What Made Maddy Run - Reading Responses

For runners between 8th and 12th grade, you have received a book from Coach Dave called What Made Maddy Run. As you read the book, keep the following response questions in mind:

• What do you think created Maddy’s despair?

• In Chapter 4 Active Minds, the author discusses “free play.”  Describe what free play looks like and how often you participate in free play.  Starting with a simple Google search, list and briefly describe the benefits of free play.

• Active Minds continues into a discussion around the benefits of talking to yourself in the form of talking with others. Who would you consider as part of your support system?  Identify three people whom you can talk (out loud) with, without fear of judgment or repercussion. 

• What part(s) of the “All Alone” chapter can you connect with the most?  Please explain.

Thank you for taking the time to read the book and respond to the questions. Please feel free to add anything you feel provides value to your work. Bring these papers with you to the seminar on Saturday, February 12.

USATF Junior Olympic Results

Whisper Running ran the USATF Junior Olympic National meet on Saturday, December 11, in Lexington, Kentucky, with the following 10 runners participating:

1. Emma Will (7-8), 2k 10:08, 88/130

2. Rip Nitszchke (9-10), 3k 13:22, 104/258

3. Sofia Soto (9-10), 3k 13:24, 42/264

4. Wyatt Nitszchke (11-12), 3k 12:37, 114/367

5. Brody Will (13-14), 4k 16:52, 191/374

6. Cohen Butler (13-14), 4k 16:01, 111/374

7. Sam Soto (13-14), 4k 14:17, 2/374

8. Dylan Yates, 4k 17:11, 70/332

9. Addison Crum (15-18), 5k 23:19, 69/129

10. Joseph Blanshan (15-18), 5k 19:04, 64/167

Click here to view full results.

The race was in Paris, Kentucky, which was 200 miles from the tornado that ripped through Kentucky. The rain was intermittent, between heavy downpours and glimpses of blue skies at times. The wind was consistent from the start, which delayed the races by almost two hours. I've never been in a race postponed by mere wind and rain. I had rented a heavy duty canopy by a local rental company. The stakes used to hold the canopies in place are 3' long and jackhammered into the ground with through the use of a compact fork lift. As sure as the footing was for these canopies, the weather stoked great fear that they would be blown away (us included), but we are grateful the bulk of the storm passed in just a few (20) minutes. That was around 10am, and the rest of the day was cold, windy, and rainy - nothing like the storm that had passed through over the night and into the morning.

Nonetheless, the kids persevered. The course was a muddy mess and race times went out the window. Runners were 10-30 seconds per 1k off their PR's, but the experience they've gained provides so much more. I am proud of the determination they showed in stepping up, pushing through, and fighting for a strong finish of the season. This was highlighted by Sam Soto's 2nd place finish in the boys 13-14 4k race. All of the kids showed signs of resilience and fight, which really was the only option.

Maddy Holleran Book

Dear families,

I hope you are well rested after a Saturday Christmas and are looking forward to a new year!

As Winter Training approaches, you may already know that we have some great topics lined up for Saturday Seminars.  On Saturday, February 12, a panel of Sports Medicine specialists will be talking with the team about the most influential aspects of healthy performance – Nutrition, Sleep, and Social Media.  The latter topic, Social Media, is something we adults have learned to adjust to starting in our middle-ages years (middle-age to where we are now).  Our children, however, come out of the womb with a phone in their face followed by an instant post to the most popular social media forum(s).  Phones, technology, and social media, for better or worse, are very much a part of our lives, and the D.O.s of OHSU will be speaking to this specific topic.

Before February 12, I will be distributing a book to every middle school and high school runner at Winter Training, along with an assignment.  The book is called What Made Maddy Run, which is centered on the tragic death of a premier runner for the University of Pennsylvania.  The book discusses the typical student-athlete experience during the latter portions of high school and first year of college, highlighting the emotional rigors that some students/runners endure seemingly alone – depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, and suicide.  As parents, we see so much potential in our children – we see the big picture - while our kids are immersed in their own heightened expectations of trying to simply survive.

The author, Kate Fagan, does a remarkable job discussing the impact/influence of social media, burn-out, and emotional fatigue.  Her writing allows us to feel empathy and compassion to Maddy’s fate, and though the reader is left with more questions than answers, this is often the case with suicide.

The assignment I plan to distribute will highlight the chapters on social media and mental health, and ultimately, compassion and empathy – not necessarily towards Maddy, although that will likely happen, but toward each person in the room, as we each have our own battles, as small or large as they may be. 

