Braves Struggle through Woodward Park

Running, in general is a mental activity. The sport of running long distances is a whole different kind of mental hurdle in itself. Mental lapses have plagued even the most elite runners, most recently it has gotten the best of talented distance runners such as Americans Steve Holman and Suzy Favor Hamilton and Great Britain's Paula Radcliff.

The St. John Bosco cross-country team got a lesson in mental lapses at this year's Clovis invitational. Their disappointing finish in the championship race left them all with the realization that their sport is not just a race day event, but an on going occurrence of training hard and mental preparation. And while the Braves have had no problems this season with their training levels their lack of focus and mental readiness revealed itself during their race. Still there is a lesson to be learned in every life event and this occasion was no different as the Braves were visibly disappointed in themselves. All seven runners came away from their experience knowing they all - at some point during their race - threw in the towel as a result of a mental lapse. They realized that all the intense training and all the talent one possesses will almost be negated during a race, if your confidence and focus for a given event is not on par with the first two instances. This year's team still has much to prove, they certainly did not like how it felt to finish so low in the standings, but everything happens for a reason and it looks as if the Braves may have come away with more by failing to reach their goal then they would have otherwise.