With athletes competing in the Region Championships this week and the State Championships next week, many probably have anxiety about whether or not they will make the Region final, if they will advance to State or make it into the finals at State. We thought it would be a good idea to have someone who has gone through this process many times give some advice on what he has learned and how he has had success advancing through the rounds of championship meets.
Ryan Waite is a four-time USTFCCCA All-American for BYU. In 2012 he helped the Cougars to a third place finish in the Distance Medley Relay at the NCAA Indoor Championships. His 800m personal best is 1:46.83 and he also runs a leg on the Cougars’ 4x400m relay. Waite has advanced to the national championship meet each season he has run for the Cougars, and is preparing to do so again in his outdoor senior campaign.
Here are some of his thoughts on strategy and preparation for championship meets.
BYU 800m runner, Ryan Waite (Photo by Jonathan Nelson)
When we get to this part of the season, a lot of us can tense up and stress out about whether or not we will make it to the next round. I remember when I was a senior in high school, I had the fastest time in the state by a few seconds in the 800, but I was still really nervous for my district meet. In Oregon, you have to qualify for state atthe district meet. There are no automatic time qualifiers from the season. So I had to make sure I was top two at district. Even though I knew I should win, I was still nervous.
All these thoughts went through my head; What if I get tripped? What if I am sick the day of the race? What if I am just not on my game that day?
Since then, I have learned a few things that have helped me feel a bit more calm and prepared heading into these types of meets. I won’t go into what your strategies should be and whether or not you should conserve energy in the prelims so you can run faster in the finals or run all out in the prelims and hope you make the finals. I will let you and your coaches figure that out. I want to talk more about the mental aspect of these meets and how to prepare that way.
The first thing I taught myself was this is just another race. I had run a bunch already in the season and done well in those, so if I treated it like I treated those races, I should be fine.
The next thing I learned is the end of the season is when we are coming into our best form! These should be the meets we will do the best at because we have been training the longest for them. Everything we have done up to this point was in preparation for this. So we probably have even less reason to worry now, because we have already done the work to get here.
Another thing I have learned is as long as I give my best effort, I can be happy with my performance. One of the most unique things about competition is only you know if you gave it your all. Your coach can’t tell, the fans can’t tell and your mom can’t tell. Only you know deep down inside how you felt as you ran down that straightaway or hurled that discus. So if you know when the meet is over that you gave it 100 percent, you should feel satisfied with yourself, even if the result wasn’t all you hoped for. But if you do give it 100 percent and push your body to the maximum, you will probably achieve something great and will be pleased with the result as well.
Finally, the most important thing that I have learned through competition in high school and college about championship meets is to have fun and enjoy the moment. These are the races we have been dreaming about while we were attending camps and working hard in the summer. When the last season ended, these are the days we circled on our calendar when we were going to run the fastest, jump the highest or longest or throw the farthest. Now they’re here so go out and enjoy them. And there is no better way to enjoy a track meet than to compete your heart out and know that you gave it your all.
Good luck at your region meets, and I can’t wait to watch all of you put these things into practice at state next week!