Former Xavier College Prep runner Jessica Tonn will be writing a weekly blog (schedule permitting) for Arizona Milesplit. While at Xavier Jessica won 2 Cross Country State Titles and 10 Track and Field State Titles winning the 1600 and the 3200 all four years. Jessica also qualified for Foot Locker Nationals all four years finishing with a top 10 finish her junior year.
Jessica holds the Arizona freshman (10:37.23) and sophomore (10:30.23) record in the 3200 and the sophomore record in the 1600 (4:50.42) which is also an Arizona All Time #2 mark. She also has the Arizona #3 all time mark of 10:25.85 in the 3200 and ran a 10:24.47 for 2 miles.
Check back weekly to read JTonn's Milesplit Blog!!
High School Track PR's : College Track PR's
1600: 4:50.42 1500: 4:23.64 (outdoor)
3200: 10:25.85 3,000: 9:10.16 (indoor)
800: 2:14.70 5,000: 15:54.90 (outdoor)
2 Mile: 10:24.57 10,000: 34:41.68 (outdoor)
BLOG ENTRY #4
Pressure.
In light of recent events, midterms, college signing declarations and the dawn of track season, this seems to be an appropriate topic. The life of a student-athlete is anything but easy; our days are scheduled and jam-packed from sunrise to sunset. Most of us will make our way through high school and college without knowing what it is like to be a “normal” high school or college student; but this is okay because we love what we do. But what happens when our life style yields an insurmountable amount of pressure? I’m here to help, hopefully.
First, we need to make a distinction. I believe (and this is my personal opinion), that the pressure we face as high school student-athletes is quite different than the pressure we come face-to-face with as college student-athletes. In high school you sail through the first two years and then BOOM, junior year hits. You have your ACT prep, SAT prep, AP classes, and college trips all while you try and hit important marks on the track and cross country course to try and get you on college coaches’ radars. Then senior year rolls around and you have the ACT and SAT tests you have been studying non-stop for, AP tests while taking AP classes, official college visits, and college essays and applications all while, again, trying to run lights out to impress the college coach(es) with whom you have been in contact. This is insane.
Then you are in college, you’ve made it! You’re finally where you have worked so hard to get to the four years prior to entering the pearly white gates of college heaven. Here, the pressure is different. Yes, you probably have a rigorous class schedule alongside a rigorous practice and racing calendar, but running in college becomes your job. It is your duty to the university, the program, your coaches, teammates and yourself to train and perform at the highest level. You need to love running in college. Like any job, if you don’t love it, it’s not going to be enjoyable. If you don’t love going to practice every day, putting on a racing singlet and lacing up your spikes, and even doing everything you can to bounce back from an injury, then you’re not doing your job. You signed a contract even before you entered those pearly gates saying that you accept the responsibilities that come with being a member of the program and in my case, bearing that Stanford “S” on my chest. Like the saying goes, “its not a job if you love what you’re doing,” and I love what I’m doing. I hope you do too.
(Signing with Stanford! Not sure who the photo cred. goes to…oops)
So, what can you do when the pressure gets to be too much? Well, here are some options…
1. Identify the source.
Is the pressure coming from your parents, your coach(es), or yourself? Contrary to popular belief, the only one who put pressure on me in high school was myself. I set extremely high goals after visiting Stanford unofficially before my junior year in high school and wouldn’t settle for anything less than Stanford. In terms of pressure, my mind was my own worst enemy. Yes, my parents were strict and had rules, but without them laying down the law and putting boundaries in place there is no way I would be a Stanford student-athlete, or possible Stanford graduate student, today. When we are in high school, we think we are invincible and that we know everything. Newsflash: mom and dad actually do know best (it actually hurt to type that). They care about you and when you set these extraordinary goals for yourself, they will exercise their authority where they see fit because they want to see you reach them. They are not the bad guys.
Now, if you do feel like you are feeling pressured by your parents or coach in regard to running, talk to them. Communication is so important, and in most cases a huge problem solver. I have seen and heard of so many young runners who, just by speaking up to their parents/coaches and putting their foot down, could have salvaged their running career. This sport is so extremely intense and like I said before, if you don’t love it, then it’s going to be even harder for you. But if you do love it and the pressure coming from your parents makes it less fun, then you need to communicate that with them. Your parents and coaches are adults; they will appreciate, respect, and reciprocate any communication that you initiate with them. Speak up!
2. Enjoy the freaking process!!
I learned this one too late. The best part about getting on the podium is the process and journey that got you there, no matter how smooth or bumpy the ride was. When we become goal-oriented instead of process-oriented we forget to be present and enjoy the “now.” When you are in practice, the weight room, training room, or ice bath, yes you are physically present, but be mentally present and enjoy the processes of getting fitter. Don’t get me wrong, the process-oriented athlete actively thinks about his/her goals and the outcome of training and/or competition, but the result of competition does not define their self worth as a person or athlete.
I have had the most fun I have ever had running these past two years because I am enjoying every minute of the process. I love my sport, I love my team, I love my coaches, and I love the fact that enjoying the process is slowing the process down, in a good way. When I was fixated on the outcome of every workout and race, seasons were flying by and I was just getting more and more discouraged. Now I feel like I have won before I even toe the line because I am having an ungodly amount of fun. The one thing that our coach hopes we take away from our time on this team, which I think says a lot about his character, is that we learn how to be present in whatever moment we are in at that instant. I think this is something everyone should aspire to do.
3. Ask for help.
This is serious. I hate how there is a stigma attached to asking for help and how it is also depicted to show signs of weakness. You know what, it actually takes a lot of courage and strength to reach out and say you need guidance or support. What we do and the life we lead as student-athletes is extremely difficult and if it takes talking to someone to help manage the pressure you are under, please do so. Talk to your teammates, coaches, or team/school therapist. Sometimes your teammates are your best bet – they are the ones putting in the miles alongside you and chances are they have gone through what you are going through and it will help them to talk as well. Your coaches are also a great resource; they have years of coaching under their belt and the experience that they have managing many different student-athletes can only benefit you.
Last but not least, reach out to your team or school therapist. I’m proud to say I requested to meet with a therapist my sophomore year at Stanford when I hit a roadblock and lost almost all confidence in myself and in my training. Therapy is not a bad thing; it is just another resource available to make your life a little easier. We all know that life gets hard and that our sport is brutally unforgiving at times. Talking about this with someone else can do wonders for you mentally and physically.
Of course there are way more than three options out there, but these are only some of the many possibilities that have been the most helpful for me. Sometimes young people feel like there is no way to escape the pressure, but there is always a way out of the hole that you have found yourself trapped in. You just have to find the right route out and build the courage to ask for directions along the way when needed. Communicating and reaching out to the people that care so much about you is sometimes the best way to work through the pressure you are feeling no matter the source. Running should be fun; but more importantly, life should be fun.
Like always, please feel free to contact me via e-mail (jtonn92@stanford.edu) for any reason! I would love to hear some feedback from you guys in addition to some recommendations for some future blog topics…I want to make sure you are reading what you want to read about and not just what I want to write about!
Until next time, happy running and happy living!
~ JTonn
