Whisper brought two teams to this years race: Whisper Road Runners The Other Half, who won the 195-mile race, and Whisper Road Runners, who finished second. The race wound-up being ~20 miles short due to the thunderstorm in Coeur D’Alene, which forced a two-hour pause on the event. All in all, the event was safe, fun, and we look forward to returning in 2022!
Navigating the Current State of Anxiety in Youth Running
The root of performance anxiety spreads far and wide, sometimes without the proper verbiage to articulate a sentence of expressing why. We have seen recent examples of Olympic athletes taking a stand for themselves, their mental health, against cultural norms of a “toughen up” society. From Olympians Simone Biles and Michael Phelps, to professional athletes Rick Ankiel and Ricky Watters, for decades we have observed elite athletes attempt to openly discuss some truth of who they are and what they feel, and now is the time we provide a platform for listening, learning, and responding with understanding and support.
Youth sport participates are not immune to mental health issues. Pluhar and colleagues (2019) studied anxiety and depression in athletes between the ages of 6 and 18 years of age who were participating in team sports versus individual sports. Their study revealed 13% of athletes participating in individual sports (i.e., running, gymnastics, diving) reported anxiety or depression in relation to their sport. A staggering 30% of individual sport athletes played their sport for goal-oriented reasons, as opposed to for fun. In another study conducted in May of 2020, Watson and Koontz investigated the impact COVID-19 on youth sports, reporting alarming numbers in the mental health realm. Of the 13,000 adolescent athlete’s studied country-wide, “40% reported moderate to severe depression symptoms and 37% reported moderate to severe anxiety.” The study rightly mentions the disproportionate impact on low-income and minority children.
Whisper Running, a year-round youth running club in Vancouver, Washington, has felt these realities, where runners, as well as parents of runners, have shared feelings and experiences of anxiety related to sport, particularly since the onset of COVID-19. Being a youth-centered program, these are often first-time feelings of anxiety and depression for the young athletes involved in a completive program.
What’s a runner to do when feelings of stress and anxiety arise at the mere thought of running?
In a Bill Moyers video featuring Jon Kabat-Zinn, Kabat-Zinn encourages his clients to “dance..live…around the corners (of pain and discomfort),” (32:30) all the while, being fully aware of the presence of pain and anxiety. This is practiced in low-pressure settings (i.e., at practice), and implemented, or put into play, when things get tough in the sport of running. Whether it’s merely showing up, pushing a pace never experienced, or going back to a place of discomfort for the greater good, placing your body in these challenges, teaching the body and the mind to “dance” through the moments of discomfort can begin to bring down the walls of performance anxiety.
Another solution to handling adversity is sustaining some level of consistency. Even achieving small, mundane tasks, such as the basic Activities of Daily Living, can develop some semblance of achievement and self-confidence. Another solution, in-line with familiarity and consistency for those involved in the running program, is working with Psychological Skills Training tools, to keep the focus on running sharp and centered. Whether a runner is now training with their school team, or still attending regular practices at Whisper, here are a few strategies one can implement to reduce sport-related anxiety and keep the focus on the present.
Setting realistic goals. This is one of the most challenging efforts to follow-through with. With their head on a swivel, too often, runners compare themselves to the uncontrollable, such as friends, teammates, other teams, siblings, or even traditions, rather than accepting who they are as a runner, where they are as a runner, and working from the ground floor. With each passing step, a runner’s goals should be personal and supported with action.
Goals should be shared. Clearly the bravest step in the process, sharing goals can take comparison with others off the table. As one communicates their intentions, desires, and dreams (goals), a renewed sense of self can freely begin the beautiful pursuit of something grand. On a successful team, teammates will embrace one another’s goals as their own, taking personal responsibility to periodically check-in on their teammates to see how things are progressing.
Personal goals should be in small increments. There is no magic formula to setting goals. There are simply too many variables to account for, and the reality is, sometimes performance will take a step (or two) back, before it can take two steps forward. Keep things simple and remember that even successful performances might not mean a PR (personal record), but rather, a personal best time on a specific course, or running a great week or month of workouts, should mean a feather in the cap of success.
