Igniting the Spark
Over the last fifteen years, I've been coaching many youth athletes. Some train just for fun, which is a perfectly good way and the absolute basis to enjoy sports. Others have bigger goals and put extra effort into their training to achieve them.
The last couple of years have been especially successful for this results-oriented group. Both sprinters and middle-distance runners (now training in an older age group) have scored high in national and international events. As a middle-distance runner myself, I find that type of athletes particularly interesting.
I've known for a while that there would come a time when this new generation of middle-distance athletes would run faster times than I ever did. This brings up two different feelings in me. On one hand, it motivates me to train harder so I can keep up with this new generation for as long as possible. On the other hand, it makes me proud. Proud of them, of course, but also proud of myself. I know these athletes now train in different groups and are more focused on running than when they were in my training group and practiced various athletic disciplines. But what other trainers and I have succeeded in is creating a spark that still lights a fire today. And that's awesome.
