Saucony 2009 - fam Transcendence in RunningApril 6, 2009
transitive verb
1 a: to
rise above or go beyond the limits of b: to
triumph over the negative or restrictive aspects of : overcome c: to be
prior to, beyond, and above (the universe or material
existence)2: to
outstrip or outdo in some attribute, quality, or powerintransitive verb: to
rise above or extend notably beyond ordinary limits
synonyms: EXCEED
Ride the wave. I try to ride the wave while I race. To make the connection and begin to transcend. Become fully present. I was four seconds away from an American record yesterday. I ran on pace through two miles, but fell just short with my 13:28 5k and was personally disappointed. The past six weeks of hard work and workouts were basically a set up for this year. In surfing you usually wait for the "set" to come in. You basically wait for the water to surge up and drive in a set of waves. The earth and all of its many forces and systems are what drive the waves. It is simply your decision to have the guts to paddle hard to keep up and drop in. Running is different. Months of hard work, passion, focus and dedication are what create the surge for a runner. Sometimes you can feel the buildup and you start to work like crazy to get ahead of the wave. Work too hard, get too far ahead and you wipe out. Drop in too late and you miss the wave entirely. Training and racing are parallels in this way. Go out too hard in a race and you crash and burn. Wait too long a gap forms and you miss your chance. Achieving a truly transcendent performance is dependent on finding the balance. Becoming fully present and embracing the challenge at hand is key to unlocking your full potential. Knowing yourself, eliminating the conditions of fear and anxiety and tapping into your instincts moves you toward, "That to which words and thought do not reach."* Sometimes the transcendent reward is embodied in winning, but many times it is not. Running with purpose daily in this way will open your eyes to what that really means. Sometimes I get in my own way when racing. Sometimes others get in my way. Sometimes it is important to not think, to not anticipate and just race. It is easy to get upset when you know your fitness is there, but fail to fully rise to the occasion. I know why I was unable to find the balance yesterday. I know why I didn't ride the wave. Reflecting on and understanding what is keeping you from moving toward rising above is essential to manifesting a great performance. I'm sure the windy conditions had something to do with why I lost a few seconds today. But wind is what creates most of the good waves out there. I'll sit patiently in the mean time waiting for the next set to rise up knowing the work has been done. Hopefully I'll have the presence of mind this time to follow my heart and not hesitate. I'll drop in and never look back... maybe I'll look back just once as I near the finish. Footnote * From the Kena Upanishad philosphy as spoken by Joseph Campbell in The Hero's Journey available at itunes. |
About fam
Famiglietti won his first national 3,000m steeplechase title since 2002 at the 2008 Olympic Trials in bold, front-running form. Famiglietti took the lead early in the final and ran alone throughout the race, running 8:16 pace for all but the final two laps. Although he slowed somewhat in the final 800, "Fam" won easily in 8:20.24. Famiglietti ran a season’s best in the opening round at the Olympic Games when he clocked a personal best 8:17.34 (bettering his previous PR of 8:17.91 from 2004), which also was the fastest time by an American in 2008. Known mostly for his prowess in the steeplechase, Famiglietti’s 2007 season was highlighted by his 5,000m runner-up finish at Mt. SAC on April 13 in the year’s second-fastest time by an American of 13:11.93, which is the fastest time by an American ever on U.S. soil. Famiglietti’s 2006 season was highlighted by personal best performances in the 1,500 meters (3:35.83) and at 10,000 meters (27:37.74). He posted a then personal steeple best with his runner-up finish of 8:17.91 at the 2004 Olympic Trials. Famiglietti made his breakthrough in 2000, improving his personal best by more than 17 seconds and placing seventh at the Olympic Trials. He headed into the 2001 GMC Envoy USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships with the