Personal goals are greater than team goals. Team is important, but on some level, when setting goals, putting your needs first is okay, so long as it doesn’t lead to a detriment of the team or teammates. Communicating these needs first, or along the way as you mature, is also important. Needs such as resting more, taking an interval off when needed, running an extra interval, or running 5-10 more minutes to feel more fulfilled about the workout is in order. Regardless, understanding your needs as a runner, and what it takes to fulfill those needs, will make you a better runner.
Visualize success. 99% of “visualize success” means imagining behaviors you can control. To keep things simple when imagining success, close your eyes and place yourself in a familiar space, such as a park or a road you might run regularly. When visualizing, have an objective – a focus on a task, such as concentrating on foot strike, a rhythm, feeling smooth and relaxed, a relaxed arm swing, feeling easy and controlled, imagine good posture, or listen to the sound your shoes make as they tap the ground at an easy, yet fast speed. Some coaches like to draw these imagined behaviors into interval sessions, while other coaches believe these imagined behaviors should be thought of while on longer runs. When to blend the imagery into the workout – during easy runs or hard tempos – can be an individual preference. The key is the consistent intentional focus on the small actions that make you a better runner.
Whether you are currently training with Whisper, training with your local school, or an adult running to hold on to some semblance of youth, Goal Setting and Visualization are key elements that elite performers use to help dial-in on performance objectives and desires.
Sources:
Pluhar, E., et al. (2019). Team Sport Athletes May Be Less Likely To Suffer Anxiety or Depression than Individual Sport Athletes. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6683619/
A. Watson & J. Koontz (2020). Youth sports in the wake of COVID-19: a call for change. https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/55/14/764
B Moyers, (1993). Healing and the Mind - Healing from Within. https://vimeo.com/39767361
Edemekong, P., et. al. (2021) Activities of Daily Living. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470404/
How a Season Works, Including Junior Olympics
I have been answering excellent questions pertaining to the cross-country season ahead, so I figured it would be appropriate to share some of these answers on a broader scale
Most of the races are day races, with the exception of the Junior Olympic races on November 13, 20, and December 11. The races on Nov 13 & 20 are in Tacoma, and most families drive up on Friday and the kids race on Saturday. For Ultimook, some families stay the night near Tillamook, but I believe most families opt for the making the race/event a single-day affair.
Here are the start times for the races, and more info can be found in the "Meet Info" on each race within our athletic.net schedule:
Sat, Sept 4: Ultimook: 9:30am
Fri, Sept 10: Run-A-Ree): 6:20pm
Sat, Sept 11: Ash Creek: 9:25am
Fri, Sept 24: Nike: 6:30pm
Sat, Oct 2: Harrier Classic: 12:10pm
Sun, Oct 31: PDXC MS Championships: 1-3pm
Sat, Nov 13, 20, Dec 11: Junior Olympics: 9am-1pm (they run in age divisions, so this is a longer day)
The online Calendar was updated a few weeks ago and includes meet information such as race start times, locations, etc. I will go through each of the races to confirm accuracy, but I get all of our information from what the coaches provide on athletic.net. If you come across anything that doesn't match, or if you have more questions, please ask.
Runners should arrive at the race venue 75-minutes before the start of their race, taking into consideration drive and parking time.
How Junior Olympics works:
Association Race: Age groups are U8, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14, 15-16, 17-18 and divided by gender. Anyone can race. The top-5 teams and top-30 individuals qualify for the Regional Race. Our Association (#310) is the Pacific NW division, which consists of western Washington teams.
Teams consist of 5-7 runners (top-5 runners for each team score), so if runners 4-7 finish outside of the top-30, they still advance to Regionals if the team was in the top-5. If we have 10 runners, 7 will be placed on a team, and 3 will run individually. The top-7 runners (of the 10) will advance to Regionals. If we have 12 runners, we will likely divide into two teams for that age division to maximize the opportunity for multiple teams to advance to Regionals.
