Seasons fleeting...

With the New Year looming in the wings, I felt that I should close out 2009 with a summary of the fall cross country season.

The music died in a way for my little cross country team soon after my last post. What started out to be a very promising *team* season, turned out to be a season of great individual acheivement for the players of a non-scoring team as well as opportunity for adjustment and growth for me as their coach.

After a series of blows ranging from the declaration of a wildly talented kid that "she just didn't enjoy running" to a #2 kid who moved, to a #4 kid who wouldn't run because #2 was her best friend, to #3 who, in a collegiate high school program, had to take evening classes (we practice in the evenings), to our number 5 who nearly lost her right eye when a car she was traveling in was hit by a drunk driver, we were left as a core *team* of 3.

When the dust settled, our "new" number 1 was a talent, but was also celebrating the anniversary of three weeks of ceasing a cigaratte smoking habit late in July. Our #2 was a kid who had barely broken the 28 minute (5k)barrier last season, and our #3, a newbie running, squeaked a sub 10 minute mile for the 1st time in late August.

The disappointment of not fielding a scoring team was soon forgotten as I got to know the kids that stuck it out and this ultimately turned out to be the most personally rewarding coaching experience I've had to date. The 3 kids left at the end of the season bought in to what I sold. They were fun loving, tough little customers who had to be reeled back in on several occasions for (my) fear of running themselves into overtraining injuries or comas. They ran with me 4 nights a week, on Saturday mornings, and very often joined me and Robin at 7 am on Sunday for our "long run" (which was amended to 8 miles maximum to suit their low mileage training) As a result, each of them ran injury free and much faster than they had anticipated in the 7 some odd races they ran during that 7 week period. The season ended all too quickly (as always), leaving the kids all fitnessed up with nowhere to go.

Without the structure of scheduled practices, they soon lost the habit of running as you might imagine. The earlier sunset in fall usually signals the end of outside running for the girls. I understand this. Their folks don't run or bike to lend them a safe companion and there is no way in hell I'd ever let my daughters run in broad daylight without an adult by their side, let alone in the darkness.

We had a reunion of sorts, running the local Turkey Trot in our matching team tees and had a blast, finishing in the 25+ minute range (about 3 minutes slower than their peak performances just a few weeks prior). And they are dears about keeping in touch, asking if there will be any winter "practice" (the answer is no), wishing Merry Christmas, and when I'm lucky joining my loose consortium of broken down old guys for a Sunday morning run.

Each May I preach to them how quickly the racing season will be upon us and how quickly it will end and each year I'm met with tears and disbelief when they realize how true that is. But that is the order of things I guess. And as time has passed I find that I can't recall who ran for me when and who graduated when and I find myself sitting at a church watching "kids" that I've coached exchanging wedding vows.

I wonder if I might still be running when its time to coach their kids through high school cross country in 15-20 years. Probably not. And I guess that is the order of things, too.