Seasons Change. The Goal Does Not.

Oct. 7, 2015

SEASONS CHANGE. THE GOAL DOES NOT.

There is something about fall that gets people excited.

Whether it’s the changing of the colors around us, the excitement that the Halloween season brings, the crisp feeling in the air or the crunch of leaves on the ground – there is something special about this time of year here in the northeast.

To me, I feel all of those things when autumn approaches, but I also feel something more: the excitement of championship season for cross country.

I know that runners can understand what I’m talking about, as well as other athletes that compete outside in the fall season.

There’s something about the smell in the air when you come out of the bus to your competition.

There is something about the way it starts to get cold in the mornings and evenings when you’re getting ready to race or play a game.

Although the leaves are dying around us during this time of year, there’s a stronger feeling of rebirth in the spirits of athletes who compete during the fall.

Starting this Friday at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, my team will be competing in our first championship meet of the season: the Metropolitan championships. When the fall weather rolls around, so does our championship season. Besides one meet in the mix of our championship season races, all the rest of our meets are at the next level now: the Metropolitan championships, BIG EAST championships, NCAA Regionals, and finally ICAAAAs.

To prepare for this part of our season, we don’t train with the mindset of “now is the team to kill our legs in hopes of running good times.”

No.

The work that will be displayed in these meets with new personal bests and placing in the meets are from the miles that were put in this past summer. The titles we win now are earned from the early mornings in June, July, and August that my teammates woke up early, laced up, and headed out the door to put in the work that was difficult. Successful people do what needs to be done, always, even on the days they don’t feel like it. This is what separates successful people from the rest. You put in the work, even when it’s hard.

While the days may be getting shorter, the temperatures colder, and the time is becoming less and less for the rest of our season, this is the time that strength comes out more and the performances are the most exciting. With the many changes that come with fall, there are many new changes and opportunities in cross country during our championship season.

With championship season comes pressure, but I have been watching my teammates show up to practice, day in and day out, to lace up their shoes and head out for a run just as I know they did this summer.

With the miles and miles that were put in, the heart that resides within them, and the motivation from my coach, I am more than excited to see what my team can do within this next month.

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Seton Hall University Athletics

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