I ended the day on the back deck with Jude in the dying twilight, sipping a Calumet Farms 15 (bourbon) over one big rock, reminiscing about a day with our boys that will go down in the books as one of my favorites.
I arrived in Decatur, AL Friday night after a long, frustrating day at work. JP's MBA cross country was set to run in the inaugural race of the nascent cross country season, the Chickasaw Trails Invitational on Saturday morning. Last year, the boys surprised everyone, including Coach Russ, by placing second out of 40 + teams. I think the team's performance in that race caused everyone - coaches, parents, and runners - to reevaluate the team's potential in a season that, ultimately, ended in Portland, OR, at the NXN Nationals. Suffice to say I love the Chickasaw Trails Invitational.
As I walked outside yesterday morning a little past 6 a.m. to begin loading my truck, it was still dark and the weather was brisk. Overcast, with temperatures in the low high '50's or low '60's. Fall! Perfect running weather and quite the contrast to last year's weather at the same event, when it was hot and the course was as dusty as Bonnaroo at the Farm in June.
The Oakville Indian Mounds Park is a 30 minute drive away, so I left right at 6:30 p.m. I wanted to beat traffic, so my plan was to arrive well in advance of the first race of the morning at 8:25 a.m. (the girls' small school race). JP's race - the boys' large school 5K - followed at 8:55 a.m. I knew I had to leave almost immediately after JP's race to drive back and coach Joe's Dodgers' doubleheader in Nolensville at 1:00 and 3:00 p.m.
My plan worked to perfection and I was parked and walking into the park more than an hour before the first race. There are two sections of the park where schools and parents set up tents for the runners. Some have quite the setup with two or three large tents, bench seating camping chairs, etc. Others, like MBA and McCallie, have more utilitarian setups. One small tent, a tarp on the ground, and no camping chairs. The Big Red needs to up its tent game, in my view, but JP apparently prefers the more spartan setup.
I paced the grounds nervously before the race, as I always do. I walked by the USN tent and many others before I found the MBA tent on the side near the starting line. I dropped of a Yeti cooler full of Gatorade and bottled water on ice. The boys were laying around, relaxing, before the girls' small school race, all with AirPods in as they listened to music. The coaches and a few of the parents were milling about, as well. One of JP's teammates nudged him and he looked up, saw me, and stood up. I fist bumped him, asked how he felt, and told him to have fun and run his race. I fist bumped his other varsity teammates and left to walk around some more.
Before races, I don't hang around the MBA tent. I want to give JP the space he needs to get mentally and emotionally ready to race. I think he needs that time and space. I also don't want my nervous energy rubbing off on him or any of his teammates. Other parents do it differently, which is fine. That's just my way.
After the girls' small school race started, the boys' large school teams began staking out their positions on the starting line, getting loose, and meeting with their coaches for the final time before the race. As the minutes ticked down to race time, my nervous energy hit a high point. It was hard to sit still. That's one of the many cool things about a cross country race, actually - the nervous energy and adrenaline are palpable before the race starts. The runners feel it. The coaches feel it. The parents feel it. It's heavy in the air.
I decided to hang with Coach Russ during the race and to run with him to various points along the course to cheer on the boys. He knows the course much better than I do, obviously, and I figured I could help him encourage the boys as they ran by us.
Before the starter fired his pistol, Coach Russ and I headed for the one mile mark. We had to cross a narrow bridge, which was bottlenecked with other spectators who had the same idea, but we made it to the other side in plenty of time to stake out our spot. At the one mile mark, Jack Bowen from McCallie - an outstanding runner - was comfortably in the lead. To my relief, JP was running with Jack Wallace in the top 15, with Gabe close behind them. JP looked good. Strong. Determined.
Coach Russ and I hustled through the woods to get to the two mile mark. When the leaders rounded the corner, Jack Bowen was still in the lead, but Jack and JP had moved into the top six or seven. Wow!
Next, Coach Russ and I ran, literally ran, to the last run by the finish line, arriving just before the lead group. Jack Bowen had fallen into second place as he rounded the turn where I stood. About 10 second behind him, I saw Jack Wallace make the turn, then I saw JP. He was ten yards or so behind Jack, in fourth place. Fourth place! I cheered for him as he turned the corner right in front of me. I could tell he was spent, although his form was good.
He ran the 100 yards or so down the home stretch, amidst the cheers from spectators, and finished the 5K course in 15:29:35, a PR! Fourth place out of 227 runners. The fastest among sophomores or juniors. To put it succinctly, JP ran one helluva race. It was a fantastic start to the season for him.
Jack Wallace finished the race in 15:18:23, also a PR. I believe he broke the MBA school record, too. In fact, all of the varsity runners ran PR's, which is remarkable. The boys finished in third place overall, behind McCallie (first place) and Vestavia Hills (second place).