Regional Race: Runners who met the qualification standards for this race may participate. The top-5 teams and top-35 individuals qualify for the National Race. Our Region consists of teams from Oregon, Washington, and I believe a few in Idaho. We will always aim to qualify as many teams as possible to maximize the opportunities for the kids.
National Race: I usually arrive on Thursday and depart on Monday, but most families travel Friday-Sunday. Pre-covid, the race was on Saturday, but in 2020, because they wanted to space things out due to covid, the races were on both Saturday and Sunday. At this time, I do not know what the format will be this year, but once I find out, I will update the Calendar.
As far as the size of our team, this is a very interesting year. Many of our runners have moved onto high school, and with covid impacting sport participation, our middle school team will be smaller this year than in years past. Mind you, we have one of the largest teams in our Association - we took 71 runners to the first JO meet in 2019. I would imagine by mid-October, we will have 40-60 on the team.
Please keep the questions coming and I will update this post.
Whisper Running Fall XC 2500m Kickoff
After a year hiatus, the Whisper Fall XC Kickoff commenced the 2021 cross-country season for Clark County Runners. In the third annual event, we had four boys crack the Top-10 record book for the 2500m course, along with four girls entering the Top-10 for their respective gender.
Click to see Top-10 All-Time results.
Congratulations to all the participants. Visit our Instagram page at whipserrunning to view event photos.
Fall Training and XC Racing Information
Whisper Running's cross-country season begins on Saturday, September 4 at the Ultimook Race in Tillamok, Oregon. This muddy race is the perfect way to begin the season, which includes up to seven regular season meets in the Portland-metro area, and up to three USATF Junior Olympic meets in Seattle and Lexington, Kentucky! The Whisper team consists of runners between the ages of 10-14 (mostly middle school, but some exceptions may be made for younger runners - talk with Coach Dave). If your child is interested, see our Join the Team page for team participation and fall training. Note: runners do not need to be on the team to participate in fall training.
The objective of Whisper Running is to bring kids together for team participation, develop and hone work ethic, and to create wonderful, long-lasting memories. Money should never be a barrier for sport participation. If your child would like to participate, but family finances are limited, please talk with Coach Dave about options.
FALL TRAINING: Fall training begins on Monday, August 23. See the updated Calendar for training dates, locations, and times. As the school year begins, start times shift from morning to evening, so pay particular attention to the Calendar for these details.
RUNCARD: Because fall training is distance oriented, sprint training will come to a close on Wednesday, August 18 (at the end of Summer Training) and resume in January, when Winter Training begins. Any Runcards purchased for runners participating in the sprint training during the summer will have their Runcard placed on pause until winter.
Growth in Running
Since March of 2020, Whisper is comprised of roughly 30% high school cross-country runners, a 15% increase from 2019. These are exciting numbers, as the maturity of seasoned runners can provide a pathway for younger runners to emulate.
2017, our first Summer Training session. Scour through the picture and you’ll find many familiar faces still running in the Whisper program, and also for their high school.
High school cross-country resumes today throughout Clark County. For our high school runners now taking part in their (away from) home program at the high school level, they will not only be in new training environments with new paths and streets to run, but also under the guidance and tutelage of their high school coaches and coach philosophies apart from what they’ve come to know at Whisper.
I often say, “_____ is the best part of Whisper,” but knowing that our runners are engaging with new teammates and learning new philosophies to training and running is what will shape them, guide them, and hone their own philosophies about training, running, and hopefully, life. This is truly the best part of Whisper. This is called Growth, and it’s important.
Though our high school runners will be missed while they are away, their departure will offer our younger generation of runners an opportunity to step into leadership roles, either physically, emotionally, socially, or all the above. Rather than seeing the backsides of the elders from teams Blue and Purple (our two front groups at practice), their vision will consist of a breath of fresh air, with any perceived limitations being their own imagination. Teams Red, Green, and Yellow will now be the front groups, providing an opportunity for those within these groups to take on greater roles and responsibilities at Whisper.
Final Email to Restolution Run Participants
Hello Resolution Run Participants!
