“In the dust of defeat as well as the laurels of victory, there is a glory to be found if one has done [their] best.” — Eric Liddell
My cross country runners (and most others) probably don’t know that Eric Liddell was a runner who won gold in the 1924 Paris Olympics (and one of the main characters of the movie “Chariots of Fire”). While Liddell may have been a sprinter, his words perfectly describe the struggles and triumphs of being a distance runner.
Running — especially cross country/distance — is not an easy sport. The mental push is often much harder than the physical. It takes a heck of a lot of grit and perseverance to show up every day and put in the work (especially on the days you really don’t want to!).
Cross country season came to an end today with our conference meet in Rio Grande, Ohio. This team has come a LONG way from the start of the season! Between the men’s and women’s teams, we have six freshmen, four seniors and many in between. … I’ve seen them support each other, push themselves, achieve PRs and not meet the goals they set.
As a coach, I’ve never been one to push for wins or PRs, and I’ve never yelled from the sidelines for them to beat another team. But I do expect my runners to show up and always do their best. Because I believe we owe that to ourselves. And if we do our best, that is the true reward.
This cross country season brought many victories and definitely some defeats. But through it all, I hope all of my wonderful runners found some glory in themselves.