More like Target On Back. When I saw the number of TNB singlets at yesterday’s Run For Justin I couldn’t help but think how each of them has a bulls eye right between their shoulder blades. Our team logo is sharp and to the point. The State of Nebraska. What could be more fitting?
I was speaking to Ben Shultz and eventual race winner Lee Anderson on the starting line. Giving them some final instructions on how best to approach the race. I mentioned to Ben that wearing the Red & White marks you as a worthy scalp for any belt. His reply was “bring it on”, you can’t ask for a better attitude from a competitive athlete.
I’ve been passing out my own bulls eyes since forming TNB in 2002. Those that have been awarded them have not always been flattered, and one or two have been down right po’d at me every since. Giddyup!
The fact is, there Is A Lot Of Pressure at the very top of the road racing food chain. Hopefully more than one person is gunning for you at every race. Otherwise is it really racing? It is how you handle that pressure that sets your legacy. You can turn it into more positive performances than would be otherwise possible, or you can crumble.
I raced in an era where any given weekend could bring exhilarating highs, or sound butt whoopings. We All showed up with targets on our backs, proudly carrying them with a challenging swagger. Always seeking races with the very best competition, always opting for well earned defeats rather than cake walk wins. Wanting to show that we Earned those bulls eyes from the heat of Competition. We Respected each other by acknowledging those butt whoopings with a promise to Bring our Best next week! We all agreed we were only as good as our last race and could not wait to line it up again to give our Very Best. Those that couldn’t stand the heat didn’t stay too long in the kitchen.
That competitive spirit is what I expect of Team Nebraska. In It to Win It or find out why not, and then right back at you again.
There are some great videos over at runnerspace from this weekend’s Club Champs in NYC. My jaw dropped watching Virgil Mitchell make up 20 meters on this cat, eat him up and digest him on the way by, on his 400 leg of the Distance Medley Relay, that is a Must See!
http://www.runnerspace.com/eprofile.php?event_id=3704
Meghan Schneider teamed with dad Jeff to win the mixed division of the John C. Fremont Days Duathlon this morning. She will soon begin training for her marathon debut as she becomes a true distance runner!
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