I feel like I stay screaming from the rooftops, “Stay in the moment.” Like I'm warning people how quickly doomsday is approaching, but I didn't write this because I wanted to warn you; I just thought it was dope enough to share.
I was introduced to this message during my junior year in high school.
I ran track and cross country in high school, mostly for the camaraderie, but I did enjoy the running. I remember the only times I could think straight were when I was out of breath. The track became my “safe space.” Well, any other day, it was safe except on race days.
I had really bad race anxiety, so bad that when I think about some of the races or when I prepare to run now, my heart starts to beat aggressively. That rhythm is so familiar that it almost makes me not want to run at all now.
We good now though… kinda.
During my junior year, I ran the 800 for the first time. I normally ran the mile and two-mile races, but when we moved schools, I got a chance to try something new.
It was the first big race of the season, and I had so much pressure on myself to perform. (I was trying to earn some friends at the new school.) That anxiety still affects me to this day.
I couldn't sit still, wandering around the field, trying to find some breaths between my sporadic heartbeats. I looked how I felt.
My pops was in the stands, which was customary for him, and he saw me. He saw the anxiety, the fear, and the lack of confidence. So my pops yelled at me, “Stay in the moment.” My dad is an old coach, so being loud is not foreign to him.
So, in the middle of my mental storm, I heard my dad.
I looked up and not only saw him, but also saw other people supporting me. (This was new for me; people don't watch the mile or two-mile, which is one reason why I liked running the 800.)
So did that cure my anxiety?
Hell nah.
All my dad did was give me another tool for the job, and this job takes a lifetime to complete.
(I won the race, by the way.)
Over the course of 10 years, I kept that memory close because it helps me level-set.
I don't want to be Mr. Miyagi because I'm still trying to figure it out. I just thought it was cool that a message of peace was born out of a moment of fear.
I got a lil taste of what the brand would eventually be built on that day. I like that this is a part of the story. I'm down to stay in the moment with you, even if you're trying to run a couple of miles.