Some Things Matter More Than Others
Last week was a really fun week for our team and our community. No, we didn't win a state title. Nobody from our team made it to the Olympics. We didn't sign a shoe contract. We did not achieve any of the big tangible things that can seen as traditional hallmarks of success for a running program, but a few fun and notable things did go down.
I (Coach Hershelman) am entering my tenth season coaching at Jefferson Academy. While the pursuit of success in the form of league, regional and state championships remains a piece of what we are looking to do with our team, there are some other notable and significant things that have come along that make us as a coaching staff feel great. I am not big on inspirational quotes, but one that rings true with me came from the American poet Maya Angelou. She said, "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget you you made them feel."
Over the years we have worked with a lot of different athletes. Some fast, some less so. Some tall, some short. Some who do school well, some who have other interests. At the end of the day, whether we win, lose, or draw, we really want to cultivate a community that cares about one another, is mentally and physically healthy, and welcomes everyone, no matter who they are in. The likelihood that we will all agree on politics, religion, or whether or not white running shoes are cool is unlikely. I do hope though that we agree that running is good, community is better, and that we are better together than we are apart.
This is all a lot of big thinking, and probably a little too deep for a blog, so lets take a look at the things that happened last week that are worth more thought in chronological order.
On the morning of Thursday June 7th, pro runner and local legend Scott Fauble came and spoke to a mixture of JAXC team members, alumni and Centaurus XC athletes. We heard a lot of really
interesting insights. One of the topics that I enjoyed hearing about the most from Scott was not the depth of the success that he has enjoyed, but the races that have not been great, and how he has recovered physically and mentally from the various setbacks he has had along the way.
As I have said before, Scott coming to visit our teams started as Coach Rourke from Centaurus and I messing around on Twitter and offering Scott burritos to come talk to our teams. He sent me a direct message and the rest is history.
There was a lot to love that morning, but I think that the thing that I loved the most about the morning was the community aspect of it. Think about it. A pro runner, some running coaches and a bunch of runners got together, some who know each other, and some who don't got together not to run, but to talk about running and how it has played a significant role in their lives. I am not sure that this has happened before in our community. Community feels good, and that is a great piece of what that
looks like. When I drove to the zoo to meet my family afterwards, I think that all the warm fuzzies I had in my tummy were about that.
On the evening of the seventh Coach Witkowski and I met up in Boulder for the Boulder all-comers track meet. For those of you who are not in the know, Boulder Road Runners hosts a series of six track meets throughout the summer, one every other week. Coach Witkowski invited me to come up and run either a 1500 or a 3000 with him "just for fun." In the context of my own racing, I ran a very unsatisfying Bolder Boulder, so I wanted to go drop a PR in the 1500 to make up for it. Note that I have never run a 1500 before, so no matter what transpired, I was gonna run the best 1500 I have ever run.
The last track meet I competed in was May of the year 2000. You read that right, it had been over eighteen years since my last track meet. Sure, Coach Witkowski and I have run a time trial here and there, but I had not been on a track to compete in almost two decades.What I forgot about track meets is that they are really hard, but also really fun. When the gun sounded to start the race, I forgot what a shock to the system it is to run a short track race.
I thought that I would be lucky to run 5:10, but managed a 4:55, gallantly blowing past an 11 year old on the last lap. Coach Witkowski went out pretty hard and ran 4:28, mostly on an island by himself.
I don't know if there were any profound things that came out of going and participating in this track meet, but if there was an important moment, it was that I needed to be reminded again of how hard you all work at track, and how hard racing can be. It really does require a certain amount of bravery to go out and take a chance and compete. At the same token, I was immediately hooked, and signed up to run a track 5k on June 21st.
Finally, on the evening of Friday, the 8th, Mrs. Coach and I were blessed to have the opportunity to attend the wedding of retired JA legend and school record holder, Alexia Chapman. Alexia married a young man named John Cusick. John and Alexia met while running for Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction. From all indications, John was as important to Bayfield High School as Alexia was at JA.
Both John and Alexia had distinguished college running careers that culminated in trips to the NCAA National Championships. Upon finishing at CMU, Alexia moved to California to enter law school and pursue a career as an attorney. I periodically shoot her a text to see how things are going out there. As coaches, there is nothing that we enjoy more than having the opportunity to see you all grow into the best versions of yourselves.
Alexia came along at a really important time for our team. She led with a fiery competitiveness and a compassionate heart. She pushed hard at the boundaries of what had been achieved by our team, and wanted to make sure that we left nothing on the table. Like I am for all of you, I am thankful that she and her family trusted us to be her coaches.
