Coaching Joy

This time of year I am consistently overwhelmed with fulfillment and joy. Largely this is due to coaching.  My passion is coaching runners but I also love coaching gymnasts. Saturday was National Gymnastics Day and during all the events at Glory, I had to step in and coach.  Recently I've had to pull back from my coaching duties at the gym because I was just doing too much and getting overwhelmed... To the point that it was affecting my mental health.  So my husband fired me.  Sounds harsh, but it was a beautiful gift. He knew my sense of responsibility and loyalty would never allow me to step away, so he made the decision for me. (These situations are great examples of why God made the man the head of the house) Anyway, I've been away from coaching gymnasts and it was fun to get to step in and coach some super cool young girls on Saturday. Yet I'm thankful for the extra time and energy I get to put into my XC team this season. Last year, in trying to coach so many teams and teach, no one got my best.  This year I feel like I can give my runners the coach they deserve. 

Currently we are ranked 5th in our division in the state.  And not because of talent... These guys work their butts off.  They get up and run before school, then endure killer practices after school. Today was their first day off since Labor Day.  Last night they ran 15 miles. These are some of my favorite parts of the season so far:

"THAT'S IT?"  This has become the catch phrase of the season. (Better than 2 years ago when it was 'that's what she said') Every time I give a task at practice, I will inevitably hear from someone on the team: 'that's it?' You have 15 miles this Saturday: 'that's it?' You have 12 400s in under 1:00: 'that's it?' You have 5 800s in under 2:45 with 10 hill sprints in between each: 'that's it?' And the funny thing is, in their heads I know they're thinking 'holy crap how am I going to do this?'  But they are refusing to admit weakness. They are positioning themselves to take on more. This is beautiful to a coach. I get the pleasure of helping them discover that their limits are far beyond what they originally thought.

Relying on God.  Last year after asking how they felt after an extremely hard workout, one of my runners (currently my number 1 this year) said "I don't see how I'm not sore, I guess God's been really nice to me and does practically everything in practice for me" (a freshman said that).  This week, one of my sophomores said something similar. After Wednesdays level 9 workout(I rank my workouts so the kids know what they're accomplishing) this runner said 'coach, gotta be honest, I didn't think I could do today, so I prayed and I told God he was gonna have to do it.' This, after the kid actually did complete the workout in all my required times. My captain wrote the meet motivation for our first meet and quoted 1 Corinthians 9:24.  And right now I have runners requesting to get to be the one that leads the team prayer before a meet.  There may be separation of church and state in public schools but you just can't be a runner and not acknowledge God. And coaching runners in a public school, I get to see God honored at a public school everyday!

Leading a leader. I have to say that my captain this year is the best one I've ever had. His freshmen year I had a prophetic dream about him. (During XC season I usually have lots of XC themed dreams, and almost always they are significant, esp. when it comes to picking my leaders.) So this poor kid has been being groomed for leadership since he was 14. Having no seniors this year, I had to ask him, now a junior, to captain this epic team. I have asked him to do things I would normally never ask a 16 year old to do. I have put more weight on him, had higher expectations for him, and required him to step up (perhaps before his time.) And I can honestly say that for the most part he has risen to the mark.  He's an excellent pacer, leads the team during speed workouts, maintains good grades in very hard junior classes, and has a great reputation for conduct. But the surprising blessing is I'm finally getting to see the real him....which has turned out to be an incredibly witty, hilarious, and honest young man.  He is taking great pleasure in 'messing with' his coach.... But I'm game. I asked him this week why suddenly he thought he could talk like he did and mess with me like he did, and he said "because I'm more comfortable, this is how I am with my family."  What an honor. Yeah sure sometimes he crosses the line and says something he shouldn't... But when it's among family, it's ok.

That ADD kid.  It's been my experience that many times that smart ADD kid that gets in trouble at school and home, makes a great runner.  So I recruit these kids. And I've got a new one this year.  And he's so fun to coach.  He's not in my top 8 yet.  But he sure wants to get there.  What's fun about these kids is how much you see running affect their everyday life. I've gotten reports from his parents, his youth ministers, and his teachers, a noticeable difference in his behavior, attitude, and maturity. And they all keep saying it's XC. Now I'm no miracle worker; all I do is coach running. And it's no easy task: (I had to put this kid on a 7 min wall sit this last Friday for failing a test.) but somehow, this sport, with its brain chemistry altering and its requirement for discipline and commitment, these kids grow exponentially. I get to see negative energy turn into positive energy. I get to see these kids gain confidence and self respect. 

This isn't even the half of it, but this is some of why I come home every night fulfilled and overflowing with joy.  I know God designed me to be a coach. And my job doesn't feel like a job. It's just fun. Life is fun.

