Determined, Not Deterred
Along our journey through life, we meet different people who all have something in common—a desire to excel and run after goals, and I mean literally run. To be determined, not deterred.
This month, I want to introduce you to Rochelle Sceats-Basil, as she shares her thoughts and desires. Her chosen sport is running, but remember that sports are still sports even when running isn’t involved. Last month’s column about golf is a great example of this!
What’s always interesting to me is how a person is drawn into a sport. One common factor seems to be that there’s always some encouragement. And, a sport develops as you start making it a habit through training and hard work. Sceats-Basil is a member of the D.C. Road Runners Club.
How did you get into running?
I grew up in New Zealand, and we played a range of sports as kids. Running was always kind of built into everything. I didn’t start seriously running until my senior year of high school where I was fortunate to have some immediate success and secure a scholarship over here in the United States.
I was very lucky in that I enjoyed some very early success—runner up at New Zealand Secondary School Nationals my senior year [December 2008], then I went on to win the New Zealand Mountain Running Champs and was a silver medalist in the national 5000m [Spring 2009].
Where did you go to school and did you run competitively then?
I graduated from George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, with a B.S. with Honors in Psychology (2009-2013) and a M.A. in Cognitive Behavioral Neuroscience (2014-2017). While pursuing my undergraduate degree, I earned a few marks in the school record books: Top All-Time Indoor Performance, Seventh Place for 3000 Meter Run (9:46.71 2011), and First Place in the 5000 Meter Run (16:28.02 2011).
My distance of choice is the half-marathon and the marathon.
What personal achievements rank high on your list?
Making my first New Zealand team will always be a highlight; I really hope I can wear the black singlet again sometime. Hopefully sooner than later. Winning the United Airlines DC Rock ‘N Roll in March was awesome [2:54:58]. I rarely race locally so it was great to be surrounded by familiar sights and friends.
What is your strategy and take on competition?
I try to keep as many things the same, such as my daily training. Some things you obviously can’t control if you’re traveling, but I try to minimize the likelihood of anything too out of the ordinary leading up to bigger races. We’re so lucky here in D.C. that there are so many talented women; there’s always someone to help push and keep each other honest.
How did you feel when you crossed the finish line at the United Airlines Rock ’N Roll?
It was a new experience for me; I didn’t sign up for the marathon until the day before. Because of that, we had no expectations; I just wanted to run and enjoy the day and hopefully not bonk! I knew the weather was going to be great. I had a blast out there, I saw my husband and best friends out on the course a couple of times, and they were all at the finish line. It was perfect.
What’s one lesson you learned from the marathon?
How mental marathons really are! It’s funny, we fixate on the long run so much, and I hadn’t run more than 16 miles since early October, and I felt the best I ever have in a marathon.
The goal over the next year is to break 2 hours and 40 minutes to meet the Olympic Trials marathon standards. The average miles per week training is 70-80.
Is running mental or emotional?
Not so much emotional, but definitely very mental! You can will your brain into doing all sorts of things. It amazes me how sometimes a long run can feel so easy, then a few days later a run less than half the distance can feel 10 times harder.
How do you deal with performance and expectations?
There are so many variables that go into race day, it’s hard to tease apart a bad day. Sometimes it’s easy to tell what went wrong, and sometimes you feel like you did everything right and you still didn’t execute. I try to have a short-term memory with bad days and even good—it’s easier for me just to move onto the next day and not dwell on one day in particular.
How do you deal with injuries?
Unfortunately, I have certainly had my share of injuries, including a recent stress fracture last fall. I am, however, lucky that I have a great team [physical therapist, chiropractor, massage therapist] that’s able to help keep me pretty healthy. This past injury I spent a lot of time in the pool and on the Alter G zero gravity treadmill.
Why running?
I’m more productive in all aspects of life when I’m training, up to a certain point. Running helps me to think things over, it’s my time to reflect and plan—plus I love the early mornings on the trails; it’s so peaceful. Something is certainly missing from my day when I don’t get a morning run in.
What advice do you have for those just starting out?
Good shoes and proper technical apparel will make it much more tolerable! Find places that you enjoy running, maybe a nice trail or a lake to remind you why you are doing it. Scheduling is very important! I work two jobs and between that, cross training, running, and other various appointments. We run a pretty tight ship schedule wise! I have met so many people who found the sport much later in life than me and I’m always so amazed and inspired. Age really is no limit.