From small steps come great changes and opportunities. A concept that has fallen to the wayside of our society, a culture that begs and expects instantaneous results taking them from the beginning to the end in as little time as possible. A dangerous mindset that takes away from the appreciation of the small steps towards progress. The small things, often overlooked, can claim the greatest importance to the overall goal.



My freshman year in university was a time of transition as the intensities of training and workouts and mental commitment increased immensely. I would be lying if I said it wasn't a difficult one, with the 30 or so first year athletes only 5 of us ended up lasting past the first month of conditioning. As a part of the sprinting core I found myself lagging behind, especially in the shorter more explosive sessions, apart from it being my weak point, it seemed to be the most important because I never could keep up. It frustrated me. I worked as hard as I could, I talked with my coach, applied speed theory, watched video, spent extra time on the track and in the weight room and I never seemed to break that barrier keeping me from being a part of the pack. I was focused on the start of my runs and the first few steps of my races being the most important. It wasn't until a particular workout that we set up laser timers and recorded 40yd time trials from a block start and also a fly-in (build to top speed and push through the 40yd). I went into the fly-ins and flew as fast as I could. My coach looked at me and said, "Sam, you got some speed!" Nice job." It caught me off guard that he would say that. After a couple of days, the results of our time trials and other statistics were posted. I read that in my 40yd block start, I was slower than the rest in the first 3 steps, accelerated slower, but had a slightly slower stride frequency and was closer to my optimal stride length than the others in the group. And in the fly-ins, my top end speed was higher, optimal stride length was longer, and I was within the top 3 fastest times. It opened my eyes to all the improvement I had made with all my hard work. I had worked myself into a much faster top speed than my older companions and even though I accelerated slower from the beginning, I was more capable of covering more ground with an optimal stride length (not too short, or too long). 

This epiphany lead to a change in the way I raced. Previously I had been so frustrated, when I didn't get out of those first few steps with the other guys I gave up on myself and didn't run my race. I learned some new things about myself and with the small improvement in my stride length and frequency, I was able to compete at the level I desired. I was able to become an accomplished athlete because it lead to a change in my race tactics allowing me to fully utilize my potential and strengths.The change in tactics lead to some wins, those wins lead to a greater confidence and prepared me to become a coach where I was able to develop athletes into champions. 

Being so focused on the end goal and the big picture clouds the steps taken to get there, which are just as important. Pride yourself in your progress, no matter how great or small. The effect it may have on the end goal will have a greater impact than you think. 

Development is a series of steps taken leading to a result. and each step much be accomplished no matter how significant or it can effect the result desired. As you pursue your routines, and train for the next event, focus on the small improvements and push to the next. Let the small things take place in your journey and use it to continually develop and progress. 

Every Day... A Little Stronger