I missed his first cross county meet - at USN's River Campus - but was tickled to death when he finished 7th out of 35 or 40 5th and 6th grade boys. A couple of his soccer teammates finished ahead of him and another one of his buddies passed him at the end, which kind of pissed him off. Still, a great first cross country meet. He really wanted me to watch his next meet and, fortunately, I was able to get over there this past Tuesday and damn, am I glad I did.
Running is something I know and know well, of course, since I've been a serious runner for more than 30 years. I've run in a million road races of all shapes and sizes, a handful of trail races and a few marathons. I don't race as much these days but there was a time when in almost every race I ran, I tried to set a P.R. (personal record). At the very least, I was conscious of the time I wanted to run and more than willing to put my body through hell - runner's hell - to get the time I wanted. In short, I know what it's like to run and to race.
I arrived at the River Campus a half hour or so before the race and was able to talk briefly with J.P. as he warmed up with his USN teammates. It was deathly hot, at least 95 degrees. I thought about pulling J.P. aside and giving him some advice on running in the heat, running a negative split and finishing strong but I decided against it. He seemed focused before what would only be his second race. Better to let him run his race, future out what works and what doesn't and we could talk about it afterwards if he wanted to.
As I walked over to a good viewing spot in the early part of the course, I realized I was nervous. I've coached or watched J.P. play a thousand baseball, basketball or soccer games, and I don't think I've ever been nervous, for him or me. I think perhaps it's because I could identify with everything he was feeling - everything - as he stood at the starting line waiting for the starter to fire his pistol.
Suddenly, I heard the shot and the boys were off. USN, Oak Hill School and FRA. As the boys made the first turn and headed down a straight stretch toward me, I had my camera ready. J.P. was in the second group, in the top 10. He looked good and strong, as I snapped a few photos.
After J.P. passed by, I hurried across the parking lot to get a look at the boys as they approached the halfway point of the 1 1/2 mile race. I cheered for J.P. as he ran by, now in 5th or 6th place. I walked back across the parking lot to my first viewing spot and waited for what seemed like forever until, finally, the leaders came into view. A USN 6th grader - who is a stud - was in first, followed closely by a big Oak Hill boy. Next, came J.P.'s classmate, Abe, a tall, redheaded hockey player who is a surprisingly good runner, and another boy. A boy from another school was running just behind Abe.
All alone in 5th place was J.P., although a smaller boy from Oak Hill was about 10 yards behind him.
It's difficult for me to explain my emotions as I watched J.P. run. I was nervous. Proud. Excited. Anxious. It was intense, for me.
J.P. looked good. Very focused. I knew he was in pain because I've been right where he was, many times. And it was really, really hot.
After he ran by, I hustled across to the finish line. As J.P. made the final turn and ran down the straightaway toward the finish line, I could see the Oak Hill boy trying desperately to catch him. My heart was pounding - yes, pounding - as I yelled to J.P. to pick it up and finish strong.
And that's exactly what he did. He pulled away from the Oak Hill boy and finished the race in 5th place. He cut a little more than 30 seconds off his time in the previous race in much hotter conditions. Damn, I was - and am - so proud of him.
He was in obvious distress immediately after the race, so I walked over to him and put my arm around him. He leaned on me and told me he was in pain, that his stomach hurt. "I know, buddy," I said. "I know. Let's walk a bit and you'll feel better in a minute."
We walked together, J.P. leaning on me, two runners. One older, who has run many races and one younger, who had just run his second race. It was one of those snapshot moments that I'll remember for the rest of my life.
I asked him later that night - because I was curious - what he was thinking as he ran toward the end of the race. "I just didn't want anyone to pass me, Dad," he said. You're damn right, I thought.
I've watched J.P. close out baseball games on the pitching mound, striking out boys much bigger than him. I've seen him have walk off hits to win games and I've seen him make defensive plays at shortstop or second base to end games. I've seen him win a state tournament and the make the state tournament all-tournament game. I've seen J.P. take over soccer games with his aggressive and goal scoring. I've seen J.P. score baskets in basketball games and play good defense.
Still, I'm not sure I've ever been as proud of him as I was on Tuesday, watching him finish that cross country race in 5th place. It was amazing.
Running has been such a big part of my life for son long. It's part of who I am and what I do. I think and hope it always will be. So, to see him run - and compete - took my breath away. His focus. His determination. His perseverance. His courage.
I'll never forget it.
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