Thank you for your participation in the 2021 Resolution Run! The in-person event was a true success and we couldn’t be more delighted by how it all turned out and we hope to see you again in 2022! There are a few important closing notes regarding covid, sponsors, awards, event pictures, and upcoming events. Please review and email me if you have any question.
COVID: To the participants who followed the covid protocols to ensure a safe in-person event, thank you! Not only does your follow-through keep current participants safe, but it also helps with proposing future events to the involved entities (cities, counties, police department, etc.). Without your cooperation, we wouldn’t be able to even think about hosting other live events – again, thank you!
SPONSORS: A humble request to support the Resolution Run sponsors if and when you are able. In full transparency, it takes around 220 runners to financially break even for the Resolution Run, and we had 180 (you can do the math). However, our amazing list of sponsors included Wintzer Acupuncture, Athletes Corner, Generation Homes Northwest, American Marble & Granite, Whisper Running, Seton Catholic Prep, Best Western Plus of Battle Ground, Honey Stinger, Blossom Natural Health and Wellness, The Old Spaghetti Factory, and Waste Connections, all played an essential role in raising funds for the nonprofit, Whisper Community - $3,719.90! Thankfully, we can use 100% of those funds to support youth running-related programs in the Clark County area!
AWARDS: Virtual participants should have received their medals by now. In-person participant age bracket winners, if you picked up a Lava Lamp without a cap, please email me. I’m embarrassed to admit, but when I was placing the finisher and sponsor stickers on the lamps, a cap remained on my desk. My bad. Shoot me an email and I’ll send the remainder of your lamp to your home this week.
PHOTOS: Our photographer for the Res Run is a family friend who was volunteered by a volunteer (his lovely wife). I am grateful he stepped in at the last minute to take pictures of the start and finish, which you can find on the Resolution Run page at whisperrunning.com/resolutionrun. The images can be found in the video at the top of the page.
EVENTS: By now, I had hoped to have more information about our next event, Lake to Bay, which is a 62.37-mile relay race through Clark County. We should have more information about this event in the coming weeks, so please visit our page in the coming days at whisperrunning.com/laketobay for event details. Once the event logistics are in place and the website has been updated, an email will head your way!
If you have any questions, feel free to send me an email to whisperrunning@comcast.net.
Thank you!
Dave Caldwell
2021 Resolution Run Pictures (in a video)
I hope you enjoy the pictures taken by a volunteer who happened to be volunteered by his lovely wife on the morning of the event. The pictures were uploaded into a 12-minute iMovie. Hoping next year we have something a little more efficient, but for now, this will suffice. Thank you to everyone who ran, volunteered, sponsored, and supported the 2021 Resolution Run!
Together, we made something of 2020!
“It may be easy to poke fun at 2020, but at Whisper, we accomplished quite a bit! Through our best efforts, we offered a safe place for kids to challenge and improve their running performance, and also a place to socialize, see their friends, and make new ones. Enjoy the 2020 Year in Review video and I’ll see you at practiced.” - Coach Dave
Double-Dose of Visualization at the National Meet
To provide some context, Whisper Running LLC was formed in October 2015 after working with a few middle school runners as a side hobby. I’d previously coached at the college level for 13-years, so this was the first time working with an athlete at the middle school age level. I have a bachelors in Exercise Science and a masters in Sport Psychology, which are two degrees that provide balance when creating training programs. In the field of Sport Psychology, we use Psychology Skills Training, which is the use of various behavior changing tools like goal setting, visualization, imagery, self-talk assessment/modification, self-confidence enhancement, concentration, anxiety management, and goal setting, to name a few. These tools are enveloped into a package called Psychological Skill Training (PST), which is used all the time in my world of working with youth runners.
What became common practice among many of the meet participants, Addy takes her turn signing the Welcome banner.
Implementing PST to youth runners isn’t exactly the target audience one can nerd-up the content or delivery, but rather, you have to be pretty adaptable with the audience you’re serving. For example, when we work on promoting better concentration, rather than discussing a classroom curriculum like, Internal versus External Focus and Narrow versus Broad Focus, we play games to harness their attention to a specific tasks, like blind-folded Jenga or practicing Concentration Grid exercises. What’s important is we aren’t performing anything, but rather, we are practicing these things. Presentation matters, i.e., performing versus practicing. My kids perform enough, so instead, we merely practice a lot of things, with the ultimate goal that these skills will be put into play when they need it – in a performance.
