Terrapin Racing

Coach's Corner

The competition, the clock or one's self!

Do we push ourselves as athletes to beat the clock or the

competition?

Or is it a combination of both? On the other hand, could

it be that we just want the best from ourselves? As athletes

we talk about our finish and may refer to who was in front

or behind us in the race. We may also say, "I wish I

would have pushed a little harder on a particular section of

the race".

So are we competing to beat "the competition, the clock, or

ourselves?"

Or is it possible that the race is just within one's self?

The competition and clock may come into play just because

we need a way to mark or justify our intensity to our given

activity. During the race we may say, "I am not going to

worry about my finish time as long as I finish." Then, the next

morning, regret that a fellow competitor beat us by just a

few seconds. An old saying states, "Fatigue makes cowards

of us all"! So, if the saying is true, we are just competing

against our ourselves. But if we are concerned with who

finished in front of us, then we are racing the

"competition or the clock".

So, as athletes, can we agree that competition is at its

finest when the competition and the clock produce the

best in one's self?

Train Safe,

Coach