No one can deny the competitive fire that Annie Rodenfels brings to the table.
It’s something she’s always had, and it’s something that she uses to her advantage. She has a blue collar work ethic, and her competitiveness and passion for the sport has led to her success. This season, Rodenfels, who competes for Adidas and runs with Team B.A.A. won the USATF 5k Road Racing Championships in New York in November. She also finished second behind Parker Valby in an incredible indoor 5k race in Boston earlier in December.
I had the honor of chatting with Rodenfels recently about a number of topics, including her competitive nature and the confidence that she’s taking into 2024 after a great series of races in 2023. The full interview will be released in an episode of Lactic Acid with Dominique Smith that will be released in the near future.
Dom: You’ve been balling, it has been absolutely impressive. You just ran this fast time in Boston indoors. Have you reflected on the amazing things you’ve accomplished this season?
Annie: I feel like probably one of the things I’m the worst at is being appreciative of what I’ve done. I’m always just hungry for more. So it is always hard to be like no, I’ve actually done all this stuff, this is really good – I’m hitting these goals. Now all I can think about is it’s only December, I’m obviously very happy to be cooking right now and doing really great. But what steps do I need to take to make sure this continues to happen? Or happens again when the time matters the most? So I could probably do better with being like, that was awesome and celebrating it more. I’m more of a put my head back down and get back to work kind of person.”
Dom: How difficult is it from an athlete’s perspective to balance hunger and gratitude? What’s the appropriate balance of staying hungry, but also having a sense of gratitude? Because in my opinion, one can help the other.
Annie: Oh, absolutely. I mean, I think the ratio would be like 70/30, I think 70% is gotta stay hungry and 30% appreciate it. Because you never really know when that can be the fastest you’re ever going to run. And if you’re just going to just keep being like, well, I need to be faster, it needs to be faster all the time, then you’re going to get really, really burnt out. And you’re not going to appreciate the good things that do happen, but at the same time there’s always people that are ahead of you. And I’ve really found that if I just stay happy with where I’m at all the time, that I don’t go anywhere. And that’s something that’s been crucial to making it to where I have been – just believing that I can be the next person in front of me, and working towards beating the next person in front of me. And then maybe celebrating that, but then also looking to the next person or looking to the next big goal.
So for me, it’s important to have the people in my life that are like, reminding me that no, that was awesome, that was really good. Maybe if it wasn’t your gold level goal, it was still a really awesome step. And it was a big deal that you did that. And then some other people may be the other way where they just want to celebrate and they need someone to say, hey, you gotta get back to work. So I think for me, it’s just the people around me.”
Dom: When you run, there’s this energy, this swag, this confidence – it is incredible to see. It is infectious, it’s contagious – it’s scary. From your perspective, where does that confidence come from, and have you always had it? And how has it manifested itself over the course of this season, especially with the remarkable performances you’ve laid out?
Annie: I think it’s funny because I think I both have confidence, but in other ways, I definitely don’t. I’m often surprised when I run things. But I think in terms I’m just really competitive, and I think that’s where the confidence comes from. I rarely go into a race where I’m like, oh yeah, I’ve got this, I’m gonna win it. I have good feelings about races, but I’m not entering every race and be like, Oh, I’ve totally got this, this is all for me, kind of thing. A lot of times, especially when I have better performances, I’m very unsure beforehand. I know I’m in good shape, but I’m constantly aware that I’m not in the shape I need to be in and I don’t want to count anyone out. And so I’m ready for anyone to do anything at any point. But then once I start running, especially in the latter end of races, I do have a confidence that I feel like comes out, and just believing that at the end of the day, I’m talented enough, and more importantly, I think that I’m willing to work just as hard as anyone else and willing to hurt almost as much as anyone else. I think that’s just from being competitive.“
Dom: How important is it to be competitive? Because I hear people say competitive excellence. And I feel like what you’re describing really just puts that in perspective.
Annie: I think it’s everything. My coach and I have been talking a lot about this recently. I think in running, you’re gonna have people who have a lot of talent. And they usually still make it to the upper echelons of the sport. But the people that are really doing the biggest aren’t always the people who have the most talent – sometimes it is, sometimes it’s not. I think there’s certain things you can’t coach. And I would say the drive to be the best is one of those things. My college coach also used to tell me this all the time – you can’t coach (competitiveness), you have it. A lot of times in team sports, or even in cross country, it’s like, oh, I’ll do it for my team. And that can push you so far. But when it gets really, really hard, it’s not going to take you all the way. And so I think that like having that extra little bit of competitiveness, and just wanting to be the best and just want in general is going to be what takes you far.
Dom: Those races (Boston/New York) on the big stage, what do you draw from both of those races that you will take into 2024?
Annie: I think it’s interesting because I have very different takes on both of them. But both of those experiences that I do have similar that I can take away from them is getting after it. Honestly, not being scared to take the lead, not being scared to make really big moves in the middle of the race or at the beginning. That’s something that I’ve definitely been working on more. I rely on my kick a lot because I know I can beat a lot of people with my kick. I am a strong believer in working on your weaknesses, so for me, that means maybe not relying on my kick as much and clinching the win a little earlier on. I think not being scared to run what I think I can run early on, instead of hanging back and hoping I can just cut enough seconds back at the end.”
