I’ve always loved to run.
You often hear stories of distance runners who will tell you that ever since they were in elementary and middle school, they would go for long runs on their own and that they were always different than other kids who played soccer or football.
I was not necessarily one of those kids, but I knew I was fast, and I loved that.
After bouncing around playing other sports I discovered running was something that I was passionate about. I was lucky enough to always have great coaches who made the sport fun for me, but at this point in my life I never imagined running would take me to where I am today. I loved running but I never set high goals for myself. I never said I wanted to be a professional runner one day, and I never said I wanted to be an Olympian, so I never had to fully commit myself to those goals. My attention span was short in training, and I never wanted to really focus all my energy into running, even though I loved the sport.
Despite this I was able to go away for school and compete on the North Dakota State University Track and Field team, which was an unbelievable experience that played a huge role in making me the athlete I am.
I will never forget running the mile during my second year of college at our indoor conference championship. It was before I had a breakthrough in my collegiate career. I ended up getting second in the race, behind one of my teammates, just narrowly beating an opponent from a rival team. I don’t remember what time I ran, but I can guarantee it was nothing miraculous.
I do, however, remember a very specific moment in the middle of the race, where the two runners ahead of me had been pulling away and I found myself caught in no-mans land, zoning out and disconnecting myself from the race ahead of me. I remember my coach at the time walking up right to the first lane of the track and snapping his fingers near my face, somewhat angrily saying,
“ERIN – WAKE UP.”
I think that was (and may be for the rest of my life) the only time anyone has ever seriously snapped his or her fingers in my face. Not only did it help me improve the race I was running, but it is also something that stayed with me to this day. I think as I learn more and more about training and competing, I have come to realize that ‘stay awake’ is some of the best advice I can think of to give to anyone pursuing a passion or working towards a goal.
Being awake is having focus towards what you’re doing. I’ve often struggled with keeping myself focused during longer races or training sessions. It’s very natural for me to zone out, let my pace lag in the middle of a race and try to check back in for the last 200m or so. Practicing bringing focus to my lifestyle, training and racing is something that has helped me take my running to the next level. I know I’m not the first person to compare life to a race. I promise I wont drop any cliché’s like “life’s a marathon not a sprint,” but I will say that by bringing focus and commitment to a lifestyle that coincides with my athletic goals is like staying committed and tough during a race. It’s easy to let it lag, or wait until the last minute before you try and focus yourself and turn things around.
My third year of collegiate running, for the first time in my life I fully committed myself to my training. I realized that for most of my life, I loved running, but never prioritized it over things in my life that I didn’t care as much about. I went all in to running.
I decided I wanted to contend for NCAA titles, break records, and represent my country at international championships.
Over the past three years I became a 7-time All American and represented Canada at the 2015 World Championships and Olympic games. Throughout these years I have achieved and some fell short of many ambitious goals.
I hope that by the end of my career as a professional track and field athlete I will have ultimately achieved all of my greatest goals and be able to say with assurance that every ounce of commitment translated into success on the track.
The reality is though, we don’t know if we are going to achieve our goals. We have to commit to them and focus on them every day, not knowing if the results will be representative of all the work. I do, however know if you are passionate about something, you will not regret giving it your all.
The only way to realize your full potential is to be committed to your goal. This means being focused on even the smallest most mundane aspects, regardless of what area of life your passion falls within. In my opinion total balance is overrated. I hope to throw every ounce of myself into doing what I love, and with practice, know that the attention and commitment I bring to my training will translate into my racing.
It took me about 20 years of my life to figure it out, but I now know that this is the only way I want to live my life.
Erin Teschuk, Canadian Olympic Steeplechaser.
Anyone in sports and fitness who would like to share their voice, please submit to hank@hankfittraining.com