Here is a letter Laura
Jones wrote to the new members of the cross country team:
Dear
incoming track and cross country athletes,
Welcome
to Akron Track and Cross Country! My
name is Laura Jones and I graduated from Akron last December with a degree in
Family and Consumer Sciences Education. I have experienced many changes in the
Akron Track program, and have been fortunate enough to be part of some very
exciting accomplishments by teams while I was there. I wish I could offer every little bit of insight I have gained from
my years of being part of the team at Akron. However, I could probably write a
rather lengthy novel if I were truly going to cover everything. In trying to
pinpoint the most meaningful lessons from my college experience, I have put
together the following “TOP 7 LIST” (it started out at 10, but then I realized
things could be condensed I little, so I’ll spare you). Although some things may sound repetitive or
generic, this is really what worked for me, and I believe has worked for
others.
I
created this list with running as the focus. However, I strongly believe that
you should always be looking for ways to apply all learning experiences to
different parts of your life. As you read through this list, think of ways
these suggestions will help you in all areas of your life, not just running. You
can easily change a few words around and have it apply to just about any
situation.
Please
feel free to drop me a line if you have questions or just to introduce
yourself! My home e-mail is jones9114@msn.com. I wish you the best of luck as you begin a
very exciting time in your life – enjoy yourself and make the most of it!
Best
wishes,
Laura
Jones
LAURA’S TOP 7
SUGGESTIONS FOR COLLEGE SUCCESS
7.
WELCOME CHANGE – It is no surprise that college running will be much different
than high school. Don’t be afraid to try new approaches to training, workouts,
and racing – if you keep doing what you have been doing, you will never get any
better! You may be surprised that something you thought worked really well for
you for years was actually holding you back.
6.
FOCUS ON THE POSITIVE – Even if something seems like a complete disaster, try
to find something good that came out of it. If nothing else, you probably
learned never to try that again! My best seasons followed an injury that had me
out for months. IF YOU ARE INJURED, DO EVERYTHING YOU CAN TO MAKE YOURSELF
BETTER! If you do the right things, an injury really will not set you back that
much.
5.
TRUST THE COACH (this is a little plug for you ScottJ) This is pretty simple - if you do what he
says, you will improve. If the instructions are to do 20 push ups, do 20 push
ups. Don’t be afraid to be open and honest with him about how things are going.
4.
DEVELOP GOOD HABITS -- Get in the routine of doing things at the same time
every day. This goes not only for working out, but also when you sleep, eat
meals, and take care of other “stuff”. After you do things the same way for
a while, it will become habit, and will be easy to do! I found that running
first thing in the morning worked well for me, because then I knew I would
get it done (plus it makes be feel good the rest of the day). It’s a habit
that has stuck with me even now.
3.
SET HIGH GOALS -- You’ve heard this before – do it. Anything is possible. I
took two minutes off my 5k PR, and know others that have done even more. You
can do it!
2.
TRUST YOUR GUT -- If something doesn’t seem quite right, it’s probably not. If
something really hurts, don’t push it.
If you are not comfortable with doing something, don’t do it. You will
have lots of choices – make the choices that seem right to you. Don’t lose
sight of the fact that the choices you make now can affect the rest of your
life – don’t do things simply for short-term gain.
AND
THE NUMBER ONE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO REMEMBER….
1.
HAVE FUN! If you are not enjoying it,
why do it? Always remember why you started doing it to begin with, and try to
carry that passion with you every day.
Laura's
Achievements
In
1999 Laura placed 13th at the All Ohio Championships and 16th at the MAC Championships.