Tomorrow is a big day for JP. It's the first race of MBA's cross country season, as the varsity races in the Chickasaw Trails Invitational in Oakville, AL. As a freshman, it's the first race of his high school cross country career. He's excited and so am I.
Excited for me and excited for JP are two different things. I'm loud, expressive, emotional, verbal, and enthusiastic. I think it's pretty easy for other to gauge my mood. JP is not like that at all. He's quiet, contemplative, driven, and reserved. What we share, though, is a fierce competitiveness and a burning desire to win in everything we do.
He's ready for this race and the cross country season. He's put in the work, all on his own with no encouragement or reminders from Jude or me. Up at 6 a.m. this summer for four or five mile runs in the morning. He's been a regular at all of the MBA team's daily preseason runs at Vaughn Creek in Warner Park. He runs with the first or second group at practice after school and he's run on weekends on his own.
For me, a lifelong runner, it's been cool to see him broaden his running horizons and let his runs take him all over town. He ran five miles before school yesterday because he had a doctor's appointment in the afternoon and would miss practice. On our drive to school later in the morning, he told me he ran down to the Gulch and back. He's grown from one or two regular routes in the neighborhood a year ago to having routes all over 12South, Belmont, Green Hills, Vanderbilt, the Gulch, and downtown. It's pretty cool.
JP is so dedicated. His work ethic is unparalleled. He's serious about his business. Always. Whether it's running, studying, hitting, he's going to get after it and work hard. Every day. That's just who he is.
I'm driving down to Decatur, AL, tonight, where I'll stay. I think the hotel is 30 minutes or so from Oakville Indian Mounds Park, where the cross country races will be held. For a minute, Jude and Joe were going to come, too, but they're going to stay home. I'm kind of glad to be flying solo on this one - not because I don't want them there - I do, but watching JP run is such a personal thing to me. I feel like it's something we share. Something that binds us in a way.
I get so nervous - anxious, really - before he runs that I wouldn't be very good company. Not before his first race, especially. There are going to be a lot of emotions for me to process over the next 24 hours and I think I'll be better able to do that on my own.
As Jude mentioned last night, JP seems to really enjoy his MBA cross country teammates and being part of this team. As a father, that's a good thing to see, for sure. I know he likes being a part of something that's bigger than himself. It was the same this summer, when he played baseball for HBC. He loved being a part of the team. That's just part of who JP is, in my view.
On the drive to school this morning, we talked about tomorrow's race. I told him he'd put the work in and that he was ready. I reminded him it was just one race among many he had ahead of him and not to make it more than it is. I also reminded him not to make the moment too big but to be bigger than the moment. Have fun, run your race, and go get it.
Off he goes.
No comments:
Post a Comment