The Burnt in Line
"Beyond the Burnt in Line: Embracing Extraordinary Growth at the Eurocross Academy"
It's currently August 4th, 2024. I just finished my first week of camp at The Eurocross Academy in Vermont. The reason I keep coming back every year is because nothing can replicate the experience of this camp. After each one we have time to reflect with Coach Geoff, he always asks us, “Have you grown as a person?” “Have you grown as an athlete?” The answer is undoubtedly yes, every single time.
Every evening, we have a classroom session where we discuss topics like nutrition, development, planning, tactics, and everything else you can think of. We always end the session with a few videos that Coach Geoff handpicked selectively. Something about the videos is that they evoke this emotion inside of you, dedication and motivation that can rarely be found and felt this deeply. This year he showed us a video of Sven Nys at a muddy cross camp on a makeshift practice course. The clip consisted of a 180-degree turn on flat grass. The terrain was wet but nothing technical. He pointed out the burnt-in line that went directly through the middle of the course. It is the line that everyone takes at first glance, maybe even within the race if you decide. But it isn't the fastest, it's just the easiest, the most practical line. Why wouldn't you take it then? He went into the turn on the very outside pushing the tape. He cut the corner sharp and rode straight into the grass in the far inside. Throughout the muddy lines, he managed to stay almost all on the grass. The reason he demonstrated this is because most people wouldn't see this, they won't look past the burnt in line.
In our afternoon skills session, Coach Geoff led us through a figure eight on gravel. We focused on keeping speed, and traction, what was the fastest line? He then laid out some cones on the far ends of the corners. This forced us to finish our turn early. We were able to project more speed and momentum through the corners, rather than losing our speed and wasting energy out of the turn. What was the reason for this drill? Because the normal person wouldn't look past the burn in line. Taking the most ridden line, not being able to expand their mind and look past the normal.
Connecting the dots, made me think about nationals. I traced it back to months ago, simple training sessions or everyday choices I made. I became aware of the captive comfort feeling I felt, that my body wouldn't escape when I needed to. It came from everything, it came from the littlest of things. I felt a gut-sinking feeling of regret. It came from the time I gave my intervals 80% instead of 100%. It came from the procrastination of recovery or sleeping. It wasn't like I didn't try, I just didn't want it bad enough. I didn't think like someone who wanted to be extraordinary. I caught myself thinking like a normal person, the average. Go through the motions and just do what you're told. I didn't think about what the end consequence would be. I simply didn't look past the burnt-in line.
Admitting that makes me feel rotten inside because I know when I want to achieve something so bad, I can and will do it, I'll do whatever it takes. I've already proven to myself before that If I want something I can achieve it. I found myself caught in a rut. A deep, captive path of normal, average, comfort.
When thinking about what I want to achieve this season, I realized something needs to change. Being at The Eurocross Academy camp, I saw this as an opportunity. A crucial opportunity I will not let myself lose again. One of our coaches told us, “Now is the time when you are open to change, you aren't afraid of trying a different way or failing at something new.” “This is the time to reset your mind, your old limits.” I told myself, “I'm going to make that change.” “ I want to be extraordinary.
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