August 29, 2007
Hello all. First off, my apologies to everyone for my lack of updates over the last three months. I have no other excuses other than these kids are wearing me out! Actually, it has been a very productive summer. For the first time in East Peoria X/C history that we have actually been training! I am not exactly sure what I said to con teenage boys to get out and run six days a week, but most of them have been doing it (at least that is what they have been telling me). I have been very lucky to have a lot talent from the freshman class all the way up to the senior group. But not only is there a lot of ability, there is also a very strong work ethic.

We began meeting a couple days a week towards the end of June, and just like I forewarned the boys back then, the season is already upon us. I found that it does not take a lot of work to get them out to practice, you just have to pay a little attention to them and show that you care. Although it sounds ridiculous, when I started bringing bananas and Krispy Kreme donuts to the long runs, they started showing up for the long runs (silly them, they could have just slept in and then driven over to the donut shop later!). When I started giving out In The Arena and adidas shirts for good work ethic, they started showing up for the workouts. I also noticed a big shift in attitude, especially with my varsity boys, concerning sleep and nutrition. Since day one, I have preached about living a healthy lifestyle away from the track. They used to roll their eyes and show up the next morning with bags under their eyes and two hours sleep. Now they show up on time and are doing the things they once scoffed at. Once that attitude began to permeate throughout the team, I was able to trust that most everybody would show up to practice, whether I was there or not. It is a truly a cultural phenomenon. My coaching philosophy has never been one of yelling and punishment. I am not a baby sitter. I want them to be there because they want to get better. I am just a teacher who is here to help guide, and at times motivate, them towards achieving their goals.

I came into high school coaching with a lot of ideas for workouts and training, but sorely underestimated their lack of training and preparation. I quickly realized that just getting them to come out and run six days a week was a challenge in itself. It was not that they were afraid of working hard; they just never understood that they have to run on a CONSISTENT basis to achieve the goals that they have set for themselves. That led me to another realization; most of them did not have any real goals, and the ones that did severely underestimated themselves. I have always felt one of the most important pieces to any athletes training program is having defined goals and at the beginning of every season. These are the things we use to focus on when we are tired and do not feel like finishing a workout, or when we do not feel like getting off the couch and out the door to get the work done. One of my biggest jobs as a coach is helping my athletes figure out what they want to accomplish by the end of their high school running career. Many times we fall into the trap of thinking that success is measured by wins and losses, but that is the wonderful thing about running. Not everybody is going to be a state champ or even a conference champ, but that doesn’t mean that you cannot make a difference. Success is measured by you alone, and whether you feel you have accomplished the goals you have set for yourself. Once the kids started to realize that, they began to get more of a sense of accomplishment out of the races and workouts. This in turn has motivated them to race faster, set higher goals, and ultimately given them more confidence, not just in running, but in all aspects of their lives. It has taken me a while to figure out where each athlete’s goals and abilities are, and what their strengths and weaknesses are, but we are finally all on the same page.

Our first cross country meet is this weekend, and most of the local competition will be there. Although I really want to race well, I am trying to stay the course and continue preparing for our conference championship, and hopefully state meet. One of the biggest pitfalls, in my opinion, is that high school runners race way too often, and train way to little. How can one expect to be fully prepared mentally and physically at the end of a season when you have already raced 16 times in the last two months? It is a balancing act, but hopefully I will be able to figure it out.

That is the long story short on the team side of things. Like I said before, things have been extremely busy for me this summer. I have been meeting the kids for practice two hours in the morning, and meeting the ones that come to morning practice in the evenings. Because of ridiculous IHSA rules, I was only allowed to meet with the them on a limited basis over the summer (long story, and I could rant all day about it, but in my opinion, any time you can con a high school kid to get up at 7 every morning during the summer to run instead of sleeping until noon and then sitting in front of the television or computer, you should take every chance you get). I have also been traveling quite a bit, public speaking at nine different running camps throughout the Midwest and New England area. It has been a real blast to get out and teach kids all the lessons and things that I have learned throughout my running career. It has also been a great opportunity for me to sharpen up on my basketball, foosball, dodge ball, kickball, table tennis and card playing skills! It always amazes me how much kids look up to anyone who has made an Olympic team, whether you were gold medalist or dead last in your heat. They really love it when you take the time to run with them, sit down on a card game or even just answer a question that they have but were to shy to ask during the speech. That has been the most rewarding part of this coaching and public speaking gig; making a difference in kids’ lives. That encompasses not just their athletic careers, but their academics and the overall lifestyle changes they need to make to become successful at whatever they choose to do with their lives. The only real blunder I made this summer was giving out my Facebook and Myspace accounts to all the kids. Now I have half the country friending me!

