the season as a stressed perfectionist. Even at meaningless dual meets, self- pressure would devastate me so much that I would be shaking on the starting line. I was terrified of passing out, after my extensive history of pushing too hard and falling short of the finish. What made me calm down eventually was my reminder to have faith in my team. Following my word’s definition, I began discussing my fears instead of hiding them and confiding in my teammates the struggles I was having, having faith that they could help me. Their comforting responses reassured me and brought us closer. Trusting in them allowed me to not only improve my running, but also to improve my friendships. In retrospective, perhaps the fortification of friendships was the positive product of my anxiety, as everything happens for a reason.

About halfway through the season, my quad muscle started to feel a tug. Unbelieving that I could possibly be injured, I continued to race. My foolish pride made me unwilling to disclose what I was feeling to my coaches. Eventually though, my coaches caught on to my façade and made me stop running in order to heal my leg. Although it killed me to stop training for a week and a half, I knew that, with faith as my guide, trusting in my coaches’ judgement was my only option. Having faith that everything would be okay kept me hopeful and optimistic during this adversity. Having never been injured before, this minor affliction allowed me to develop empathy for those who are more seriously hurt. Looking back, I realized that the maturation of my empathy must be the reasoning behind that pain, as everything happens for a reason.

The event that tried most to sever my attachment to my word occurred two days before the state- qualifying regional meet. As mentioned before, I am plagued by a problem where I unexplainably collapse mid- race. No doctor has ever been able to explain why, until two days before regionals, when the phone rang with a diagnosis. The doctor told me that I had a rare mitochondrial disorder where I cannot break down fat easily, meaning that in a race when I run out of sugar, I have nothing left to sustain myself. Although I am so grateful that mine is not a severe case and that I am still permitted to run, a lack of research on this disorder meant that many elements were left up to fate on the day of regionals. So many things could go wrong. Keeping faith during this time was one of the hardest things I have ever done- I had to have faith in my ability despite the knowledge that something was wrong with me. Although I attempted to consume more sugar before the race, my intake wasn’t completely sufficient. On the last lap of the 3200m, I could feel the familiar warning signs and began to panic. “I can’t do this,” I thought to myself as my heart beat pounded, faster and faster, as my breaths began shorter and shorter. It was in that vulnerable moment that my word came to me. As I stumbled around the track, I could hear “Faith” echoing in my mind as my body began to crumble. Finally, I was faced with the last harrowing 100 meters. To this day, I have no clue how I managed to finish, but I’m proud to say that I did- in a qualifying position of fourth place. Having faith in myself had carried me through. Amidst happy tears, exuberant hugs, and enthusiastic phone calls, I found my passion for running reawakened. I feel back in love with the breathless, leg- burning feeling after a race. I feel back in love with the bang of the gun, the sound of thumping footsteps, the cheers of teammates. I feel back in love with the sweaty high-fives, the proud smiles, and the spirit of triumph. I feel back in love with the beauty of running. And I guess that’s my reason.   

As we enter this upcoming cross country season, I strongly urge everyone to acquire a word. Pick a principle that you have trouble with, be it “patience”, “humility”, or “focus”. Generate your own personal definition and then stick to it. It’s okay to falter on the way and lose sight of your word, but always return to it for guidance and strength. The word will improve you as a runner and above all, as a person.

Best wishes in the upcoming cross country season!