Racing Art

Runners are Artists.  And a Race is a piece of Art. As a Coach, I get to watch my runners construct a different masterpiece at each meet.  Sometimes it turns out exactly as they planned, sometimes, something unexpected emerges.  But whatever the outcome, the art stands.  And I appreciate each piece.  If you're a runner, consider how you race... or better yet, how you want to race. What is it in you that your race can express better than words?

Some of you run as Realists.  Your race reflects the brutal reality that the sport of running is: it’s the salt stains from the sweat; it’s bleeding blisters and spike wounds; it’s the mud you’ve trudged through; it’s the look of agony on your face as you struggle to maintain pace; you don’t try to hide how horrible it feels; there’s no sugar-coating, there’s no fakeness. It’s real! Your art is the ugly; but it’s the truth, and that’s why it’s beautiful.

Some of you run as Surrealists. Your race reflects the irrational, the fantastic, the unbelievable.  It’s as if you’re in your own dream world, a world where you can bend time and space.  You make your own rules in your reality.  You are not beholden to your past, or your training, or the limitations of your mind.  Your race points us all to something greater than the here and now; your art teaches us to go beyond, and that’s why it’s inspiring. 

Some of you run as Modernists.  Like a white canvas with a blue dot, or the canvas that’s simply been painted red; your art doesn’t make sense to the average onlooker.  Most would say ‘people actually pay money for this!’  But to those of us who can see deeper, we know that your race is your race.  And you don’t care if not a single other person out there gets why you are doing what you’re doing.  Because your art is for you and you alone.  It reflects what you needed to do, what you needed to process, what you needed to release, and that’s why it’s respected.

Some of you run as Expressionists. Like an artist angrily throwing paint at a massive canvas, you race from your emotions.  Your start is anxiety. Your finish is elation. Your fears become your opponents. Your empathy becomes the encouraging word you give a teammate. Your envy becomes the fartlek you use to pass the guy in front of you. Your anger drives you up the hill and your joy glides you down. Those who watch you are stirred inside because your race reflects the human experience, and that’s why it’s loved.

The course is your canvas.  And as the artist, you get to create whatever work you desire on that canvas.  May all you runners create a masterpiece at your next race.

Favorite Running Quotes

  This post is especially for my mom who is training for her first half marathon.

At our last Cross Country meet, I gave the kids these quotes and told them to pick one to help them through their 3rd mile when things got hard.  Most of them picked the funny ones.  I love all of them; Sometimes we runners have to laugh at how crazy we are; sometimes we need inspiration; sometimes we just need to know that someone else out there truly understands what we are going through.  There's a little bit of all of that here.  For all the runners out there, I hope you find some of these to be what you needed to hear as you continue training for whatever goals you've set for yourself.

  

“If you have raced with men on foot, and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses? If you stumble in the safe country, how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan?”

-Jeremiah 12:5

“Men, today we die a little.”

-Emil Zatopek

“If I am still standing at the end of the race, hit me with a board and knock me down, because that means I didn’t run hard enough.”

- Steve Jones

“My feet have several thousand meetings scheduled with the dirt on a trail not far from here.  Who am I to keep them waiting?” 

-Jeb Dickerson

“Cross Country is like poker: you have to be holding 5 good cards all the time.”

-Rollie Geiger

“In that he didn't die at the finish line, he could have run faster."
- Tim Noakes

“Do or do not. There is no try.”

-Yoda

“Our sport is your sport’s punishment.”

"Your body will argue that there is no justifiable reason to continue. Your only recourse is to call on  your spirit, which fortunately functions independently of logic."

- Tim Noakes

“This body, this body holding me, reminds me of my own mortality. Embrace this moment. Remember: We are eternal;
all this pain is an illusion.”

-Tool

"The mind learns the body can go at least a bit farther even though it feels increasingly uncomfortable."

-Pritiki

“Run like you’re naked.”

-Melissa Ratcliff

"You're better than you think you are and you can do more than you think you can!"
- Ken Chlouber

"Scientific testing can't determine how the mind will tolerate pain in a race. Sometimes, I say, "Today I can die.'"
 - Gelindo Bordin

“Run like Mexican water through a first time tourist.”

-Al Bundy

“For something to hurt that bad, and feel so good, it's just inexplicable.”

-Adam Goucher

“Inevitably, there's some official bellowing: "Come on! Run through the chute! Keep it movin'...Keep it movin'!" But you're bent over, gasping, admiring with salt-stung eyes, the good, honest, mud of battle, the trickle of blood from a spike wound, splattered on your still-quivering legs and too-old (but still lucky) racing shoes…. What could be more beautiful?”

-Mark Will-Weber

"Run like hell and get the agony over with."

-Clarence DeMar

“Cross Country: we like it longer, harder, and in the woods.”

“A Coach is someone who tells you what you don’t want to hear, has you see what you don’t want to see, so you can be who you have always known you can be.”

-Tom Landry

“The woods are lovely, dark, and deep. But I have promises to keep. And miles to go before I sleep; and miles to go before I sleep.”

