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The recent womens Olympic marathon trials finish in Los Angeles was both frustrating and inspiring for me. The event was nationally broadcast live for the first time, so we could witness the front of the pack gutting out the last four miles -- including Amy Cragg desperately pulling along her fading friend and teammate, Shalane Flanagan, grabbing water for her, slowing her own pace and encouraging Flanagan with words we couldnt hear. Even after shed left Flanagan, Cragg continued looking back to encourage her. Like many watching, I was inspired by Craggs selflessness and sportsmanship.Cragg won the race and Flanagan finished third, ensuring both will compete in the 2016 Rio Games. The finish-line shot of Cragg catching Flanagan in her arms as her legs collapsed brought tears to my eyes as I remembered how many women have helped me through races and workouts and how many have caught me at the finish line. But I also couldnt help wondering, Would a man work so hard to pull along a teammate?I could hear my fathers frustrated voice in my head, speaking to me after a high school cross country race in which Id admitted to feeling guilty for beating a friend. Why?! hed exclaimed, baffled. Dont wait. Its your race. Dont think twice next time. Just pass her.Athletic marketers might argue women-only races have increased in popularity because they offer an empowering environment. But I think competing against women can create more stress -- especially when youre competing against women you consider friends. Ive found through both racing and coaching others that women feel (or are made to feel) guilty after leaving a female friend behind in a race. On multiple occasions Ive stood with friends on starting lines negotiating whether or not to run separately.For years as a running and triathlon coach, competitive athlete and linguist, I have struggled with a perceived conflict over how competitive drive and female friendship can safely coexist. I was struck when a friend and former Division I runner recalled her college coach saying to her, Some days I think all I have to do is to get you girls to hate each other and then youll run faster. While, sadly, this may be half true, surely there are healthier ways to develop a successful team. That, combined with my feelings about the marathon trials, made me want to better understand the dynamics of female friends in competition.My friend, my competitorWomen are taught from a young age to help, cooperate with and be empathetic of others. When I was 4 years old, I learned that being bossy was wrong. Then, 10 years later, I was expected to be a boss on the field, taking control and beating my female friends on the track. Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, in her keynote speech at the 2006 WNBA Celebrating Inspiration event, said, There is a special place in hell for women who dont help other women. But how do you help someone if you are trying to beat her?I think women have to be confident in their own?failures and?successes in order for friendships to exist outside of?competition, says Erica Allar, 30, a pro cyclist from North Carolina. They have to understand that failures and successes in?competition do not define individuals as a person or define a friendship.I didnt understand this as a high school runner. Whether my friends liked me or not heavily influenced my performance -- not the reverse. On more than one occasion I hesitated passing a teammate in a race, fearful that girl might hold it against me, which would create a rift in our friendship at school.When I began running cross country my freshman year, I consistently ran with one sophomore girl during the 5k and then outkicked her at the end of each race. During one race, sensing my desire to pick up the pace, she instructed me, Not yet, Amanda. Dont go yet. I hesitated for a moment, then I heard my fathers voice insisting, What are you waiting for?! I ran ahead. Later, I heard shed passed out on the course and had to be driven by ambulance to the hospital. I felt horribly guilty. Over the next two years competing with her, I never beat her again. And I never tried.Fearing this response to competition could seep into other areas of my life, my father sent me to a sports psychologist. He helped me address the negative self-talk that was destroying me before I toed the line.When I began coaching cross country and track at DePauw University, my father gave me a book hed read when I was in high school, Games Girls Play: Understanding Young Female Athletes in Competition. The book describes a study of 115 professional tennis players, in which females were reported to be more affected than males by self-confidence and fan behavior.Road and mountain runner Melody Fairchild, a two-time Olympic trials qualifier and eight-time national champion, sees that in the performance of young women on the high school cross country teams and camps she coaches.Their identity is so tightly wrapped up in how others see them that they let that get in the way of performing their best, says Fairchild, 42, who was the first high school girl in the U.S. to break 10 minutes for two miles. My running was a pure expression of living with heart. And Im still wildly curious to figure out that magic key to help these young, altruistic women find a way to feel comfortable giving the best of themselves.A delicate balanceThe difficulty in balancing friendship and performance is something Sara Kadlec, 31, can attest to in her own training. If I feel better than expected at a workout I had planned to do with a friend, I wouldnt think of leaving her or running ahead. Id stay within the controlled pace we had planned to run. But when Ive discussed this with men, they think this is absolutely absurd. Its a workout, theyll say, youre supposed to go hard.Holding back is not something one would associate with Kadlec:?Shes a new mother, physicians assistant in neurosurgery, national podium-placing ski mountaineer and sub-three-hour marathoner. And yet, its something she might do in a workout to preserve harmony with a friend.When developing intimacy and maintaining a level playing field are traits young girls learn early, how do adult women separate