Ryan Hall: Confidence
(Elite Athlete Blog - Entry #3)
Posted February 16th, 2008 at 1:15 PM by Ryan Hall
Section: News & Results, Marathons, Track & Field, Olympics, Elite Athlete Blogs, Ryan Hall
Welcome to the official blog of top U.S. distance runner Ryan Hall as he begins his quest for Olympic gold! Check back every other Friday for Ryan’s latest entry.
Something that has been on my mind a lot lately is the importance of confidence. When I am in Mammoth training I sometimes like to shoot hoops after our evening weight lifting is complete. When I am shooting around I like to work on my visualization skills. Just moments before releasing the ball I see the ball going in.
In my mind I become border-line cocky with each passing shot. If I miss I instantly shake it off and visualize the next shot going in, swish. I tell myself there is no way I will miss, swish. I see the ball crisply cutting through the net, swish. It amazing how much better I shoot when I am overly confident. I know this is kind of a ghetto experiment but it has definitely shown me that I am a lot more likely to perform better when I am confident than when I am unsure.
I have also been amazed by how well people run once they get on a roll. Just look at Benard Lagat. He got on a role at Worlds and nobody was able to stop him. I can’t tell you how many times I have seen people pop one big race and then they never return to level they were at before. They are convinced that they have risen their game. But where does confidence come from? I have struggled with my confidence before.
During my senior year at Stanford I had to slowly nurse my confidence back from the grave as I had become accustomed to folding in big races. Training with my teammate Ian played a big part in reviving my confidence. Knowing that we had done all our workouts together made it a lot easier for me to hang in races when I may have otherwise not. With each race I steadily grew more confident. Teammates, good workouts, and solid races can go a long way in building confidence. But what else can give me the confidence to believe that I can go out with the big boys at London and be ok?
Two short words have been pulsing through my head as I have been hammering out long hard runs at altitude and pushing my tempos to new levels…“I believe”. I believe that God has designed us in such a way that our body is able to do amazing things when we truly believe it is possible. Of course, it is not simply enough to believe without putting in the required training. But that inner belief that something is possible can not only play a big role in being able to accomplish the training necessary to produce a big result, but it also empowers us in the moment to achieve something others may consider impossible.
I have been through a lot of ups and downs in my running career. The downs have completely stripped me of self-confidence. I have lost faith in what I am able to do apart from the Lord’s grace and strength. I have great confidence of what God can do through me. I desire to have the same confidence that David had before he faced Goliath.
David was just a kid, facing a monster of a man that everyone was afraid of, however, after Goliath told David he was going to “give his flesh to the birds” David responded by saying, “You come to me with a sword, a spear and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted. This day the Lord will deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you” (I Samuel 17.45-46). Talk about confidence! I have to believe that David knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was created for this moment. How else could he look death in the face with such confidence?
Earlier in the passage David talks about how the Lord had prepared him for battle through the lions and bears he had fought while tending his father’s sheep. David’s confidence wasn’t completely blind but it did require great faith to take action. In the same way, it has been in smaller races and workouts that I feel God preparing me for what lies ahead. I can’t walk out on the starting line and truly believe I can run with the best runners in the world without being confident that God has prepared me for that moment.
One of my favorite passages to think about while I am training is a Psalm of David saying, “He trains my hands for battle, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze” (18.34). I am not sure if I will run into the Olympic stadium first or last, but I can be sure that the Lord is training me for that day and that on August 24th I will be prepared to do my very best.
I believe that God has made me to run the marathon. Similarly, I believe that He has created us all to contribute something special to humanity and when we are pursuing that gift and using it for the greater good of others we should be confident that we will be ready when the time comes.
- Ryan
Stay tuned for Ryan’s next entry on Friday, Feb. 29th!
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Photograph: Courtesy of NYRR
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Tags: American distance running, basketball, Bernard Lagat, cocky confidence, confidence, elite athlete, elite athlete blog, elite athlete blog series, elite runner, faith, flora london marathon, god, Goliath, jesus, king david, London Marathon, london2008, london2008news, Mammoth Lakes, marathon runner, olymic stadium, professional running blog, psalm of david, Ryan Hall, Samuel, sara hall, stanford, tfs elite athlete blog series, the final sprint elite athlete blog series, thefinalsprint.com elite athlete blog series, track and field, training, u.s. olympic mens marathon trials
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The Final Sprint
[…] Original post by Ryan Hall […]
February 16th, 2008 at 2:10 pmhey ryan,
February 16th, 2008 at 9:24 pmJust reading what you have to say gives me the confidence to do great things as a runner and in my career as i am finishing up my 3rd year at the united states merchant marine academy in new york. Don’t worry about today, just stay focused and keep doing what you’re doing. It’ll pay off. It was good to meet you and thanks for the autograph before the race and picture after. I hope the best of things are yet to come. GO USA
-Keith
Great and interesting post on confidence building. Agree with you fully. However we have our own view on confidence building too. You can find out more at http://www.confidencebuildingcourses.com
February 17th, 2008 at 9:41 pmRyan, I’m always encouraged and look forward to reading your blog entries every other week. Your faith in the Lord shines through your words, your training, and accolades and achievements you’ve garnered with the Lord’s help. I hope that the Lord continues to bless your efforts as you train for Beijing. Thanks for being a light and taking a stand for Christ.
