Run this week like you're starting a small, necessary rebellion... because you are!
The California High School cross country season concluded last month and for the first time in their program's history, Redondo Union High School are State Champions. The win sent them straight to the Nike Cross Nationals (NXN), also known as the Meet of Champions, and widely considered the most competitive high school cross country race in the country.
The belief the boys at Redondo have carried for months, that they could put together a race at State strong enough to become champions feels even more meaningful set against the backdrop of the world we're living in right now. We all exist in algorithm-friendly templates. Bold creativity often gets replaced by predictability, risk gets replaced by what works, and uniqueness often gets minimized. Deviance, individuality, and the messy pursuit of meaning are getting harder to find. Everywhere you look, people are becoming less weird, less willing to take risks, chase something irrational, or pour themselves into a pursuit that doesn't make sense on paper.
This is exactly why running still feels rebellious. Because none of it is logical. Running through mud, grass, and up hills with your teammates. Training for months to race for minutes, or deciding to care A LOT about a thing that only matters because you decided it should is weird. Cross country makes no sense. The marathon makes no sense. And yet, these are the acts of defiance that make us feel most alive.
So, as you head into this week of workouts, the long run, the quiet miles, and the loud ones I hope you carry that same spirit Redondo raced with. I hope you feel defiant in all the best ways.
- Coach Marielle