This time that we spend running together is a vapor of what your whole life will be. Please, once you graduate, stay in contact with us. We love celebrating your life milestones with you, whether you are still slaying mileage in your 20s or not. Don't be a stranger.
I (Coach Hershelman) am entering my tenth season coaching at Jefferson Academy. While the pursuit of success in the form of league, regional and state championships remains a piece of what we are looking to do with our team, there are some other notable and significant things that have come along that make us as a coaching staff feel great. I am not big on inspirational quotes, but one that rings true with me came from the American poet Maya Angelou. She said, "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget you you made them feel."
Over the years we have worked with a lot of different athletes. Some fast, some less so. Some tall, some short. Some who do school well, some who have other interests. At the end of the day, whether we win, lose, or draw, we really want to cultivate a community that cares about one another, is mentally and physically healthy, and welcomes everyone, no matter who they are in. The likelihood that we will all agree on politics, religion, or whether or not white running shoes are cool is unlikely. I do hope though that we agree that running is good, community is better, and that we are better together than we are apart.
This is all a lot of big thinking, and probably a little too deep for a blog, so lets take a look at the things that happened last week that are worth more thought in chronological order.
On the morning of Thursday June 7th, pro runner and local legend Scott Fauble came and spoke to a mixture of JAXC team members, alumni and Centaurus XC athletes. We heard a lot of really
As I have said before, Scott coming to visit our teams started as Coach Rourke from Centaurus and I messing around on Twitter and offering Scott burritos to come talk to our teams. He sent me a direct message and the rest is history.
There was a lot to love that morning, but I think that the thing that I loved the most about the morning was the community aspect of it. Think about it. A pro runner, some running coaches and a bunch of runners got together, some who know each other, and some who don't got together not to run, but to talk about running and how it has played a significant role in their lives. I am not sure that this has happened before in our community. Community feels good, and that is a great piece of what that
 |
| When you take a fuzzy and warm it up, and put it in your tummy, that is nice. |
On the evening of the seventh Coach Witkowski and I met up in Boulder for the Boulder all-comers track meet. For those of you who are not in the know, Boulder Road Runners hosts a series of six track meets throughout the summer, one every other week. Coach Witkowski invited me to come up and run either a 1500 or a 3000 with him "just for fun." In the context of my own racing, I ran a very unsatisfying Bolder Boulder, so I wanted to go drop a PR in the 1500 to make up for it. Note that I have never run a 1500 before, so no matter what transpired, I was gonna run the best 1500 I have ever run.
The last track meet I competed in was May of the year 2000. You read that right, it had been over eighteen years since my last track meet. Sure, Coach Witkowski and I have run a time trial here and there, but I had not been on a track to compete in almost two decades.What I forgot about track meets is that they are really hard, but also really fun. When the gun sounded to start the race, I forgot what a shock to the system it is to run a short track race.
I thought that I would be lucky to run 5:10, but managed a 4:55, gallantly blowing past an 11 year old on the last lap. Coach Witkowski went out pretty hard and ran 4:28, mostly on an island by himself.
I don't know if there were any profound things that came out of going and participating in this track meet, but if there was an important moment, it was that I needed to be reminded again of how hard you all work at track, and how hard racing can be. It really does require a certain amount of bravery to go out and take a chance and compete. At the same token, I was immediately hooked, and signed up to run a track 5k on June 21st.
Finally, on the evening of Friday, the 8th, Mrs. Coach and I were blessed to have the opportunity to attend the wedding of retired JA legend and school record holder, Alexia Chapman. Alexia married a young man named John Cusick. John and Alexia met while running for Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction. From all indications, John was as important to Bayfield High School as Alexia was at JA.
Both John and Alexia had distinguished college running careers that culminated in trips to the NCAA National Championships. Upon finishing at CMU, Alexia moved to California to enter law school and pursue a career as an attorney. I periodically shoot her a text to see how things are going out there. As coaches, there is nothing that we enjoy more than having the opportunity to see you all grow into the best versions of yourselves.Alexia came along at a really important time for our team. She led with a fiery competitiveness and a compassionate heart. She pushed hard at the boundaries of what had been achieved by our team, and wanted to make sure that we left nothing on the table. Like I am for all of you, I am thankful that she and her family trusted us to be her coaches.
This time that we spend running together is a vapor of what your whole life will be. Please, once you graduate, stay in contact with us. We love celebrating your life milestones with you, whether you are still slaying mileage in your 20s or not. Don't be a stranger.
Comments
Post a Comment