Joe Gets it Done

One of the most beautiful things about having two boys, four years apart, is getting to do everything a second time.  

I appreciate things more the second time around, I think.  I savor more, too.  Things like coaching Joe in baseball.  Watching Joe play basketball.  Throwing batting practice to Joe.  

So much of this, for me, is about the joy my boys bring to my life  every single day.  That's what fatherhood is, I think.  My life has been enriched beyond belief by JP and Joe.  I simply can't imagine what my life would have been like without them in it.  It's unfathomable.

Before Joe's first ever cross country meet on Thursday, I tweeted the following:

It's not often that I get to see Joe, 11, do something for the very first time.  This afternoon, I'm going to watch him run his first cross country race for @USNXC.  That's pretty awesome.

And you know what?  It was exactly that and more.  Pretty awesome.

I left work early and arrived at USN's River Camps - the site of some of JP's biggest cross country triumphs as a 7th and 8th grader - in time to see the boys' middle school varsity race (7th and 8th graders).  Amazing finish, as an MBA runner - Wyatt Self - caught a USN runner in the last 10 yards of the race to win.  Inspiring finish.  

It was hot but it could have been hotter.  When I found Joe warming up before the race, he was, well, Joe.  Not nervous.  Smiling and laughing with her friends.  Blissfully unaware of what lay ahead of him, which is precisely the way it should be.  

Running, and racing, is about discovery and learning . . . about your body, about pain and your ability to withstand it, about finding the ability to summon reserves of strength, about determination and stamina, about learning not to quit.  It's about all of those things and many more.  This I know.  

It was important - no, it was necessary - for Joe to begin to learn those things on his own during the 1 1/2 mile race.  That's why I demurred when he asked me if I had any race strategies or race tips.  Right now, he's a blank slate as a runner and it's up to him to gather information and fill in some of the blank space.  That's the way I see it, anyway.

As I've written in this space before, I get more nervous before JP's cross country meets than any sport either of the boys play.  Thursday felt a little different, though, and I was determined not to be as nervous because, well, most of the kids are 10 and 11.  There seemed to be a little less at stake than in a middle school varsity race.  Did I succeed?  Partially, though I was still nervous.

The horn sounded and off they went.  As is my wont at cross country meets, I stood away from everyone else, alone, to wait for Joe to cross the quarter mile mark.  I never stand anywhere near the starting line.  Too many people.  Too much nervous energy.

As the lead runners made the turn around the fence on the outside of the USN track, I saw two boys running toward me dressed in red singlets.  Covenant Presbyterian Runners.  Running fast, side by side, looking strong.  Looking good.  And then, I saw him.

Joe!

In third place, 10 feet or so behind the leaders.  

Oh, shit, I thought.  Here we go again.  How?  Why?  Another runner.  So many thoughts.  So many emotions.  Pride.  Joy.  Anxiety.  Love.  An overwhelming sense of love.  My adrenaline kicked in and my heart started pounding.  

As Joe passed by me, staring straight ahead, I realized I had seen that look before.  That exact look.  Determined.  Driven.  I'd see the same look in JP's face as he ran the same path, literally and figuratively, that Joe was running on at the River Campus.  

The pace is a little quick for Joe, I thought.  It's hot and I'm not sure he can hold it for 1 1/2 miles.  That's what we're here to find out, though.

I jogged across the parking lot to get to the three quarters of a mile mark.  Veteran move.  I was the first parent there.  As the runner turned slightly right and ran toward where I was standing, I saw the to Covenant Runners still ahead.  I young lady, also running for Covenant, passed Joe as I watched.  She looked like a real runner.  I love it, at that age, when the girls run up front with the boys.  

As Joe ran by me, I could see he was starting to fade a bit.  I knew he'd gone out too fast for his fitness level.  It's one of the many lessons he would learn in his first cross country race.  I cheered for him, loudly.  Encouraged him.  

On the back side of the course, I saw two more runners catch Joe.  One was his USN friend, Bennett.  Tall, thin, good runner.  The other was a small boy from Overbook.  

I jogged back across the parking lot and stood behind the tennis courts to wait for the runner to get to the one a quarter mile mark.  The home stretch.  All three Covenant runners were running together, with the young lady in third behind the two boys.  

When I saw Joe approaching, I could tell he was struggling.  Tired.  Hurting.  Fighting it.

A runner.

I shouted encouragement to Joe as he passed by, then made quick note of the runners behind him in 7th and 8th place.  They were a ways back but closing on him.

I jogged past the pavilion and waited for the runners to clear the track, round the curve, and run to the finish line.  Not surprisingly, the two Covenant boys finished 1st and 2nd, with the young lady from Covenant placing a strong 3rd.  I expect big things from her in the future.  Bennent, from USN, and the Overbook boy finished 4th and 5th respectively.

I saw Joe round the curve and immediately saw that the two runners behind him were closing rapidly with their sights on catching and passing Joe before the finish line.  Nope, not happening, not without a fight, I decided.  

I jogged down toward the final turn, yelled for Joe, who looked up at me.

"Pick it up!  Finish strong!  Two runner closing on you!"  I shouted.

With a burst of energy I wasn't sure he had, Joe sprinted toward the finish line and easily claimed 6th place.  Jude and her parents watch him run by, cheering for him.

I got to Joe right as he finished, not quite sure what to expect.  He was breathing hard and tired but not exhausted.  Most importantly, he was happy.  He began congratulating teammates as they finished, taking a page out of JP's book.  I got him a cup of water, poured some of it on his head to cool him off, then let him mingle with his friends and fellow runners.  

First race.  Great race.