competition from friendship? For me, it was about learning how to separate myself as a competitor from myself as a friend -- a skill that took me years to master.I wish at 15 years old I could have compartmentalized my relationships with competitors like pro mountain biker and college professor Becky Edmiston, who says in a race she encounters three groups of people: Women I dont know and I want to beat, women I know (whose friendship I value) and I want to beat, and women that rub me the wrong way and I want to beat.Edmiston says she trains with and encourages her friends. If I find myself passing a friend I might tell them to come with me. But Im not waiting around for them.Pam Landry, a sports psychologist and coach at The Athletes Edge in New Haven, Connecticut, finds herself working with many female athletes who struggle to balance friendship and competition. She says complications can arise when feeling guilty is associated with caring -- an association many women have been taught to make. The underlying implication behind this logic is that in order to be a good person or friend, Landry says, you must show you care by feeling guilty and then prove it by conforming to the perceived needs of those around you.Landry asks her athletes to rewrite the script in their head by asking themselves, What am I afraid of when I run faster or improve more than my friends? Disapproval from others or myself? Fear of failure or success?Another way to remain objective during competition is to tell yourself, No judgment, just execution. Landry says. Once this cue becomes an automatic pre-competitive response it helps the athlete to avoid letting feelings of friendship for their fellow competitors override their competitive drive.The goal is to teach the athlete that being the better performer does not make you the lesser person. It simply means that youre actively pursuing excellence.What Ive learnedCommunicating your goals before a race can help maintain a friendship, says coach and researcher Joanna Zeiger, who finished fourth in the triathlon at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. I ran the 2013 L.A. Marathon with [close friend and training partner] Colleen De Reuck. At Mile 17, I knew I was fading. Rather than let her wonder if she should wait or go, I told her I was struggling and that I would see her at the finish line.Ive adopted that policy of communication in my own friendships with fellow athletes as Ive grown. Recently, at the start of a long run with a group of friends, a very talented and competitive woman in her 30s said, Im feeling slow today. Dont wait up for me. I could tell she wasnt feeling 100 percent, but her silent treatment when she returned from the run, after trailing us the whole way, made it clear she had expected us to, indeed, wait up for her. I didnt feel guilty this time. I reminded her of what shed said and she accepted some responsibility. After eight years of training together, this was an overdue step in the right direction for our friendship and success as athletes.Healthy friendships and competition can coexist in the presence of confidence, honesty and direct communication. These are the traits that made for such a compelling finish to the marathon trials, and theyre what will make me root for Shalane Flanagan and Amy Cragg even harder at the Rio Olympics.Amanda McCracken is a Boulder-based writer, runner, and coach. She is grateful for all of her female friendships that have grown out of the fields of competition. Follow her on Twitter at?@writermccracken. Custom Seattle Mariners Nike Jerseys .S. Open champion Justin Rose birdied the first hole with a blind shot he hit to a foot of the pin, and he stayed in front Tuesday until he completed a 4-under 67 for a two-shot lead over Jason Dufner in PGA Grand Slam of Golf. Cheap Custom Baseball Jerseys . Listen to the game live on TSN Radio 1050 at 7pm et. The Raptors traded Rudy Gay, Quincy Acy and Aaron Gray to the Sacramento Kings on Monday, in exchange for Greivis Vasquez, John Salmons, Patrick Patterson and Chuck Hayes. https://www.custombaseballnikejerseys.com/?tag=custom-pittsburgh-pirates-nike-jerseys . -- In a span of seven Washington Redskins offensive plays, Justin Tuck sacked Robert Griffin III four times. Custom Atlanta Braves Nike Jerseys . -- San Francisco 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks was fined $15,570 by the NFL on Wednesday for his hit on Saints quarterback Drew Brees last Sunday. Custom Authentic Baseball Jerseys . "Jeff is a hard worker who was an important special-teams contributor for us last season," said Stamps GM John Hufnagel. The events of the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup season came to a close Friday night in Las Vegas.Plenty of questions remain until the 2017 green flag.The biggest question surrounds the biggest driver name in the sport,?Dale Earnhardt Jr.,?who missed the final 18 races of 2016 because of a concussion suffered in a June accident at Michigan. The symptoms eventually forced him out of the car about a month later.Earnhardt remains confident that he will return behind the wheel for the 2017 Daytona 500. He said Friday he has a test set for some time in the next three weeks. If all goes well, he should be cleared to run again Jan. 31-Feb. 1 in the NASCAR test at Phoenix International Raceway.He said the key to his recovery was the decision in August to not try to return this year. That is when his vision, balance and nausea issues started to improve.You worry about your health, Earnhardt said Friday. You worry about the issues youve got are permanent or when they are going to get better and how.Anxiety is a huge factor with concussions and can be a major problem with people trying to recover. ... Every day, I was in some sort of discussion about my future, and my doctor told me I couldnt get well until I dropped all that and didnt think about it. I thought, How am I supposed to not think about that? Thats the most important thing in my life. Earnhardt said he doesnt expect to have a recurrence of symptoms because he has been in the Chevrolet simulator recently without problems -- he admitted he would get sick in the simulator before -- a sign that the exercises he has done have