**Today I'm going to reveal how much of a redneck I actually am. Hold onto your hats.**
Dick Berggren: Dick Berggren reporting from Las Vegas victory lane for FOX Television. Ricky, obviously a huge win for you today, but it seems as if you either win, or crash the car trying to win.
Ricky Bobby: Well, Dick, here's the deal: I'm the best there is - plain and simple. I mean, I wake up in the morning and I piss excellence. You know, nobody can hang with my stuff. I'm just a--just a big, hairy, American winning machine. "If you ain't first, you're last!" You know? You know what I mean?
Everything I know about smart running in road races I learned from NASCAR. WHAAAAAT? I know, I know- for most of you, watching cars race around a track for 4 hours is almost as interesting as watching people run around a track for 4 hours. I consider both to be equally riveting tests of endurance, you have NO IDEA how miserable it is inside those cars and how much concentration it takes to control them. (Full disclosure: my dad was a driver until his first heart attack, it's allegedly how he put himself through law school.) The best drivers are very much in tune with their cars and know how far they can push their cars before making a pit stop, how hard they can be on their tires at any given moment, and can gauge when to sprint to the front of the pack and when to wait, and can push their cars to the limit without breaking on race day. One could say many of the same things about a marathoner being in tune with his/her body. Here is the key difference in the actual racing part: the car who finishes first doesn't necessarily 'win'. This is what keeps me fixated on my tv screen, the point system. Drivers are awarded points for laps led as well as finishing placement. Dollars are awarded to teams based on collective points. Depending on how many points you and your team have, and how far into the racing season you are, you may end up making more money if you don't finish first. In fact, sometimes it makes more sense to DNF (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Start_and_park). There are totally separate strategies and definitions of 'winning' at the front of the pack and at the back of the pack. You really have to put your ego aside and race smart to have a lasting career in NASCAR. "Talladega Nights" is one of my favorite movies because Ricky Bobby refuses to do that; the guy has no f**king idea what he's doing when he races. He is not in tune with his car or his team whatsoever. HE JUST GOES FAST. He has to be first even if it means he loses money and demolishes a million dollar car in the process. More often than not, when I'm in a road race, I feel surrounded by Ricky Bobbies. So many (coachless, unloved) runners JUST WANNA GO FAST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Even if it's just for the first mile. Or for ten seconds each mile. Even if they break themselves in the process. They canNOT put their egos aside and ask themselves if they are at the front of the pack or the back of the pack and adjust their strategy accordingly.
In every race, most of the people around you will be Ricky Bobbies. YOU, however, are #coachedandloved and #winningatlife.
Over time, I'm going to teach you how to not be a Ricky Bobby. I'm going to teach you to be in tune with your body, ensuring you are always in control of your race. I'm going to teach you how to race at the back of the pack. I'm going to teach you how to know which runners to draft in a race and which ones to avoid. I'm going to turn you into a predator, prowling around your corral and pissing excellence. Along the way, we are going to define words like :fast", "winning" and "settling" and hopefully give you a fresh perspective on these things. I'm going to teach you all of the tricks that I LOVE about racing and I sincerely hope that some of this will make racing as much fun for you as it is for me.
That said, sometimes it's fun to be Ricky Bobby so there will be plenty of opportunities to go FAST if you want 'em. :-)
Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for letting me love you for a little while. It is an honor to be your coach. If your life is taking you in a different direction right now, please know that I understand and will always be waiting for you and excited to see your name in my inbox. Do not ever hesitate to reach out.
*fun fact - A NASCAR driver will lose 7 pounds in sweat each race. They cannot control the car with one hand, so they have watering systems attached to the back of their seats with straws that run into their helmets, and air blowers that attach to the top of the helmet and pump cool air into the helmet constantly. Imagine doing that with a CamelBak!
Coach MK Fleming is the founder of Fitness Protection, LLC where she coaches all kinds of runners for $29 per month and gives marathon plans away for free. Click here to download her most popular training plan, Tenacious AF!