I found JP shortly after the race, hugged him, and talked with him. I was right. He was hurting the last half mile, maybe the most he's hurt during a race. I think that's one of the things that makes him a special runner, though. The willingness to run through the pain and to push his body to the limit. That's what he did in his first 2-mile race at USN's River Campus in 100 + degree heat - when the beast was born - and it's what he continues to do now, three years later.
He was pleased and I was pleased for him. As a father, what I want to see for both of my boys is for hard work to be rewarded. JP worked his ass off all summer long. Running, running, and running. He was ready for the race on Saturday. His hard work paid off.
JP and Gabe after the race.
JP and Jack Wallace, after placing fourth and third out of 227 runners.
One last photo before the team cool down run.
After the race was over, I walked with JP back to the MBA tent. He was relaxed. Relieved. I was just happy, for him and the team. I talked to his coaches and few of the parents, then congratulated the rest of the team. As the boys left for their cool down run, I slipped away and walked to my truck as the boys' JV race was about to start. I needed to get on the road and to Nolensville, so I could coach Joe's WNSL Dodgers against Nolensville in their first doubleheader of the fall baseball season.
The drive back was uneventful, as I decompressed after the race and looked forward to coaching Joe and his teammates on the baseball diamond. Strangely, of all of the baseball fields I've coached or watched the boys play on throughout Middle Tennessee over the years, I had never been to the Nolensville baseball fields. The night before, I had texted the Nolensville coach, confirmed the address for the ballpark, and texted it to the parents.
When I arrived shortly after noon, I noticed our field was locked with signs up to keep players off the infield. A younger team had slipped into left field and was warming up on the grass. I telephoned Nolensville's coach and confirmed I was in the right place. As my Dodgers trickled in, I handed out jerseys and hats. Dodger Blue, just like the old days. They looked damn good on my boys, too!
The weather was stunning. Blue skies. Cooler temperatures, but not too cool. Fall baseball weather. A perfect Saturday!
What a gift of a day for me. Watching JP run, and run well, in a cross country meet in Danville, AL, then coaching Joe and my guys a doubleheader in Nolensville. Top 10 day, for sure, and one I will remember for a long time. I was overwhelmed with a sense of gratitude for the life I have and for the sense of contentment I felt all day long. I was, just . . . happy, which was so nice on the heels of a Black Friday.
That's why I always say, "the sun always comes out after the rain." And it does. Every single time, in a faith restoring way.
Joe's Dodgers fell behind early, as Bennett struggled a bit on the mound. Batting in the two hole, I gave Joe the bunt sign. I had suggested he bunt it down the third base line. Instead, he bunted it toward first base. Not a bad bunt but the pitcher easily threw him out. As it turned out, he couldn't handle the pitch well enough to get a bunt down toward third base. I told him to pull the bat back next time. It's all about learning. That's the best part, I think.
When Bennett ran out of gas, I brought Joe to pitch, my though being to save Harper and Keaton, my strongest pitchers, for the the second game. I needed Joe to put out the fire, as he came in with the bases loaded. He struggled with his control and walked in a run, then gave up a hit that allowed a second run to score. At that point, the boys were down 4 or 5 - 1.
Joe pitched better the next inning, as he seemed to find his rhythm. Pitching on the big field - 90 feet away from home plate - is not joke. It's different, to be sure, from pitching on the smaller baseball field. In the top of the last inning, Nolensville ran out out of pitching and Joe's Dodgers scored several runs. Joe shut Nolensville down in the bottom of the last inning, striking out the first two batters, and retiring the last batter when Harper made a solid play on a ground ball to third base. The final was an 8 - 5 win for the Dodgers.
Game 2 was uneventful. Keaton, a crafty lefty, pitched as well as I've ever seen him pitch. Harper, another of my big boys, relieved Keaton and retired the side in the last inning. Another Dodgers' victory, 7 - 2, and a doubleheader sweep. Quite the debut for the Dodgers, although the Nolensville team, in truth, was not very good. Still, their players were older than ours, and my boys played very well defensively. The hitting will come around.
Late in the second game, Paul caught a fly ball in left field, and our fans erupted in cheers for him. I walked out of the first base dugout, clapping and cheering for him. Paul's a great boy. Small, a little timid, but he loves baseball. I've taken a special interest in him, as I often do with a player or two that I think needs it. I'm determined for him to have a good experience this fall playing baseball and so far, he is.
Really, that one play was what coaching baseball is all about for me. Not the wins and not necessarily how Joe plays - although that is important - but watching a more inexperienced player make a play and see him congratulated and cheered by his teammates. Way to go Paul!
I drove home after the game. While Joe took a shower, I sat down on our back deck and had a bourbon. One rock. Jude and I talked quietly as the sun set on one of my favorite Saturdays ever.
Sometimes it feels so good to be alive.
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