Ladies,
The final race has come and gone. The only bit of business left to conduct for this season is the banquet. That will be Monday, November 3rd. Admission is one uniform. Please, let's get these in right away. No need to drag this out!
Back to the event today...
We arrived early, as I hoped. As providence would have it, the Salem tent was directly in front of us. This was the perfect opportunity to complete one item of business for the day - give Sydney her shirt. You recall the Sydney shirt? The pink jersey I bought to represent Sydney in daily runs? I thought it would be a perfect gesture to present it to her with an explanation of what it was for. It was an honor to be thought of that way, even if it seemed a little odd. For Sydney's part she took it exactly as I hoped... she thought it was funny and really appreciated the respect we have for her and her running.
The race wouldn't start until 12:30, which concerned me... it was warm and would certainly get warmer. Joslyn in particular does not run well in the heat. Beyond that was concern about taper. Ours was for last week, and as short as our base miles were, it could not extend long. I guess I hoped adrenaline would overcome some of this, but I didn't feel there was a strong possibility of improving times under the conditions.
My instructions were simple; make this something you can live with. Don't do it for me, or your parents, or even for puppies (inside joke), do this in a way you can look back on it later and be satisfied - no, happy - with your effort. If that meant going out with the leaders for as long as you can, fine. If you want to stay within reasonable parameters I will give you, fine. There is no team here, there is no one you can hurt. Run this for you.
The girls started out very reasonably. Joslyn was at 6:15, Carrie at 6:27. I would probably call these about right. Unfortunately, they could not hold the pace. Joslyn wound up at 20:50 (6:42) and Carrie at 22:07 (7:07). Simply put, it was one race too many for the taper. We had to taper for last week in order to get the team out. It was a gamble, and we lost. The result was our girls today are past peak and didn't have the gas to push on. Recovery starts after a peak, whether you like it or not.
I am not ashamed, nor am I upset about anything today. Quite the contrary. It was actually a great day. Two of our girls made appearances. Both placed well (Joslyn 69th, Carrie 122nd). We had great support from our team and our parents. The atmosphere was top-notch. No, we didn't have the whole team, but the team was there and got to see what it was like, and if they are willing, had at hand a perfect example of perseverance.
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Sydney.
Sydney is a senior. She has been the anchor for Salem for four years, but it hasn't been smooth sailing. She spent all of last year hurt. Her team was down, she was down, and it would have been easy to walk off. Many meets they didn't have enough girls to score. Same for this year too. She stuck with it anyway. Why? Only she can tell you, but she did, and ultimately her persistence paid off. We were standing next to her and her family when the individual call downs happened for advancement to State. Name after name came and went, and I was thinking, "Oh... too many names, she's not going to get called." On the tenth and final name, the announcer called, "Sydney Calhoun!"
This was a reward four years in the making. Through all the injuries, the team turmoil, the ups and downs, Sydney always fought with class. In the end, at the last possible moment, it all came together. That ladies and gentlemen is faith in action.
It is a lesson from today worth remembering. We have great girls. We have talent. We have to have the faith to keep working at it, and let nothing get in the way. It may take up to the very last second, but our reward will be there if can stay the course.
The final race has come and gone. The only bit of business left to conduct for this season is the banquet. That will be Monday, November 3rd. Admission is one uniform. Please, let's get these in right away. No need to drag this out!
Back to the event today...
We arrived early, as I hoped. As providence would have it, the Salem tent was directly in front of us. This was the perfect opportunity to complete one item of business for the day - give Sydney her shirt. You recall the Sydney shirt? The pink jersey I bought to represent Sydney in daily runs? I thought it would be a perfect gesture to present it to her with an explanation of what it was for. It was an honor to be thought of that way, even if it seemed a little odd. For Sydney's part she took it exactly as I hoped... she thought it was funny and really appreciated the respect we have for her and her running.
The race wouldn't start until 12:30, which concerned me... it was warm and would certainly get warmer. Joslyn in particular does not run well in the heat. Beyond that was concern about taper. Ours was for last week, and as short as our base miles were, it could not extend long. I guess I hoped adrenaline would overcome some of this, but I didn't feel there was a strong possibility of improving times under the conditions.
My instructions were simple; make this something you can live with. Don't do it for me, or your parents, or even for puppies (inside joke), do this in a way you can look back on it later and be satisfied - no, happy - with your effort. If that meant going out with the leaders for as long as you can, fine. If you want to stay within reasonable parameters I will give you, fine. There is no team here, there is no one you can hurt. Run this for you.
The girls started out very reasonably. Joslyn was at 6:15, Carrie at 6:27. I would probably call these about right. Unfortunately, they could not hold the pace. Joslyn wound up at 20:50 (6:42) and Carrie at 22:07 (7:07). Simply put, it was one race too many for the taper. We had to taper for last week in order to get the team out. It was a gamble, and we lost. The result was our girls today are past peak and didn't have the gas to push on. Recovery starts after a peak, whether you like it or not.
I am not ashamed, nor am I upset about anything today. Quite the contrary. It was actually a great day. Two of our girls made appearances. Both placed well (Joslyn 69th, Carrie 122nd). We had great support from our team and our parents. The atmosphere was top-notch. No, we didn't have the whole team, but the team was there and got to see what it was like, and if they are willing, had at hand a perfect example of perseverance.
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Sydney.
Sydney is a senior. She has been the anchor for Salem for four years, but it hasn't been smooth sailing. She spent all of last year hurt. Her team was down, she was down, and it would have been easy to walk off. Many meets they didn't have enough girls to score. Same for this year too. She stuck with it anyway. Why? Only she can tell you, but she did, and ultimately her persistence paid off. We were standing next to her and her family when the individual call downs happened for advancement to State. Name after name came and went, and I was thinking, "Oh... too many names, she's not going to get called." On the tenth and final name, the announcer called, "Sydney Calhoun!"
This was a reward four years in the making. Through all the injuries, the team turmoil, the ups and downs, Sydney always fought with class. In the end, at the last possible moment, it all came together. That ladies and gentlemen is faith in action.
It is a lesson from today worth remembering. We have great girls. We have talent. We have to have the faith to keep working at it, and let nothing get in the way. It may take up to the very last second, but our reward will be there if can stay the course.
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