As many of you know, a mile is a little more than 4 laps around a standard track. When I was competing in track and cross country at the Pennsylvania State University, my coach, Teri Jordan taught us to break down the mile into 4 laps by the 4 Cs. The 4 Cs can help you run the best mile of your life.
Lap 1 Control: Keep that first lap under control. When you are jostling for position, hold yourself back a little and look around.
Lap 2 Contact: During this second lap, keep in contact with the people in the race. This will help carry you through the race if you are close to them. You can pace off the other runners.
Lap 3 Concentrate: The third lap is the one when you’re like, “Why am I doing this?”. This is where you need to stay focused. This is where the pain, the doubt, and negative thought creep in. This is where the true grit emerges.
Lap 4 CICK: Yes, Coach Jordan did use her poetic license and use a C instead of K for this one! When you kick in a race, it means that you use everything you have left in your body to pick up the pace and give it your all ALL THE WAY through the finish line.
Good luck using the 4 Cs; Control, Contact, Concentrate, and Cick as you run the best mile of your life!
Coach Carol Frazey
