New Identity

            Every athlete is unique, track athletes, some may argue, are especially so. In this sport we have a wide array of athletes ranging from ones who simply love to run long distances (most people cannot comprehend this), others who will lift massive amounts of weight all in the hopes of throwing a heavy metal ball as far as humanly possible, and the even crazier pole-vaulters sprinting full speed while carrying a long flexible pole down a runway then planting it in a metal box and launching their bodies 18+ feet in the air with the hopes of jumping over another bar, then free falling to the mat below…each track athlete is unique and a bit crazy to do what they do but one thing we all have in common is our whole identity in the sport is wrapped up in numbers.

            When you go to compete at a meet you are asked to enter your mark or best time from the past year. You put your name on the entry form but really you are not a name but instead are defined by your most recent PR (personal record). A race director does not see John Doe but John Doe 3:53 miler. These little numbers will make or break John Doe’s chances of getting into the big meets, the fast heats, or even the chance to compete at all. Now John Doe may have run a 3:53 mile but if that was over a year or two ago, forget it, make way for the new numbers!

            When you talk fans or other athletes everyone wants to know your numbers. Before a race you want to know who you are up against and you figure it out by these numbers. Workouts are a good indicator of fitness but they do not “define” you as a track and field athlete. The numbers put up in competition are what count.

            I am a very unique individual and I know there is so much more to me and all of my fellow track athletes than simply our PR’s, but when you get right down to it, these are the things that matter for sponsorships, travel opportunities, and race seeding. Without a low enough (track events) or high enough (field events) number you can become nearly invisible in this sport. It is very competitive and the ability to continue to achieve new identities is what will keep you alive in this game. This may seem somewhat depressing but it is not. In fact it is what helps us achieve greatness and accomplish things we may never have thought possible. If you asked me 10 years ago if I thought I would be where I am at now in my sport I would probably have thought you were just playing the supportive mom role of “you can do anything!” and would have shrugged it off as that. Ten years from now I may be thinking the same thing. Who knows what the future holds? But by chasing our own numbers we start to bring ourselves closer and closer to the limits of our body. Many people never the chance to do this because they either lack the courage or do not believe in themselves enough to think it possible. It takes a lot of dedication and there is a risk when you put your whole heart into a goal, invest so much time into it, make huge sacrifices and have to overcome many obstacles with the hopes of achieving something many deem for you to be “impossible.”

            But that is also why I love this sport. By chasing the numbers I am learning more and more about myself and becoming the person I want to be whether I reach those magic numbers or not. I am not afraid or too proud to try. In junior high my number for the mile read over 6:00. In high school my identity for the 3200m was 12. In college I brought my 3000m self to just under 10. And now this past weekend at my first indoor meet of 2012 I have established a new identity in the 3000m and have already opened up the door for me to compete at USATF Indoor Nationals later this season.

            I am excited for the future and the new identities I may uncover along the way. I encourage all of you to strive to become the best version of yourself this year whether your new identity takes you to London to compete at the Olympics, gets you over that 18 foot bar, or helps you to complete your first 5k. We all have new identities waiting to emerge and we should never give up our pursuit of challenging ourselves to make them reality. 

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