These are not foreign concepts or topics to me; these are topics discussed in my Health 101 classes at Clark College, and I am excited to open the doors of discussions with the team, even to a small degree – this will not be a therapy session, but rather, a discussion around their homework assignment, while acknowledging the emotional, intellectual, and social weight that is often carried by student-athletes.

If all goes well, What Made Maddy Run, along with the homework assignment, will be distributed on Saturday, January 22, just after our first project – creating a Vision Board. 

Elementary-aged runners will receive a different assignment for obvious reasons.

If you prefer that your child not receive the book, then I ask that you first purchase and read the book before emailing me with that request.  Though I do not expect Ryan Norton of OHSU to touch on suicide, he will be discussing social media’s influence on emotional health, and I believe this book and assignment will be to their benefit if read prior to February 12.

Again, only registered runners will be receiving this book and have access to the meeting on February 12, so if you have not registered your child yet, please know that will you receive 10% off the full Winter Training registration if done before December 31.  Payment plans are fine, just let me know.

Thank you for reading.

Sincerely,
Dave

Running on Borrowed Time

As a teacher of emotional health at the local college, there are two books I am continuously drawn to: Change or Die by Alan Deutschman, and What to Eat by Marion Nestle.  Both books encapsulate much of my four and six years of college education that I attempt to pass on.  The former, Change or Die, introduces a new-age concept of behavior change that includes the theory, “relate, repeat, reframe.”  Relate by investing in your client/student/athlete, repeat new behaviors (see Lessons in Small Doses), then reframe new ideas into opportunities for development and advancement.  Deutschman admits that the title Change or Die was merely a tactic to get the books off the shelves and into the hands of the consumer.  Deutschman felt that a truer and more preferred title should have been Change and Thrive. 

Now in the post-season of cross-country, nothing brings me more hesitation to saying the title of our largest race, “Junior Olympics,” than the title of our race, “Junior Olympics.”  The mere inclusion of “Olympics” in any context truly raises the bar of aspiration and hope, which are clearly very good things.  But for those who get emotionally rattled at the idea of running cross-country, or even more so, club cross-country, then imagine the angst of running in the Olympics!  

In an effort to not go too far into this wormhole, let me introduce a strategy I apply at the onset of any discussion around post-season racing, whether it’s Junior Olympics, NXR, Foot Locker, or any other national race.  In fact, scratch “national” and just call it a race.  Now clearly, these are big races, just as districts and regionals, and even state, but at some point, a race is a race is a race.  When the gun goes off, the smart, well-trained runners will instinctively know what to do - race.

At the conclusion of Wednesday’s practice, I closed the final meeting with a message about “playing with house money.”  This means when you’ve won so much of something, no matter what you wager now won’t matter if you lose because you’ve already won! 

What’s important to remember is that if you are excited about something it’s because you care.  You are emotionally invested and that is a very good thing.  It makes whatever it is that you are nervous about worth fighting for, except this time, it’s about harnessing that energy for the betterment of your performance. 

You are here.  You are at what you call the biggest race of your life.  and though the venue might be new, and competitors might have fancier uniforms or cool chants or appear intimidating, take a step back and remember that at one point, the idea of running cross country was intimidating.  The thought of running for a club was too grand to imagine.  That “Olympics” or “State” was for runners you perceived as much faster than you.  But you are here, at a cross-country race, running for a club or high school, at an event with a fancy name. 

It’s time to take a chance.  You are playing with house money, so now is an opportunity to know what it feels like to run free, to put to the test all the training you have behind you, and to experience what lies ahead. 

Venturing into the unknown can be scary, but there is always one constant you can recall to keep the healthy butterflies at bay:  the training you have endured has prepared you well, and you are ready.

Post-Season Racing

There are three post-season race options:

• USATF Junior Olympics (JO’s) includes the Association Race (A) on 11/14 in Tacoma/University Place, the Regional Race (R) on 11/20 in University Place, and the Nationals Race (N) on 12/11 in Lexington.  Your child may forgo the 11/14 and 11/20 races and go straight to nationals, or participate in any combination of the three races.  JO’s are run in age divisions (8&U, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14, 15-18).  At this time, it appears we will not have enough runners to form scoring teams in these divisions for the national race, but we might have scoring teams in the Association and/or Regional races.  Regardless, your child would still run under the team name “Whisper Running,” just not be part of a scoring team.

• Foot Locker races are for high school runners only, and does not include team scoring.  At this time, we have around 5 girls considering this event.  The Regional race is on 12/4 in Walnut, CA, and the National race is on 12/11 in San Diego.