-Burke
February 18th, 2008 at 3:40 pmRyan, keep your blog entries coming man cause they are great words of wisdom that God has given to you to share to runners, and people of this world! We are all prophets who have been sent into the world to fulfill the visions, the destinies of our lives! Good luck with training for Beijing! remember…I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me!
February 19th, 2008 at 2:42 pmRyan,
Congrats on all your running and best of luck for the olympics. My question can you advise someone on what weights to do for the marathon?
February 19th, 2008 at 4:03 pmRyan — as much as I am inspired by your running accomplishments, I am even more so by your perspective on how God has blessed you. I was blown away by your awesome quote in the UT: “For me, running’s about praising God with my body.” As I head up the Faith and Work ministry at my church, I hope everyone can see how their unique gifts and talents can be used to glorify God. Any chance you would accept an invitation to address our group and the broader San Diego community about this important topic? Please let me know. Regardless, thank you for being a light to me and to this world. God bless you!
February 19th, 2008 at 6:08 pmRyan,
It was great meeting you at the Cross Country Championships. Thank you for signing my hand. I really liked this blog entry as well - belief and faith can make all the difference in doing the impossible.
Remember, your fans are with you and believe in your vision! God bless!
February 20th, 2008 at 12:50 pmRyan,
I have gotten a lot from reading your blogs, and appreciate the wisdom God has granted to you. Also enjoyed your video working out on you-tube and how you always give God the glory! It helped to inspire me in my first 100 miler last October at Heartland. I can’t wait to watch you race in August - and then to see how God uses all of this! I’m praying for you,
February 20th, 2008 at 5:23 pmBrent
Ryan,
February 20th, 2008 at 9:56 pmYou have been an inspiration in my life. Because of you I am starting to let God guide me on the road and in life. You have made me realize no matter how hard my training gets, God is with me by my side and will help me persevere. Hopefully I will be able to meet you someday. I wish you good luck during your training and God Bless!
Craig
Ryan,
February 20th, 2008 at 9:57 pmYou have been an inspiration in my life. Because of you I am starting to let God guide me on the road and in life. You have made me realize no matter how hard my training gets, God is with me by my side and will help me persevere. Hopefully I will be able to meet you someday and possibly stay in contact with you. I wish you good luck during your training and God Bless!
Craig
“I remember the days of old. I meditate on all Your works; I muse on the works of Your hands.” PSALMS 143:5
February 25th, 2008 at 11:35 amRyan,
Thanks for the great explanation of the source of David’s confidence as he faced Goliath and how it impacts your thinking, training, and racing. As you noted, David REMEMBERED what the Lord had done through him in the past as he encountered possible death. Ron Rhodes expands on this relationship between faith and accomplishment… http://home.earthlink.net/~ronrhodes/Faith.html
Please note “The Eye of Faith” DIFFERS from visualization which is rooted in New Age teaching… http://www.christiananswersforthenewage.org/Articles_Meditation.html
As you focus on Jesus, may He continue to develop you through trials & triumphs as you prepare for Beijing. God bless and keep you & Sara.
Ryan,
February 29th, 2008 at 9:42 amGreat to read about your running life and walk with God! I’m a former U. of Wis. runner (also a Christian) who has been living in Beijing for 7 years with my husband and 3 kids. We would love to open up our guest rooms to your family members or friends during the Olympics and help you all out however you need it while you’re here. Let us know if you’re interested! -Meg Shaffar mark_shaffar@yahoo.com
Ryan when you say you believe God made you to run the marathon I just want to say I believe that as well.Ryan I feel the sme way I really believe God Blessed me with running Ultra Marathon distances to help others in a time of need.I only run for chairtys this is the life I have been givin and I am very thankfull for it.Ryan keep up the great work you do and I am pulling for you in the olympics go get the gold bring it home!!!Ryan people always say that noone can beat them guys in Kenya but there only men they have been giving life the same as all us and they can be beat and Ryan you can do it.Ryan also is there anyway I could get your autograph?
March 1st, 2008 at 1:44 pmGod Bless.
Ryan, thanks for the amazing post. As a fellow Christian runner, I will be praying for you.
Soli Deo Gloria!
March 2nd, 2008 at 2:46 amThank you so much for posting your blogs! I am a high school varsity runner and a Christian, and you and your wife are just so inspirational to me.
March 2nd, 2008 at 10:04 pmRunning is such a blessing for me because it many runs often bring me closer to God, or simply puts my thoughts on Him during the middle of a hectic day. Thanks for making such deep connections between our sport and biblical truth.
God bless you!
Ryan,
God bless you as you continue with your training. Go hard for His glory!!
2 Thessalonians 1:11-12
March 4th, 2008 at 12:09 amRyan,
I am daily inspired by the stand that you are making with your running. I see how firm you are in the word of God and it challenges my own walk with God. I watched your Godtube video and it gave me a whole new perspective about running. Thank you for making it clear that our purpose is to give glory to God. Just as you were aproaching the finish line at the trials, you gave glory to God in a way worthy to be admired. Not ashamed of the Gospel but boldly lifting God’s name. Thanks for sharing your wisdom with this blog. May the Lord grant you Gold at the olimpics.
God bless you!
David
March 8th, 2008 at 6:52 amRyan,
March 24th, 2008 at 9:18 pmGod Bless as you continue to run and prasie God in it all. You remind me of Eric Liddle who said, “God made me fast, and when I run I feel His pleasure.” It is so obvious that you feel God’s pleasure when you run and that he has made you to do just what you are doing now. You are an inspiration to many, no matter where you place when the time comes.