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