• NXR (Nike XC Regionals) is historically for HS runners, but now seems to include MS as well. Regardless, we will only have HS runners at this event on 11/13 in Boise.  Although this event is for high school runners, it does not include clubs in the team scoring. At this time, it appears we will have 10-15 runners participate at this event.

Note: HS/MS runners cannot represent their schools, so when I say HS/MS, I simply mean HS-age or MS-age competing independently or with a club.

Now that we are clear on the three races, dates, and locations, see the Google Spreadsheet to make sure your child is in the preferred race.  Some families are still uncertain where their child will participate, so their name (in the cell) is shaded a light green.  Abbreviations are "A" for Association Race, "R" for JO Regional Race, "N" for JO National Race, "FL" for Foot Locker, and "NXR" for Nike Cross Regionals.

Moving forward, although I am happy to help families navigate decisions, I cannot be in all places at once, so these generous ladies have taken the lead for the following races:

• Foot Locker runners (parents), your point of contact is Stacy Redfern, Smmullens@yahoo.com. 

• NXR runners, your point of contact is Annie Christie, anneechristie@hotmail.com 

• USATF JO runners, your point of contact is me.

If your child plans to run Foot Locker or NXR, they may still run JO's. For meet and travel information, see the Whisper Calendar. You must RSVP with Coach Dave at least one week before any of the races (JO races) to be registered to participate.

Lessons in Small Doses

Finishing my daily aqua-jogging routine for reprieve from sciatica, I make my way to the locker room for a shower.  The room is rather busy, and as I look toward my locker, a man in his 80's is using the locker just beneath mine.  Rather than get in his way, I head to the shower for a long rinse. Afterward, the gentleman is still there, so I bide time by running my shorts through the suit dryer, then weighing myself on the scale across the room. After exhausting everything I can think to do, I approach the man and excuse my reach. He politely moves aside while I grab my belongings.

"Did you have a good workout?" the elder asked.

"It wasn't much of a workout, it was merely some PT to help with my sciatica," I replied.

"Well, I've got Alzheimer's, so we're all dealing with something," he says with a smile.

In an instant, albeit only for a moment, my sciatica was gone. I experienced a similar encounter two weeks earlier when a gentleman using the hot tub exited by climbing out using only his hands to get into his wheelchair. And I am reminded of a dear friend who passed too early, when his wife told me that her running was now "easier" since she spent the past few years mourning his death.

Things are hard, until they are not.

This past weekend, I ran into a friend of mine, Mechele, at the Scary Run.  Mechele has been a runner as long as I can remember and she recently hired a coach to help her become faster, at the ripe young age of 58.  Mechele shared with me that in all the work she does on her own, she rarely includes speed training as part of her workout because, in her own words, “Speed work is hard!” 

Some people come out of the womb with an ability to run fast, while others take several decades to achieve, or sometimes never at all. At Whisper, beginning runners are reminded that the discomfort they are feeling when running hard is normal and short lived.  This makes me think of the sign I read at the Eugene Half Marathon that read, “If you think time goes by fast, trying running a marathon.” 

Okay, so when you’re in the moment of running, it may seem to take forever, but in the grand scheme of things, i.e., workouts, it really does go by fast. 

Teaching runners how to run hard can be administered in small doses called Intervals.  These are physical lessons of stress and prolonged discomfort, and on the mental side, they are lessons of tolerance and repeated achievement.  Again and again, intervals are practiced, consistency is yearned for, and fitness improves.  In time, intervals are lengthened, and the cycle continues – workouts improve conditioning, which improves confidence, which leads to an enthusiasm for the next practice.  Keep in mind, we only meet for workouts twice each week, so the multiple days of rest between workouts is more than sufficient.

The life lesson.

If there is a silver lining in my bout with sciatica, it’s that six weeks on the shelf has brought healing to my Achilles, something I have not had in 10+ years.  My body says, “Your Achilles needs a prolonged rest, why don’t have lay down for a while,” and I do so as I type this from the floor of my living room.   Stress is part of life, and the valleys callous us for when we are ready to  come out the other end stronger and wiser.

Should one experience sciatica day in, day out, year in, year out?  Hopefully not!  Similarly, easy runs, intervals, fartleks, tempos, and steady-state runs have seasons, and ebbs and flows.  They come in just the right doses at just the right times in just the right order for just the right moment.  Intervals teach us that it is okay to experience stress, and in fact, we should be excited when it arrives!  They provide us strength and confidence and guide us into running experiences we would otherwise never know. 

Spokane to Sandpoint 2021

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 overall results.

Click to see Top-10 All-Time results.

Congratulations to all the participants. Visit our Instagram page at whipserrunning to view event photos.