Phil Jackson, in his book titled “Sacred Hoops,” says that his team would practice meditation so that his players “can experience stillness of the mind in a low-pressure setting off the court.” When I work with my team on meditation, we do so in a classroom setting, away from outside distractions. My ultimate goal when performing mediation is visualization. Ultimately, if I can get my runners to control their breathing, then next is getting them to see with the minds eye, and if they can do that, then we bring in things of familiarity, like seeing their bedroom, a vehicle, a video game, etc. Then we begin to include different variables and senses, like color, sound, smell, taste, and others. As we practice visualization in these low-pressure settings away from the practice field (i.e,, in the classroom), in time, I begin to integrate visualization into actual running practice on the field we train on. For example, we have a wide-open field that includes a 1K loop that we run regularly. We run the loop as a warm-up, dropping cones every 200m. Before and during the workout, if there is anything I need to address, such as providing a runner with varying cues to consider in their next interval, I’ll point to a cone or zone and provide them with a suggestion on how to improve that specific area of their work, which usually means holding onto the emotional pain threshold a little while longer until they realize they don’t have far to the finish. This sort of course review, pointing things out, giving them cues and suggestions, etc., is a way to get them to internalize (Visualize) in a low-pressure setting (when I am talking with them, not to them), about their performance.
Fast forward to our national meet in Paris, Kentucky, on Saturday and Sunday, December 12-13. I am always one for spontaneity, and when I was warming up with the first athlete on the first day of competition, I figured I would try something new that I hadn’t done before – two doses of pre-meet visualization. With seven races on the slate, I figured Megan would be a good person to start with. First, we reviewed the course map of the 3K course, which resembled a three-leave clover. Then, we jogged most of the 3k course, and what we couldn’t jog, I pointed to and discussed strategies she could be mindful of throughout her race. After jogging the course, we stopped to perform about 15-minutes of drills. Mind you, Megan is 10, so the whole process is geared toward keeping things rather light, psychologically speaking, since she isn’t a die-hard runner. So, when the time was right, I stood with her, we closed our eyes, and I walked her through the course.
“When the gun sounds, head straight for yellow pole on the right. Its roughly 200m away, a straight line, and a steady downhill. You’ll get out fast, but it’ll be the perfect pace to place you into a great position within the field. At 300m, you’ll hang a hard-right U-turn and begin running on rolling hills and twists and turns, eventually circling back to the left. As you close out the first loop on a steady uphill, remain strong and keeping your foot strike sharp. At the top of the hill, you’ll turn right and head out for another 1K loop that includes a steady downhill, followed by an uphill. Let the feet fly on the downhill, and work diligently on the uphill. It should feel uncomfortable, but you’re ready for this. On the backside of the 2K loop, you’ll reach your midway point, then head back toward the starting area on flat ground. Feel tall, relaxed, and practice good form. The last 3k isa steady downhill for 500m, followed by an uphill 400m grind that you are ready for. Stay strong, drive the knees and hammer the nails (drive the arms) all the way through the finish.”
This session lasted about a minute, and when we were done, she ran to the team tent, changed into her racing shoes, took sip of water, and away we went, closer to the starting area. Rather than rushing her into the starting corral, we continued jogging around until about 5 minutes prior to the start. It’s running, rather simple, and there’s no need to stand on the starting line in the chilly weather, when we could be conversing and jogging together withing earshot of the starting line. In short, we had time, so I asked her to rehearse the course, just as I had done with her moments ago. We closed our eyes...
“Well, I want to get out hard on the downhill which is about 300m. I’ll go right, it’s a winding course. I’ll go out again on another loop that goes downhill, then uphill, then I’m halfway through the race. I’ll head back, do another loop, then hammer nails to the finish.”