fastest time by an American in 2001 and came away with second place, a personal-best time, and a berth on Team USA for the World Championships. His victory at the 2001 World University Games is the first international title by an American in the steeplechase since John Gregorek captured the WUG title in 1991. While in Beijing, he cut his hair into a mohawk and bought a bicycle so he could travel around the city. He gave the bike to some children before he left for home…was a psychology major at Tennessee but has no plans to practice psychotherapy: “I’ve got to figure myself out first”…is an artist, with a particular interest in abstract expressionism. Famiglietti has a quotation from the 1980s New York graffiti artist Basquiat (aka “Samo”) tattooed on his forearm…has an interest in Eastern religions. 2008: 13th at Olympic Games (8:31.21)...Olympic Trials champion (8:20.24)… 3rd in opening round Heat 2 at Olympic Games (8:17.34 PR, U.S. Leader)…ranked #1 in U.S. by T&FN...best of 8:17.34. 2007:4th at USA Outdoor Championships steeple (8:27.64)…USA 8 km champion (22:35)…1st at adidas Track Classic 3,000m (7:41.27)…2nd at Mt. SAC 5,000m (13:11.93PR)…ranked #6 in steeplechase, #5 at 3,000m & #10 at 5,000m in the U.S. by T&FN…bests of 8:27.64 & 7:41.27. 2006:4th at AT&T USA Outdoors 5,000m (28:27.73)…U.S. k km champion (13:50.1)...3rd at Stanford (27:37.74)…3rd at Reebok Grand Prix (3:55.71)…8th at Stockholm (8:24.41)…7th at Rieti (3:35.83PR)… 5th at Linz (8:19.77)… 9th at Roverto (13:24.47PR)…ranked #2 U.S. in steeple, #5 U.S. at 1,500m by T&FN…bests of 3:35.83, 8:19.77, 13:24.47, 27:37.74. 2005: 2nd at USA Outdoors (8:20.49)6th in opening round at World Outdoor Champs (8:21.84)...1st in at adidas Track Classic (8:25.16) 1st at meet in Columbus (8:20.04)...2nd at Rieti (8:19.46)...best of 8:19.46 2004: 2nd at Olympic Trials (8:17.91PR)...8th in opening round at Olympic Games (8:31.59); 1st in 1500m at Sea Ray Relays (3:43.38)1st at Penn Relays (8:25.02)7th in 3000m at adidas Oregon (7:50.70)14th in 5000m at Mt. Sac (13:38.29)ranked #2 in U.S. by T&FN bests of 8:17.91, 7:50.70 & 13:38.29. 2003: 3rd at Pan Am Games (8:40.22)best of 8:31.03 in opening round at USA Outdoors...ranked #4 in U.S. by T&FN. 2002: USA Outdoor steeple champ (8:19.07); 4th at USA Indoors 3 km (7:59.15)4th at World Cup (8:32.27)13th at USA 4 km XC (11:47)4th at Gresham (8:21.05 ); ran 8:23.30 in Monacoran 8:24.49 in Stockholm ranked #1 in U.S. by T&FN best of 8:19.07. 2001: World University Games champ (8:21.97); 2nd at USA Outdoors (8:22.68)...4th at US indoor 3,000m (7:59.41)...11th in opening round at World Outdoors (8:44.54)10th in 4 km at USA XC Winter Nationals; 3rd at adidas Oregon Track Classic (8:23.20)...ranked #2 in U.S. by T&FN...best of 8:21.00 in Stockholm. 2000: 7th, Olympic Trials (8:25.37) ...2nd SEC Outdoors 4th, NCAA Outdoors (8:42.49) best of 8:25.37. 1999: 8th in heat, USA Outdoors (8:42.58)... 6th at NCAA Outdoors (8:50.11)...best of 8:42.58. 1998: Southern Conference champion in steeple and 5 km...11th at SEC XC...75th at NCAA XC...best of 8:52.12. 1997: Southern Conference XC runner of the year runner-up. 1996: Southern Conference freshman of year in XC Sign Up
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I bet that's why Fam didn't look back at the Gate River 15k until Nelson was right there.
http://twoangryrunners.com/?p=665
PS GREAT RUN.
Good things come to those that wait. I hope they come to you in the form of those couple of seconds.
Thanks for a great post,
Ray.
You continue to inspire me in all that i do.
I was curious if there was anyway that I can still buy a copy of the "run like hell" steeplechase video that you made..?
"With my feet upon the ground, I lose myself between the sounds, and open wide to suck it in, I feel it move across my skin. I'm reaching up and reaching out, I'm reaching for the random or whatever will bewilder me. Following our will and whim, we may just go where no one's been. We'll ride the spiral to the end, and may just go where no one's been. Spiral out...Keep going. " - Maynard James Keenan
As soon as I read your post this is the first thing that came to my mind. These Tool lyrics. Thought this was appropriate to this discussion.
“People thinnk that running is so simple. They say, "All you do is run". Oh boy, there's a lot more to it than just that. ”
I