Jeremy Aydt

Being a great teammate takes a lot of things. One of them is simple: sincerely ask a teammate how they're doing, then listen with an open mind and an open heart. In October, you want to race as much for your teammates as for yourself. Ask one teammate today.

Take a moment to enjoy this. Coaches, if your athletes raced to their potential this week. Athletes, if you raced to your potential this week. Parents, if you got to watch your kid compete. All of it is special. Don't rush past it.

For most runners, the last 1k of the last race of the year is the most important part of the race. If you're a 20 min 5k runner that's just 4 minutes of discomfort you'll have to endure. If you're a 15 min runner it's just 3 min. Know that it's coming, and then "Compete!"

For most runners, the last 1k of the last race of the year is the most important part of the race. If you're a 20 min 5k runner that's just 4 minutes of discomfort you'll have to endure. If you're a 15 min runner it's just 3 min. Know that it's coming, and then "Compete!"

The last few minutes of a race are going to hurt, yes? In your next hard workout, be willing to hurt so that you're mentally prepared when the same thing happens in the race. Too often, athletes don't see workouts as a chance to improve mentally. Don't let that be you.

Rather than focusing on your race time, focus on passing the person in front of you and helping your team score. Be a teammate who lowers your team’s score. And when you keep passing people, the chance that you’ll like your finish time goes up. Let’s go!

Athletes: When your coach asks you to do strides, run them with good posture and focus. When they ask you to do post-run strength and mobility, take it as seriously as you do your running. Do these two things and you’ll race fast this fall. Let’s go!