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Speaking of Confidence: A Steeple Workout

March 23, 2010 (Night)

Exercise Type: Run

Comments:
It's been 2 years since I ran the steeple chase, my favorite track event, and I have no idea what I'm capable of. In preparation for Saturday's meet at U of Maryland, I drove down to the Duke Ellington track and did a quintessentially complicated steeple workout:

- 3 x 1200m w/ one lap recovery
- but not really 1200 because the track is short
- on the other hand, I was running in lane 4 so maybe it's close to 1200?
- though during the middle lap I'd run in lane 3 sometimes to avoid hurdles
- oh yeah, i should have mentioned that: 4 hurdles on the first and third lap of every pick-up, one of which was a steeple barrier.

Confused yet? Yeah, steeple workouts are really complicated and the times you record are generally meaningless. You can't put the hurdles in lane one cause its rude to the other runners. My coach at Williams liked having us alternate between laps with hurdles and laps without, which of course requires you to run in a different lane for the "flat" laps.

Times: 3:31, 3:34, 3:48, 3:38, 3:33. I jumped over 45 hurdles today total. I was certainly breathing hard, but more than anything this workout was a confidence builder.

It's funny for me to be feeling so nervous about an event I used to call my favorite. As a coach and teacher, I put all my effort into trying to make my runners and students feel more confident, yet I take my own confidence for granted. I don't experience that sense of nervousness before a race every weekend, or worry about whether I'll fall short of my own expectations. It's only when I'm confronted with something new or exceptionally daunting - like running half-marathon, or leaping over 2 miles of steel barriers which don't take "no, I don't wanna jump" for an answer - that I feel uncertain, and my confidence begins to falter.

During my first pickup, I was quickly and rude reminded how tired the jumping over hurdles can make you and how easy it is for your form to fall apart no matter how many times you've practiced it from a stand-still. But from deep within my muscle memory, I also recalled the sensation of falling into a rhythm, how it can restore your pace and your confidence, allowing you to flow over the hurdles with ease and feel stronger after each landing. I began to look at the hurdles not a barriers but accomplishments. Each time I cleared a hurdle and landed smoothly, I felt more confident than before. The words of encouragement from the other runners on track helped more than I'd expected. By the end of the workout I was feeling much more mentally prepared for Saturday's race, knowing that I could in fact survived 7 laps of 35 hurdles, while still having enough oomph in my legs to spring the last 200m.

There was one hurdle in the fourth pickup where I was definitely over-thinking. I worried so much about taking off from the right spot that I got really nervous and almost didn't make it, but I recognized that right away, and so for the rest of the workout, I trusted my legs to do their job. Somethings, your legs just "know" when to jump. Yes, you have to stay awake and not lose the pace, but when that hurdle comes your body will subconsciously adjust your strides so that you take off at the right spot. Sometimes, you just have to let your body so some of thinking.

We'll see how Saturday goes! I'll probably get nervous again at the start line, but for now, I feel strong.