Athlete Life Lessons
By Anne den Otter
“ARMS! DIG DEEP! LETS GO!!!” In college, that's what I was used to hearing at 6:30 am. I can still hear Coach Griffiths yelling from across the track as I would round the corner into the last 200 meters of my workout, and then collapse onto the track the second I crossed the finish line.
My days started at 5:30 am. I would wake up, go to practice, consume enough protein to recover, shower, and make it in time for my 9:15 am class. Sounds pretty terrible, huh? To be honest, some days it was. But for the most part, I loved the challenge. And how extremely rewarding the sport of running can be.
My competitive running career only lasted until I graduated college. But the lessons I learned along the way will last me a lifetime. In hindsight, those 6 am practices were just as important as my actual classes. And a lot of the life lessons I learned along the way I refer to daily as a MarineLab instructor. Let me touch on some of the big ones:
Things rarely go according to plan
This is central to being a MarineLab instructor and, honestly, what drew me to this job. I like that I come into work every day knowing that plans are likely to change. We work outside. We are always changing plans based on weather, wind, snorkeling abilities, etc. That can be stressful for a lot of people, and understandably so! But I can always turn to my running experience for that one. Sometimes you go into a race with what seems like a foolproof plan and then everything changes. People fall, or have a bad race, your shoe comes off, whatever it might be! Sometimes those end up being the best races because you don't think, you just react.
Not everything goes to plan during out boat trips, and that’s ok!
Teamwork!
I always ran my best times during a relay. I knew that I had 3 other people counting on me to do well, no exceptions. Especially with a state championship on the line. But that kind of trust came with hours of training and communication. We would spend time at the end of every practice fine-tuning our handoffs because we knew we could shave off seconds there. Similarly, MarineLab would not function with just one person. We are a TEAM. Getting 100 5th graders to wake up, eat breakfast, put sunscreen on, remember their things, and get on a boat by 9 am is quite the feat. And in those moments I remember how incredible our team is. We are always improving our communication, ironing out small details, and setting each person up for success so that our students have the best possible experience.
Mind over Matter
In running, this is essential. I cannot tell you how many times I had this talk with my coach after a bad race. 9 times out of 10 it was my head that got in the way, not my body. I’ve also heard of this rule in the navy seals called the “40% rule” which states that when your mind is telling you that you are at your physical limit, you are really only 40% there. I know this all sounds a bit intense but it is surprisingly relevant. At MarineLab, there are days where it's windy, raining, and the water temp is 65 degrees. But, it might be the first time a student gets to see a coral reef. And on those days I tell myself, “mind over matter.”
Our days can be long and physically hard, but mind over matter can help us keep pushing forward
Pain is only temporary
Again, sounds kind of intense. But this goes along with my previous point. I will always remember that I ran a mile in 4 minutes and 53 seconds. But, I really can't remember the exact pain that I felt. This is something I reiterate to the kids all the time! Sometimes they are scared because there are jellyfish in the water. I always tell them that when they get home and tell their parents all about what they saw, they won't remember how painful the jellyfish sting was. But they will remember that they got to snorkel at an actual coral reef and see all of the amazing animals there. Sometimes instructors sacrifice themselves to a jellyfish sting if it means the kids will get in the water. Those are the days I remind myself that pain is temporary.
