Blog Post #1: WHY?

The simple answer is I’ve always wanted to coach. The more difficult answer, well stick around and find out.

After spending 5 years immersed in the busy and intoxicating world of collegiate running, I knew that I had more to give to the sport, that I had more to offer to myself and others. As a college athlete, you are continually told that you are a “student-athlete.” While this phrase is well-intentioned and alludes to the fact that you are indeed paying thousands of dollars to receive an education; any person who has attempted to train at a high level for collegiate running knows that this just simply isn’t the case. Every day centers around practice, recovery, nutrition, and sleep. You’d be hard-pressed to find a day in college where I didn’t sneak in a 45 minute nap before practice!

While my days as an “athlete-student” ended a bit over a year ago, the lessons I learned during my time as a Duhawk continually represent themselves on a daily basis. Having served as the captain of our cross country team during my final two years at Loras, you’d be amazed at the stories I get to share with my high school kids about my experiences. Whether it was helping teammates work through relationship issues, building team culture, or navigating my own personal success (or lack thereof), those two years as a live-in assistant coach for our team brought me two things: real world experience and a passion for working with people.

Fast forward to present day and I currently live in a small town in Western Iowa; a place where little to no one cares about running, yet our kids found a way this past year to be more successful in cross country than any team at the school has in 25 years! How? One word: relationships. Initially these kids were focused on their own individual goals and endeavors, but about halfway through their season their focus shifted. Soon they were more excited for their teammates’ success than they were for their own; a rising tide raises all boats. Our boys went on to finish 3rd at the state meet and our girls 12th, yet all it takes is one conversation with a member of these teams and they will tell you that their teammates and memories are far more important to them than any medal or trophy. What a simple way to live life huh?

The beauty in this story is that I had already learned this exact lesson during my time at Loras after falling short of my own personal goals for the umpteenth time. Of course we all want to run fast and do extraordinary things, but perhaps there is nothing more important nor special than becoming invested in someone’s success that is not your own. THIS is the ultimate gift of selflessness and life-giving action. I hope that through my coaching, I can continually invest my time, effort, and energy in the lives of those around me; and in return, challenge them to do the same. Some would say that’s what a coach does, I believe that’s what we all should do.