On the athletic side of things, my running has finally started to round into form. Although I am not able to do any serious workouts just yet, it is really nice to be able to go out for a run and not have any pain in my foot or stomach. Being that I was not able to run for over 7 months leading into the 2004 Olympic year, I have all the confidence in the world that I will be ready for 2008, as long as my body cooperates. I have learned a lot of lessons since the last Games (mostly the hard way), and as long as I stay in one piece, I believe I can make some noise. Coaching and working with kids has given me a fresh outlook on life. It has been a blessing in disguise to step out of the obsessive and psychotic world of competitive world of professional sports and get back to the basics that got me to where I am today. I never realized the stress I used to place on myself both mentally and physically. I hope to take this newfound perspective back into my running career and start to enjoy it a little more instead of making it such a chore.
We are finally upon my favorite time of year: fall. That means changing leaves, cool weather, cross country season and most importantly hunting season. I will do my best to keep you posted, but it is soooo hard to get out of that tree once the season begins : )

Take care and my best to all.

Tim

May 15, 2007
Well, we just finished the Men’s conference meet last night, placing a close 4th in a very competitive conference. Every distance kid ran a p.r. last night and I would have to say that the only disappointment was having my 3rd leg of the 4x800 running sub-par due to a strained achilles he acquired last week. We still ended up 2nd, but without him at his best, we will not make it to the state meet next week. I am just crossing my fingers that a miracle happens and things turn around in a real hurry. On the bright side, my 4x400 relay won going away and broke a 50-year old school record. Talk about a bunch of screaming, smiling seniors. I didn’t know that boys could get that emotional! I had a freshman run a p.r. in the fresh-soph 4x800 and come back in the mile and break five minutes for the first time in his life. He was more excited than I was winning any national title! All in all, it was a very gratifying evening.

The three girls that I coach are running at the Sectional meet tonight, which qualifies them for the state meet. Two of them, one a senior (Mary Kate Beyer) and the other a sophomore (Emily Gustafson), are running the two-mile and should make it in pretty comfortably, barring any mishaps. Both have already run the qualifying time twice this year, notably last week where they went 1-2 at the conference meet. So knock on wood all goes to plan. My other girl (Cassie Lohmeir) is running the mile, where she finished 2nd last week at the conference meet running a state qualifying time of 5:17 (a p.r.), after running another personal best and state qualifier in the 800 in 2:20 40 minutes prior. Not too shabby for a freshman that starts varsity basketball and softball as well. She is probably one of the most talented kids I have ever seen and I predict she’ll be a national caliber runner by her senior year.

As an athlete, racing never made me that nervous, but I have to admit, I am not sure how much more stress I can take as a coach as we get later into the season. It has been a real pleasure and learning experience this first track season, and no matter what the outcome is tonight or next week, I am extremely proud of every one of my athletes. The smiles that I have seen on their faces after a win or personal best has made me feel better than any race could ever have done for me. Being with these high school kids has reminded me of a lot of things that I have forgotten, like running for the pure enjoyment of it and racing just to do my best. Hopefully I will get another crack at it in the near future.

On a side note, my truck was vandalized after a team dinner two nights ago. [Ed.: See above photo.] I have a sneaking suspicion who it was, but I just hope that the finger paint all over my windows comes off relatively easy, especially the hearts. I’m driving a full-size pick up for God’s sake! Also, the fish are biting like crazy (pre-spawn) and two giant toms (turkeys) outsmarted me yesterday. I am now off to speak at the Mayor’s Breakfast and have absolutely no idea what I am going to say or talk about. Wish me luck.

Tim