Competition in Goodrich Blood
Students better get out of the way as runner Isaac Goodrich returns to CEU this semester. Placing third at state in the 1600 with the time of 4:29, Goodrich is back on track and whipping into shape after returning from a two-year LDS mission in Pennsylvania. Goodrich says that not being able to run or train for two years has taken its toll on his body, so he is now trying to pick up the pace to finish a marathon under three hours before next semester.
This archived article was written by: Marie Ure
Students better get out of the way as runner Isaac Goodrich returns to CEU this semester. Placing third at state in the 1600 with the time of 4:29, Goodrich is back on track and whipping into shape after returning from a two-year LDS mission in Pennsylvania. Goodrich says that not being able to run or train for two years has taken its toll on his body, so he is now trying to pick up the pace to finish a marathon under three hours before next semester.
Goodrich started his racing career in high school, when, “a friend conned me into it.” Cross country and track events filled much of his time as he competed in the 4×4, 800, 1600 and 3200. He finished fourth at state in the 3200 with a time of nine minutes and 48 seconds, only seven seconds off from breaking the Carbon High School record.
Returning to college life has made it hard for Goodrich to continue training and practicing, but he makes time for running while working for TKJ. College life doesn’t exactly provide for the most advantageous diet for a runner either. He says he can pretty much eat whatever he wants, until the week of the race when he begins to load up on carbohydrates, especially spaghetti. His training schedule includes doing repetitions on the weekdays and distance running on the weekends.
For Goodrich, the motivating force is the competition. “All the running I do is just for the races,” he says, and if it weren’t for the competition he would probably only do an occasional run. His determination can be observed by the blister received on the side of his foot when in the Provo River Half Marathon, which is 13.1 miles. Goodrich got a rock in his shoe at about mile four, but refusing to stop for any reason and walk, a blister between 3 and 4 inches in diameter formed on the inside portion of his foot near the ankle. Besides his determination, pride also had a factor in his taking 10th place out of 2,000 and a time of one hour 16 minutes and 44 seconds. With four miles left and the first place woman right behind him, “I didn’t want to let her beat me,” he says so he just kept running.
Other races Goodrich competes in include triathlons, which he found interesting. When competing in the Scofield Sprint triathlon, he finished two (biking and swimming) of the three events in last place, with legs feeling like jello. However when it came time for the 5k run, he passed everyone and ended the competition in first place.
One of his strategies is to burn out a racer trying to pass him. This is done by speeding up and not allowing the pass to take place until Goodrich himself passes another opponent. By doing this he never looses a spot and the other passer gets worn out. This strategy, which is natural, and “just seems to happen now,” works most of the time and helps him to not only win, but allows him to see the clock at the finish line and watch as it ticks past an old best time, and finish a race, “knowing that you did your best,” which is one of his favorite parts of running and competing.
