One Little Toenail is Not That Big of a Sacrifice

Something very traumatic has been happening to me over the past week. In the second toe on my right foot I have what is, according to GoAskAlice, a subungual hematoma. If the case of subungual hematoma (something which commonly occurs in athletes) is extremely serious, it could result in a lost toenail. What happened yesterday night? My toenail fell off! GoAskAlice also says that a subungual hematoma is caused if your toes are repetedly jammed or slammed against shoes or another object. I have to conclude then, that my subungual hematoma and my lost toenail (I'm not sure if they're the same thing or if subungual hematoma is what comes before it falls off) comes from the three days I spent in Soest training with Team Distance Runners. But, let me also say, that it was worth it.

On the Tuesday before New Year's (that would have been the 29th, I think), I rode with Will (one of the coaches, remember?) and another one of the athletes to Soest which is about an hour away from where we live. The whole way there Top 2000 played on the radio. Every year starting on Christmas day and until New Year's, a radio station in the Netherlands plays the top 2000 songs in Holland, starting from the bottom of the list and working their way to the top. All the way until midnight on New Year's Eve.
We had already been organized into separate houses before we got to Soest, but when we got there, there had to be a little bit of rearranging so that none of the girls would end up all alone in a house with just boys. Our house had Will, four of the boy atheletes, and another girl in it. For the entire team we had three houses.
Almost right away after we got to Soest we had to get changed and ready for the first workout of the day. We ran along the bike path to the woods, and then spent about an hour or so running there. Actually, the woods in Soest were the first woods I've seen in Holland that aren't part of the dunes, and they were really pretty. After the first workout we ate lunch, everyone took a nap, and then we all went out for the second workout of the day. Again we went all the way to the woods, did a few series of speed ups, and ran back. Then we cooked and ate dinner, though there was a little bit of battling for the shower in between the running and eating. The next day in Soest was the same routine as the day before: eat, run, sleep, eat, run, eat. It had snowed a little bit the night before, rained a little bit the afternoon before, and then frozen, so we had to be careful running the next day, and just stayed in the woods nearby. On the second day my legs were still exhausted from training twice the day before. It was nice being outside though, eating only healthy food, and spending the whole day with athletes.

Both the nights that we spent in Soest, the athletes had to give presentations about themselves. The first night we were there the group I was in- the new athletes, had to give presentations about themselves, why we decided to run with TDR, and how we see running as a part of our future. I barely managed mine in Dutch, but it was successful. The presentations that I really found interesting came on the second night. All of the athletes who had been with TDR for a year or more had to give "self-reflection" presentations. They used points that the head trainer from TDR had given as important points for an athlete to think about in a presentation at the beginning of the year. The points are authenticity, being able to learn and ask the right questions, self reflection, passion and self-motivation, performing when it's necessary, separating the more important issues from the less important issues, pro active solving of problems, courage: daring to choose, self-esteem, surrounding yourself with the right people, criticism of your environment, and resistance. Each of the athletes had to pick five of the points, and discuss how the points were relevant to themselves in addition to writing goals for the following season.
It was first of all interesting to hear their presentations about themselves, but secondly it was interesting to hear the coaches ask questions afterwards. The coaches wanted to hear things about the athletes that they found most relevant to each athlete. Watching, you could tell that the coaches asked questions that were meant to make the athletes think about themselves and how they could be better. And, you could watch the athlete really thinking about what the coaches asked.
Before TDR I'd never done anything that had to do with mentality and running, but from being a part of TDR, I can see a little bit more how incredibly important it is. All of the athletes are strong enough mentally that it helps them during the races, and in getting through the workouts. By listening to all of their presentations I could see the things that I need to do to make myself stronger mentally... an area that I've always been fairly weak in.

The third day in Soest we had a race called the Sylvester cross. I raced in the Junioren B girls, which is girls ages 15-16, but there were all sorts of different races. For the males and females who are in about their 20's, the race is much more competetive. It is also a part of the NK series, which (I think) means Dutch Championships. Those races are fun to watch, because the runners hardly even look like they're trying; the way they run is completely effortless and perfect.
For me the race went fairly well. I finished further away from the end than I usually do here, and felt strong the entire way. It was cold, something I really don't mind, and the woods were incredibly pretty. I did struggle at the end of the race where we had to run up a hill through deep sand, but that was to be expected.

We drove home from Soest with the Top 2000 playing again, and the songs were better and better since we were getting closer to 2010.

And to sum it up? Soest was definitely worth losing my toenail, even more than one if it would have come to that.