This sort of visualization was performed with all of my runners. We would review the course map prior to the warm-up. Then we’d jog the course, perform drills, when the time was right, I would lead the first visualization session, then somewhere in the last 15-minutes of the warm-up, they would lead me through the visualization. This allows their voice to be heard (increasing their sense of control), encourages them to think about the course, and rehearse their strategies with me (and their teammates).
For this blog post, I thought it would be fun and insightful to ask the kids whether the two doses of prerace visualization helped their race. Here are some of their responses:
Pre-race chatter between Joe, Lorenzo, Nicholas, and Coach Dave at the National meet in Paris, Kentucky.
“I am responding to your email about the visualization methods. I think the guided meditation helped my performance better than the visualization I provided because I find when someone who has experience with running visualizes a course, I can better see it through their eyes compared to mine. I feel that the visualization not only made with think about my race before the gun went off but helped me when the race got hard. This visualization not only got me thinking about the every move of my race but allowed me to experience the joy it produced when I made a 38 second PR in the end. Furthermore, I feel the visualization you provided created a boost of joy in the end but instilled a focus that contributed to that joy.” - Addison
“Out of the two visualization methods I liked the one where you talked me through it more than when I went through it. I think that the visualization helped me think more about the course instead of just running it to get to the finish. It helped me think more about how I’m going to run the hills and where the best places are to pass someone. It definitely helped me focus on the course more than the people around me. It made me a little less anxious, because I had something to keep my mind busy with before the race. Before that race I had never really thought much about visualization, it didn’t really work that well for me, but in this race, it definitely made a difference.” Charlie
“I definitely thought that both forms of visualization played a big role in my race. In the weeks leading up to the race, I felt really unprepared. I knew what pace I wanted, but didn’t know if I’d be able to hold it. Even when we got to Lexington, I felt unprepared. The night before the race I got about 4 hours of sleep because of the loud highway, but I woke up having a dream where I dropped out of the race. The start seemed very ominous, but warming up, it felt a little less stressful. But after the visualization, I seemed to forget about everything, and realize that all I had to do was what I’d been doing for the past four years. My personal favorite was the first one, because with someone else talking me through it, it made it seem that I wasn’t alone, and helped me bridge the gap between my own thoughts and how others wanted me to do.” Joe
The visualization helped me get through this race. I had a lot of anxiety coming into this race facing injury and very little mileage in my legs, as well as not competing in almost a year. Visualization allowed me to think about the race in a way I could study the course and at the same time take a moment to breathe and conserve my energy. It also allowed me to take a moment and remember who I was as an athlete. Despite not having the race I wanted, Visualization helped me finish a strong 18:35 - Lorenzo
We took 11 runners to the National meet and all of them preferred to be led through the visualization process. Interestingly, In the research I have read, for what we were about to encounter – a race at the national level – it is the first-person (athlete-led) visualization that I had always thought to be most effective. Regardless, both forms are effective, so long as they are practiced regularly.
After a thorough warm-up and some visualization, Kaydie and Coach Dave head to the start.
In the end, all 11 runners performed a double dose of visualization on this day. Of the 11, nine had a personal record performance (lifetime personal best), doing so on the national stage. Though you can’t take away the significance of physical training, there is no doubt that the visualization process, having both guided imagery and the mental rehearsal in the first-person, played a role in their performances.
I should mention that in order to be successfully spontaneous with PST tools, in this case, visualization, the coach and athletes should already be familiar with the practice and use of such tools. Trying new visualization methods, goal setting styles, anxiety management strategies, etc., takes some risk on the coach’s part (there’s always a risk when trying something new). But remember, these tools do work, and it’s important to come back to them, practice them, rehearse them with the team, and be playful in how you integrate them into your team practice, and even meets.
My team may never know why or how their performance anxiety went away, or how their concentration and focus improved, but they’ll always remember the PST games we play – eyes-closed Jenga, standing in a dark gymnasium performing visualization, Concentration Grids, and practicing eyes-closed lunges as a cool-down. Integrating PST in a playful manner enables the runners to , “experience stillness of the mind in a low-pressure setting” away from the track, surrounded by friends, in the solitude of a coach believing in their abilities.