helped him recover what he and his doctors have termed an illness as much as an injury.There was a period of time where my doctors told me to completely remove all the stress and anxiety from my life to be able to allow my brain to heal quicker, Earnhardt said. I was worrying about getting back in the car and getting healthy and all that stuff, and it was slowing down the whole process.When I did that, I became a much better version of myself. I was a much nicer, pleasant person, and caring and thoughtful, and less agitated by stress and everyday life.But Earnhardt isnt the only question for the offseason. The next major question is what the series will be named, as NASCAR is busy finalizing a name and a logo as part of a deal where Monster Energy will sponsor the Cup Series.The word Cup might not be in the name, although it will be difficult for fans to not use Cup as a generic term, at least for a period of time.The name of the series should be known by the holidays.We are working on the exact composite logo and otherwise, and well be back shortly on that, NASCAR Chairman Brian France said Thursday. It wont be long, but weve got some real good options on that.The other parts of silly season could linger as teams and drivers continue to look for sponsors for next year.Greg Biffle, Casey Mears, Alex Bowman, Regan Smith, David Ragan, Matt DiBenedetto, Cole Whitt, Josh Wise and Jeffrey Earnhardt are among the 2016 Cup drivers who havent announced 2017 plans.Bowman, who substituted for Dale Earnhardt Jr. in several races in 2016, actually has a berth in the preseason Clash (formerly Sprint Unlimited) but doesnt have a team. Yet. He could drive for Hendrick Motorsports in the No. 5 car since Kasey Kahne is not eligible for the race.Bowman will be there in something, team owner Rick Hendrick said. Im not sure yet [what car].Hendrick indicated that Bowman will have a role with the team. He has been a test and simulator driver for the organization.We havent got any definitive things to announce right now, but I can just tell you that Alex is going to be around with us, Hendrick said. Other than that, I dont have any concrete things to tell you.There are several teams that have not announced their lineups. Richard Petty Motorsports needs a sponsor/driver combination for its No. 44 car, left open by Brian Scotts retirement. Anything is possible there depending on sponsorship.dddddddddddd.Front Row Motorsports needs to fill its No. 34 car as Chris Buescher left for JTG Daugherty Racing in an arrangement where he will be on loan for a year from Roush Fenway Racing. Bueschers crew chief hasnt been named, and it likely wont be out of the Roush Fenway camp since JTG Daugherty is a Chevrolet team.There [are] some little bits and pieces of it that are going to be a little strange, Buescher said about being a Ford guy in a Chevy shop. Its going to be JTG [staff] on everything. Well go out there and get the most out of the car every single weekend.Biffle, who turns 47 later this month after a solid 14-year career with 19 Cup wins, likely wont race unless he gets a competitive ride. It appears his best option might be to wait to be a substitute driver.Mears and others could be candidates at Front Row, a team that can still be considered underfunded despite making the Chase with Buescher, thanks to the Pocono win.HScott Motorsports shut down Monday, with the charter of the No. 15 sold to Premium Motorsports. The charter HScott leased (the No. 46) from Premium was sold by Premium to Furniture Row Racing for the Erik Jones car next year.Reed Sorenson and Cole Whitt drove for Premium, which fielded two cars most weeks, but Whitt left the team late in the year. Team owner Jay Robinson said in November that he would buy or sell a charter, depending on the market, and he still could lease or sell the charter he bought from HScott.There certainly is a market. Three teams -- Wood Brothers Racing, the Motorsports Group and two Premium cars -- ran without charters for the full (or nearly full) 2016 season. Premium now has one charter, and others could obtain charters if the price is right.Circle Sport owner Joe Falk is looking for a place for his No. 33 charter. His charter was considered as having been leased to Leavine Family Racing in 2016, so Falk must operate a team or sell the charter.The Motorsports Group had Josh Wise as its primary driver in 2016 but cut a deal with Gray Gaulding in late 2016 that could lead to more races in 2017.It appears the Go FAS Racing No. 32 team is in transition with no full-time Cup driver nor sponsor announced, and that team would need to find a home for its charter.The Go FAS charter, the Premium charter (leased to HScott in 2016) and the BK Racing No. 83 charter come with a catch -- they ranked last among the charter teams. Any charter that is among the bottom three for three consecutive years can have its charter pulled by NASCAR.BK Racing, with the Ragan and DiBenedetto teams finishing 34th and 35th in the standings in 2016 compared to a three-car operation that finished 37th, 40th and 43rd in 2015, typically doesnt solidify its driver lineup until January.One thing fans shouldnt wig out over -- whether a new manufacturer will debut despite NASCAR Chairman Brian France saying discussions with other manufacturers continue and Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne telling the (Daytona Beach) News-Journal and reporters at a Ferrari event in Florida that he is open to the idea of Dodge returning. Any manufacturer wanting to come into NASCAR for the 2017 season would have had to make a formal request by September 2015.The current NASCAR rules require race-car renderings for new models to be submitted by more than a year before they ever are raced on the track. The deadline is Oct. 1 (more than 15 months before the actual debut), if the production car is already in production, and Jan. 1 (13 months before the debut), if the production car will start being sold in the year the Cup model debuts. A full-scale race car must be submitted to NASCAR by April 1 prior to the year of debut.To accomplish those tasks, an incoming manufacturer likely would have to hire some top personnel away from current NASCAR teams, and that has yet to happen. ' ' '