V is for Victory
How I felt today.
Andy and Austin laughed and me in my very serious moment.
"There's mom with her random statements.." Austin teasingly blurted from the back seat of the car.
"Yup, Nita-isms" Andy added to Austin's joke.
I say it all the time. Knowledge is one of the only things no one can EVER take from you. God gave us a brain, not to abuse, misuse or not use. It is a very powerful tool.
Both my boys have been honor role all year. They work hard. I'm constantly dropping these little one liners.."You get out of it what you put in."
"Austin you should be doing as many sports as you can, It would cost me 50$ a session for a good coach."
My Secret Coach:
I would love the extra cash to pay for a running coach. Someone to hold you accountable, push you to your limits, answer your questions, design running plans, teach you and encourage you to success.
I love to be this person for others. Although, I do not have anything other than a dozen running books and personal experience to offer. This year, I have been asked again to be a coach for our local runner club. I was also very excited to be asked to help coach this years CC team at my sons school.
I have a lot of great running friends that I learn from and Austin is always "Mr. Know It All" when it comes to running these days.
It is just not the same. When Andy didn't work so much he would meet me at the track and time my repeats.
But even Andy is struggling himself with running, listening to his wife's running ramblings isn't a place he is able to go.
I can not even remember how I met Old Timer Jeff. I think at Snap Fitness several years ago. He used to come in, go to the treadmill and talk to everyone. He was always cutting up with the manager, Yusef. I would pretend like I was minding my own business but I would be cracking up at them.
Yeah, as I think back, I think that is how I have gotten to know him.
Most people will see someone running on the TM and if curious at their speed will secretly try to see their digits. Not Jeff, "Hey Nitagirl, What's your Pace?" He would just ask boldly.
The boys and I got to the gym at 9:30 this morning. I was walking to the track when I saw Jeff out of the corner of my eye. "Hey Old MAN, What's up?"
"Hey Nitagirl, Whatcha doin today?"
"I was thinking 2 miles W/U with 400m repeats and 2 miles C/D, I was hoping to get 8 miles in total."
Typical Jeff fashion, he spews all these numbers like a foreign language. I didn't even finish my coffee, I couldn't keep up.
"Ok, so you need to do 8X400m repeats with a 400m recovery in between..."
He walked me out to the track still sharing what my pace should be, what my recovery would be, what my target pace would equate to in a 5k, what my goal marathon time would be and what I had to do to achieve that.
I was trying to catch it all. So many numbers, so much pressure.
It meant a lot to me, I thought of myself like my boys, take everything he is giving you.
He gave me a target number to hit my 400's at.
"I'm going to jump rope, if I get down in time I will come back and watch your times."
"You can't flirt with the track, you must marry it." Bill Easton
I got my first 3 repeats in solo. It was horrible. I wanted to die. The pain was in my gut. My Egg White Delight was surfacing, in my grit I swallowed it down.
I Prayed, "OH, GOD, Make it not hurt so bad.."
Then I saw Jeff standing by the fence watching the big overhead clock.
"Buckle Down Anita, Turn them over." The voices in my head screamed. I was gasping for breath on a fast break to the end of my 400m.
I tried to smile but I couldn't even breath. I wanted to blow chunks. I tried to locate the garbage's.
He never left. He just kept watching the clock waiting for me suck up the pain and RUN.
On the 7th one, I went whining to him. "It's bad, I am so bad, It hurts...."
"Nita, your doing it, Don't stop, keep your legs moving.." He pushed me back unto the track."
I finished all of them. He was waiting for his wife so he walked unto the track to share his thoughts of my Suck.
"You did a fine job today, that was a hard work out..."
I thought 800's were hard, I was wrong. I know I am slower these days, I know I am older these days and I know I am even whinier, but that totally SUCKED.
But it Sucked in Such a Good way.
I was so grateful that Jeff took the time to coach me and share his knowledge and experience.
"The coaches main job is 20% technical, 80% inspirational." Franz Stampfl
Anita
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