Spectators

A very common question to be asked by friends and family after a race is, "Did you hear me cheering for you?!"

These people always seem to ask this question in such an excited manner in the hopes that they played a part in your success. However, the truth is that most of the time runners don't hear people from all the way up in the stands calling their name. There are so many people cheering for their different teams in the stands, and there is so much going on right in front the runners on the track, that one can’t pinpoint a specific person calling out their name. It is a different story when a team mate on the side lines is screaming your name and cheering for you because they are much closer and can get in your face, but when racing, we are usually deeply inside ourselves and too focused to hear friends and family.

That being said though, there is a reason why people perform better during a race than a time trial in practice. That reason is that in a race, runners have spectators that are there to watch the race along with the competition to test them. Cheering and spectators can make a big difference in amping up the atmosphere of the meet and getting the competitors adrenaline running. Most of the time however, it is not so easy to recall the individuals cheering for you. So next time your grandma comes over to you and asks if you heard her cheering for you, you have two options.

1)     You can tell her the truth; that you didn’t hear her but appreciate her being there to support you.

2)     Or you could tell her that her cheering helped you. I mean it is really not that far off when considering the people in the stands as a whole that elevated the stakes and motivation of the meet.

Either way, always be thankful for all of the teammates, friends, and family who have ever been there to support you!