The Beast Returns

Monday afternoon after baseball practice, JP changed out of his baseball uniform and into running shorts and an MBA singlet and walked over to the track to compete in the Freshman Metro Championships.  Like Superman, I guess.

JP was scheduled to run the 1600 (mile) first, followed by the 800 (half mile), sometime around 6 p.m.  As I arrived at MBA after grabbing a quick cup of late afternoon coffee from Dose, I was nervous, as I always am when JP runs.  The weather was perfect, a spring evening that almost felt like a fall evening.  Deep blue sky withe slightest chill in the air.

Along with playing baseball, JP has been running close to 20 miles a week.  As near as I can tell, he runs one day during the week and Saturday and Sunday.  His fitness level is high but still, I had no idea how he would fare against other freshman who have been training and running exclusively for track all spring.  The uncertainty added to my nervousness, I think.

I walked down to the track for the start of the 1600 because I like to be by myself when JP races.  No distractions.  No exchanging niceties with other parents.  All of that can come later.  Just a silent prayer or two, then I watch the race.  Alone.

When the race started, JP settled comfortably into the middle of the pack on the first lap.  Midway through the second lap, his freshman teammate, Gabe, was running first and JP settled in right behind him.  At that point, it was pretty clear that Gabe and JP were racing each other, not the rest of the field.  Something tells me that may be the case in a lot of races over the next few years.  

At some point on the third lap, JP passed Gabe and moved into the lead.  He looked good as he always does when he races, running easily and naturally with his shoulders back and his head high.  Watching him run is akin to a religious experience to me.  It's beautiful.  

He pulled away from Gabe just a bit on the fourth lap and as the boys turned the corner from home, it looked to me like JP had enough to win the race.  He did, finishing ahead of game by a couple of seconds.  Gabe is an amazing runner, to be sure, and having run the 3200 in a track meet the previous Friday undoubtedly affected his finishing kick.  JP and Gabe finished 1 and 2 for MBA, which proved to be significant in the overall team scoring.

JP ran a 4:37, which is really strong.

Immediately after the race, I could tell JP was fired up, which Ioved.  He was talking to himself a little bit, then yelled something to no one in particular.  It was like an engine cooling down after running a full throttle.    

As Coach Russ and I discussed after the 1600, the hardest thing about this particular meet for JP and Gabe is that because there are no girls' races and no 350 hurdles, the 800 is run less than 20 minutes after the 1600.  In other words, it's very, very tough on runners who are running both events, because there is so little time to recover from one race to the next.  Also, there was a tall, lanky boy from MLK running in the 800 - a strong runner - who didn't run in the 1600, so he would be fresh and ready to go.

Again, I stood by myself along the outside of the track, near the starting line, when the starter fired his pistol in the air to begin the 800.  Suddenly, at the first turn, a couple of runners in the middle of the pack cut inside too soon and a runner fell in front of JP.  JP fell over that runner and landed on the track, scraping his arm and hip.  Gabe, running behind JP, tried to leap over the runner on the ground.  Unfortunately, the runner on the ground tried to get up as Gabe was leaping over him, causing Gabe to somersault onto the track, landing on his left forearm.  

The starter fired his pistol again and stopped the race as the trainer attended to Gabe, who was lying on the track in obvious pain.  As JP walked by me and nodded, I could tell he was pissed.  I've seen that look before and it gave me an idea of what likely to follow as the runner lined up to restart the race without Gabe, who was unable to race.  

As the starter fired his pistol for the second time to begin the 800, JP quickly surged to the lead early in the first of two laps.  By the beginning of the second lap, I could tell no one was catching him.  Not today.  When he made the final turn on the home stretch, he turned on the gas and considerably lengthened the gap between himself and the MLK runner, who didn't have anything for him.  I was stunned as I watched JP sprinting down the home stretch.  

The beast returns.

JP ran angry in the 800, not unlike the 8th grade cross country race at Ensworth a couple of years ago, when one of his USN rivals apparently talked a little trash before the race.  JP ran that race going away, too, because he was running angry.  

I'm not sure where all of this is going but is sure is fun to watch JP race.  It's also fun to watch him play baseball, which is what I'll be doing this afternoon in the first game of the junior varsity baseball tournament.  

In the end, MBA's freshman won the Metro Championship by .667 of point.  Quite a day.