-Robert Frost

“The only good race pace is a suicide pace, and today looks like a good day to die.”

-Prefontaine

“To keep from decaying, to win, you must accept pain…and not only accept it, but look forward to it, live with it, learn not to fear it.”

-Dr. George Sheehan

“Some people don’t have the guts for distance racing; the polite term for them is sprinters.”

“Runners are the ultimate celebration people. Running is just so intense; you’re really experiencing life to the fullest.”

-Bill Rodgers

“There will come a point in the race, when you alone will need to decide. You will need to make a choice. Do you really want it? You will need to decide.”

-Rolf Arands

“Racing teaches us to challenge ourselves. It teaches us to push beyond where we thought we could go. It helps us to find out what we are made of. This is what we do. This is what it’s all about.”

-Patti Sue Plummer

Accept the Beamer

In the 16 years I've been with Mark I've enjoyed all manner of fun traits from him; his wit, his intelligence, his deepness, his zen- like flow... But still my favorite is his ability to demonstrate to me in concrete examples how Christ relates to his Bride. 

For the last several weeks I've had this odd instinctual foreboding that my car was on its last leg... Every time I'd go to get in it, I'd have a twinge of fear that it wouldn't start.   Mark says this is simply intuition telling me it's best to get a new car while the trade in on this one is still good. Now my scientific side doesn't like to pay attention to such nonsense as intuition.   But the feeling lingered... And so I was not surprised at all Friday afternoon after cross country practice, when I got in my car and the key wouldn't even turn.  I stayed calm at first... did all the stuff you're supposed to do... brake, finagle the wheel to get it to lock, try to shift to neutral, nothing was budging.  About 9 months ago the cylinder in my steering wheel locked up and the whole part had to be replaced.  I was sure that here again it had messed up.  It was getting late. Soon people would be arriving for the football game and I was stuck at school, sweaty and stinky from practice, no car, and getting more upset by the minute. Mark was on his way home from Memphis; I called him, told him what was happening and then called roadside assistance to get my car towed to the nearest Chevy dealer.  I was going to have to wait an hour for both Mark and the tow truck; as i waited, I realized that my windows were stuck rolled down; I realized that no mechanic was working until Tuesday, that my car was going to be sitting in some lot open, rain was sure to come and pour in to it, ruining the interior; furthermore,  I had a ton to do on Saturday: a cross country practice in Jackson, working at my gym, getting things for my meet on Tuesday, other errands...... And now I had no vehicle to do it...there I was sitting at the cross country grove... hot, stressed, worried, and I even admit a little embarrassed that I was surely about to have to explain to 100s of teenagers why my car was being towed from campus.... Soooo when Mark called back to check in, you know what I did.... I unleashed all that stress, anger, annoyance, and negativity right onto my husband. And the more he tried to be helpful, well the more I tried to tell him why he was wrong and why the world was ending.  Now I think a normal person would have hung up on me and been done, but like I said, Mark is ever the example of Christ. So here's what he did....

While I was calling my roadside assistance, he was calling the father of his bandmate, who is a finance manager at a dealership to see if he could loan me a car for the weekend, and not just any car, he was requesting a convertible. And of course, just the right car had been recently traded in, a silver BMW -Z4 2 seater convertible....now when Mark called me back and told me he had a car for me, I had a whole list of reasons why that was a bad idea (yeah I was obviously out of my mind) so I had resolved to figure something else out. When Mark arrived at school, the tow truck hadn't yet, and after a brief argument, he insisted he try to get my car started, and of course... with his magic touch and just the right finagling, HEE was able to get it started! So we canceled the tow, ....but that wasn't the end of it...Mark insisted I still try the BMW for the weekend... After all, my car has been having some problems lately, he already had this lined up... So why not... I took some convincing,  but eventually submitted.... So I got to run all my errands on Saturday in the convertible, Mark took me on a date last night and showed me what a car like that can really do. And yeah I felt totally unworthy in it.  But man have I had a fun weekend in that car!  Definitely not the weekend I thought was coming Friday afternoon.

How often have we found ourselves in this same scenario with God.  Here we are scientificating and logic-ing our way out of what God's trying to tell us. Here we are worrying, freaking out... and all the while, God is not only taking care of things,  He's lining up these incredible blessings and gifts. We're going off on Him, acting like children, and He's patiently listening. We have our come-apart. And He still shows up, He fixes what's broken, He helps us grow, and then on top of that, He blesses us, even though we didn't deserve it, even though we were not impressive at all in how we behaved in the situation, He still comes through and lavishes some crazy gift on us.

So whatever the 'broke down car' is in your life right now, know this:  God's going to take care of it.  He's going to show up. He's going to fix it. He's going to love you through your immature behavior. And He's going to bless you crazily on the other side.  Don't let your pride or desire to 'handle things' block you from the abundantly cool and fun life God is trying to give you. Don't be stuck standing by your broke down Chevy when God's trying to bring you a Beamer.