“How are you so happy with running?” a middle school cross country runner asked me as the afternoon practice assembled into their respective groups.
Our cross country program has three coaches designated to the different groups of runners, but as a family, we are all working toward the same goal and interact with all the members of Cross Country. This young lady is a returning seventh-grader, having survived and thrived her introductory season, she is back at it for another hot and humid Southwest Georgia season. As she looked at me, I realized she really wanted an answer. She wasn’t just commenting on my demeanor at practice.
In the half a breath it took me to start forming an answer; she admitted that she liked running a little bit more than she did last year. She just couldn’t figure out how I was always happy about running.
Looking at this young runner, I felt a little old… like turning 40 caught up with me in one question. I explained to her I have been running for a long time…like over 25 years. (Cue wide-eyed surprise) If my love of running grew even just a tiny bit every year; just like hers grew from one season to the next. I have more years in the bank to let my “running happiness” interest build. I told her to keep having fun with cross country and running will make her just as happy.
Running does make me happy and so does coaching.
I am lucky. I get to witness how the role of running grows in importance in the lives of the athletes I coach. My primary goal is to introduce running as a lifelong endeavor and foster a love of running that goes far beyond what a specific time or a finishing place will ever mean. Season by season and year by year, I look forward to watching their love of running grow.
Happy running and happy coaching will always make it a FunRunDay!