Track and Field Blogs - Jebreh Harris

I will not be racing this year, due to various reasons. One, I need to let my body and some injuries heal. I’ve been racing since I was 11; I’m 30 so things ache a bit much. I do need to get a bone spur removed that I’ve had for a few years. It’s at the end of my tibia and digs into my talus whenever I walk or run. Resulting in me not having full flexion in my left ankle and not being able to push off equally and of course pain. So it affects my left knee, left hip and compensation on my right foot and hamstring. Isn’t running great? But that’s just one ailment.

An emotional rest is probably due also. Track has been a big part of my life since I was 11, as I said. We all have various reasons for running; mine started as a way to get out of the house. So, track has been more than just a sport to me. Where my track career is headed, I don’t know. Life has taught me to adapt and try to be prepared for whatever. Running pro or making an Olympic team was not my initial plan. The plan was to get out of the house and track gave me that opportunity to get into college. I had art scholarships and the military, but life had me becoming a runner. As I got faster, people relayed to me making it to the Olympics. I knew it was something special when I went to go watch the 1996 Trials in Atlanta. I met Edwin Moses, Mike Powell, and Flo-Jo… I was in awe. I froze up initially when I met her, I was about 16 or 17, and she was gorgeous.

Even while at Alabama State, track was a means to run from my past, not to make a national team. I ran with anger and too much aggression for the majority of my career. I wasn’t educated on track, I just ran because it felt good and it was a good way to release anger and happiness. It didn’t dawn on me until I transferred to Tennessee, when Coach Watts asked me if I ever thought about running after college. This was my fourth year in school; I was 20-21 and wasn’t track savvy. I ran track before then, blind as can be. I didn’t know what my first lap splits were until I came to UT. All I knew was to run fast and try your best to leave it all on the track. My temperament was if I didn’t get first I was mad, even when I got first I always thought I should’ve ran faster. If someone were to smile or try to shake my hand before the race, it annoyed me; it made me want to beat the person even more. I was there to do a job and have fun doing it. Saying my name wrong was a good way to make me to run faster… I’ve stared back at many announcers while I was on the line for saying my name wrong. Ha, too much aggression you think? In 2006 USA Nationals Khadevis and David Krum, were slightly confused why I was mad when I got 3^rd and Pr-ed. As I would say, “I train to get first.” I’ve let my emotions get the best of me many times in races, I could’ve ran faster through the years only if I knew how to control those emotions. All my errors and mistakes are one of the many things I try to teach my athletes. An athlete must know how to control their emotions or know how to direct them in the right way.

http://www.flotrack.org/videos/speaker/111-jebreh-harris/2859-i-train-to-get-first

As with many, I’ve sacrificed many things because of track. Whether it missing out on “real jobs”, time with family, friends, women, other fun, and money. I use to say my only regret was if I were to stop now, would be that I wish I would’ve run faster and could continue to compete. But now, with these few months to think and reflect and with a lot of things taking place this fall, I wish I could’ve put things in a better perspective. Things have slowed down mentally and visually in life since I haven’t been training. I see that everything was in a rush and sacrificed a little too much. I see things and appreciate things a little more. I probably ran off the one of the better things that happened to me in my life(a person), this fall, due to track mainly. Yes, I made the sport bigger than what it is. “You need to have balance”, as my coach would say.

Some stuff about track, not much can replace that adrenaline rush, so nervous/scared on the line that you wonder why are you there…until the guns goes off, sounds of the crowd, the physical contact, learning to win, learning to fail, making great friends, traveling to many countries, making contacts, and just living it up. Having a conversation with Sebastian Coe, meeting Alberto Jauntoreno, jogging with the top runners in the world and having them as friends, hanging with track athletes from everywhere and know you will have a place to crash in so many countries if need to, knowing my agent Ray Flynn (Irish mile record holder), deep sea fishing in some sea near Norway after a track meet, having Russian vodka in Russia, and riding trains all over Europe, haha those are a just a few great experiences track has given me. One of the greatest experiences from track is the people/kids that you encourage. I’ve had quite of few runners come to me for advice and say that I inspire them to run. I come from humble beginnings, lived in about two trailer parks, mean step-dad, started at a small university, lived off ramen noodles and hotdogs, won a team National Championship at major university, became an Two-Time All American, vehicle getting repossed, worked random small jobs, failed on national TV, won on national TV, ranked as high as #2, not make the US finals when I was ranked #2 in the US, place 3rd at Nationals, two Olympic Trials Finals, and I have an American Record. I didn’t give up, I had my goals and I left it all on the track… rather I ran smart or not. ;) But I learned, my many mistakes, glories and experiences are great teaching tools, running requires more than physical ability. This sport involves your social life, emotions, mental ability and can affect a person spiritually.

http://www.flotrack.org/videos/speaker/111-jebreh-harris/320-a-struggle-to-the-top

Anyhow, that’s enough personal stuff. J I was training this fall as though I was going to compete this season. A lot of elite runners were under pressure and decisions as far as racing this year. We can’t run if we don’t have food in our stomach or no money to pay bills. Financially I had to stop training also. I do have the option to race next year under Reebok, so we will see. I think our sport isn’t looking so well right now, a lot of us aren’t paid our worth. Just check out the 2009 USA indoor nationals, interesting huh? I thought the same. You see people in other sports making more than we will ever make just to sit on a bench. Here we are, representing our country constantly and we get more respect and love when we leave our country. How sad is that? Whoever “they” are, someone needs to promote us and pay us our worth. Our sport is so political and doesn’t even have the room to be political, so it doesn’t make sense to me, but I’m just an athlete. I think some of it has to do with the marketing, we are not promoted well and it shows. How many track ads have you seen on TV, more than likely when you do see them, the quality just isn’t the greatest and it at 3am. The American people don’t know who we are, so how can they support us? Favoritism plays a part in it all also. Many athletes have been on the line and weren’t introduced to the crowd, or on TV. That happened a bit at the Trials last year through the rounds. We all earned our right to be acknowledged so give us our respect and give the fans their respect to know who we are. I could go on, but I’ll give it a rest. This blog is getting too long anyhow.

http://www.flotrack.org/videos/speaker/111-jebreh-harris/65822-episode-8-jebreh-harris

For now, I have been a Volunteer/Assistant Coach with track and XC at Uni of Tenn for many years. George Watts is my coach, friend, mentor and local dad. He has educated me on coaching as well as many things through the years. I work for a company I use to work for back in 2003-04, Performance Training Inc… Google it. We train athletes/teams of all sports, personal train and extended rehab. I also coach with the Knoxville Track Club youth program again; we have some runners going to Indoor Nationals! I’ll be there! It feels great to coach; when the opportunity arises I will be a coach at a university somewhere. I’m on NCAA Career Center and USTFCCCA websites a lot. I love coaching; being a positive influence in someone’s life feels great.

Recently my mom and I published a book of poems. “Chronology: A mother and sons book of poetry.” You all are welcome to buy it on the link below and it will be in some stores (Barnes& Noble’s and Borders). I have a book signing back home in Atlanta on March 28^th at a Barnes & Noble’s. Pretty weird huh? My mom poems are in the first half, mine is in the second half of the book. I will have solo book coming out eventually, it will be a bit deeper and include more of my most recent and of course poems that haven’t been written yet. Thank you for reading the blog. I hope everyone is doing well. J Take care…. And go Vols! “AF”

PS. If you love running, pursue your dreams, don’t let people discourage you, do it as long as you can, enjoy it, learn, but don’t make it bigger than what it is.

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