I'd like to share this passage, page 41 if anyone has the book:
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The Right Stuff
Steve Slattery's roommate is Matt Ruhl. Ruhl is a 9:29 3200-meter runner from Triton High School in South Jersey, and he is running the time trial in hopes of making the squad. He has been running 70 miles a week and feels fit, but he has his doubts. "You never know what's going to happen on any given day." His nerves are tempered a bit by what [Coach] Wetmore has told him, "Mark said me and this other kid got the best chance of making the roster this year. That helps me to see I'll do well at the time trial."
Wetmore is enthusiastic about Ruhl and the other aspirant's chances. "Almost all the guys who try to make it will make it. Those who don't get scared and run away." Those who do not make it are lacking what Wetmore refers to as "the right stuff."
" 'The right stuff' on this level," he says, "is some combination of these four qualities: talent, durability, determination, and courage. Not everyone needs to have a monster four, but everyone has to have some combination of the four of these. You need some level of all four, and not having one will kill you."
He offers himself by way of example. "If I came out for my own team, I'd cut me. I have no talent." But a lack of talent can be made up for by an overabundance of courage. "You're not gonna die," he says. "This isn't jousting, but some people are just petrified. They can't do it."
One guy not lacking in courage is Goucher. "Yeah," Wetmore says, "he's a big talent an he'll hold his hand in the fire. He's got above average courage. He'll go up against anybody. If there's a weakness, it's his durability. He's got allergies, chronically sprained ankles. But the allergies--Christ! they kill him!" He sums up his star pupil, with an eye to the future: "He's got three out of four. If he's got durability and can do ten years of one-hundred-plus-mile weeks, he'll have four out of four, and he'll be hard to beat..."
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Mark Wetmore was right about that one.
Goucher went on to be successful on the post-collegiate/ elite level. While he has a 3:36 1500m, and a 13:10 5km under his belt, he has rarely won any major international races (But has been close, mixing it up with World champions Eliud Kipchoge and Ben Limo of Kenya at the Prefontaine Classic in 2007)
Wetmore's point was that an athlete needs to have talent, durability, determination, and courage to be successful.
Well what determines each quality?
Talent -- does it come only from your genes? proper nutrition growing up?
People speculate about why Kenyans have run so fast. Talent is an interesting quality that is often tested through how well an athlete can perform without having been trained for a long period of time
Durability -- Probably meaning consistency with training, and lack of having periodic/long term injuries interfere with your training.
Ask Dathan Ritzenhein,
Pic: Famous picture of Ritzenhein holding off Ryan Hall (Who's running the Boston Marathon tomorrow) at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in 2003. Ritz, according to sources, was on the ground for 20 minutes gasping for breath after this race, the possible highlight of his collegiate career.
Durability this is probably his worst quality. He has had significant problems with injuries throughout his career as a runner. He has what Wetmore would call and "overabundance of Courage" like Adam Goucher. If you've seen Ritz run, you've often also see him do the Skeleton walk after finishing a race. He's tough as nails, extremley gutsy, and often pushes himself past his "limits" so to speak.
Determination -- To me this means motivation to train, not just hard, but to train smart and well. Determination can give you a level of confidence you need to be succesful. Determination can also come from knowing when and why you train how you do. When and why to take rest and train effectively. This is necessary for a good runner, confidence in yourself and your program along with motivation can help you achieve rewarding results.
Courage -- Guts. A few names come to mind, Steve Prefontaine. Leonel Manzano. You wouldn't question their courage if you've seen them race.
In my opinion, it's questionable if this trait or quality can be taught.
(Coach) Steve McChesney in high school took specific practice time early in the season for us to practice meditation and gave us mantra's such as FTD "Fight the Demons" which has been spray painted throughout Cold Springs Park for JV and Varsity runners to see while racing. Steve has helped a lot of his athletes with achieving a positive mentality and channeling it into their performances.
One athlete that I got to know in High school particularly well, Bridget Dahlberg, proved to me that this quality might just come naturally to some people.
Bridget use to openly complain about running. She would complain during workouts, runs, whatever and openly would tell Steve and her teammates that she didn't want to be doing whatever she was doing.
Her freshman year at South she ran some pretty good workouts. I was, at first, incredulous that she would perform well due to her seemingly negative attitude.
She proved me and anyone who doubted her wrong.
At the elite meet indoors (Her first mile race against the best girls in MA, including stud Jessica Barton of Newton North), she got off well, looked strong throughout the middle of the race, moved into the lead with 100 meters to go and gutted her way, holding off about 5 other runners to the finish line for her first major win on the State level. As a freshman!
She went off to be pretty successful, Running 5:01 that year, 4:51 as a sophomore. She's run 2:13 for the 800 as a senior.
I see it still now, it's like a spark goes off when she starts racing. This is a big compliment, and I mean it; she's one of the gutsiest racers I know. You wouldn't know it talking to her before the race, but when she races you don't doubt her courage.
So a lot of it (the perception of the qualities) is really up in the air.
Some could say it's just luck of the draw. Others can say, that's true, and i'll do the best I can with what I've got and work on what I need to, to get where I want to.
