Thanks Coach

It was a hot and humid August evening. I was at my high schools cross country camp. This camp was prepare us for the upcoming Cross Country season. I was new to running in general, and not too gifted athletically. let me give you some background on why I was here at cross country camp.

See I had been born with a birth injury. This birth injury had required wearing braces on my left leg and arm. My parents were told that I would never walk without assistance, and would never lift my left arm above chest level. After about fourteen years of physical thearpy from Easter Seals, I found that doctors can be wrong in their prognosis. I walked unassisted, I actually could run. I also could lift my arm above chest level. There were some limitations though. I had poor balance, and my left arm was bent permantly at the elbow. The combination of both of these factors made it akward to run , to say the least. I had tried all types of sports, to try and be a normal kid. I had found that running was fun and I did not have to do too much else than putting one foot in front of another. I tried running at the end of my freshman year. I ran the mile run in track. I was the slowest on the team. I was determined to get better throughout high school. The next year at the urgings of my mother , I showed up at cross country practice. we had unorganized practices in the summer. If you showed up at the high school there was usually someone there to run with. I went there every day to run and try to improve. My coach had told us that we had a camp each year at Cowans Gap state park. Cowans Gap is a state park in Pennsylvania, it has beautiful mountain vistas, and a pristine lake. This is where some real trail running would begin. I went to Cross country camp that year, and what lessons I learned that summer have stayed with me all these years. Now let's go back to that hot and humid August evening.

Cross country camp was coming to an end we only had Two days left. I was having a hard time of it, the runs were grueling and it had rained alot this week. I can remember the first night there , we did the overlook road. This was a tough nine mile trail run. It seemed so overwhelming,for it was over two miles at a steep uphill grade. It then shifted to flat section,which was very slippery and tricky footing. The pay off was a beautiful view of the lake below at the halfway point. Then it was downhill. Once at the bottom we turned around to go back up and over that rocky mountain. The run would have been better if not for the torrential downpour. The rain was cold and it was very dark and spooky running through the tree shrouded forest. I managed to get through that run, and wondered how tough this was going to be, and if I would survive the week.

The next morning greeted us with a cold rain once again. We did the campsite run which consisted of one long loop of the campsites around the lake. Even though it was raining , cold and dreary it was still beautiful. You could see the fog rising off the lake, ever so gracefully. While running through the campsites. The many mixed aromas of this area would captivate you. There was the scent of fresh pines, and maple trees which the humidity had made heady. Then there were the scents of breakfasting campers. I still remember the scents of coffee, cooking bacon,and pancakes wafting through the air as we passed the friendly campers, who thronged the lake on this cold rainy morning. We were rewarded for our six mile run with a hearty breakfast of pancakes and bacon. Breakfast never tased so good as on that morning. We then spent the rest of the day at the lake just relaxing, as we did every day once the rain had stopped for the week.The rest of the week was just as good,great runs with beautiful views and loads of fun. The runs were very arduous and pushed my strength and endurance to new limits.

Tonight was parents night. This is when the parents would come to camp and spend some time. We did the Bear Valley run that night. As it turned out I would remember this night for the rest of my life. The Bear Valley run was probably the most difficult of all the runs we had that week. It was also called the "The Toughest Mile" . The name was coined for a section of this fifteen mile run. At approximately four miles into this course, there was a mile section with sharp twisting switchbacks. The grade was probably seventy five to eighty degrees in angle. Man was it ever a steep grade. The legend of the "Toughest Mile" is that if you can run this mile without stopping or walking, you were destined for greatness. No hill would ever seem too tough, or too long. I struggled through this mile in sheer agony. My legs were burning and my lungs could not take in enough air. My heart felt as though it would burst from my chest. My head was swimming with dizziness. Just as I thought I would not make it one more step without stopping to walk, I looked up and there were my two coaches, standing at the crest of the "Toughest Mile". I had made it to the top of "The Toughest Mile" ! As was tradition,my coaches were at the top to take pictures of the survivors who made it without stopping. I was elated, I had made it , now it was flat and down hill to the finish of the run. Little did I know, that soon the choices I made would change my life forever.

The next section was about five miles of flat and rolling terrain, on a nice hardpacked trail. The final section of the course was practically all downhill. This was not too bad except the final three miles were very rocky and slippery due to the recent rains. At about three miles to go I was feeling euphoric. I picked up my pace, I felt as if I could fly through the last three miles to the finish As I picked up the pace I lenghtened my stride. I was really moving now, this was my best run ever! Then, suddenly when I planted my right foot on the trail, I hit a rock. The rock was not unique or extremely large,but it was slippery, I was losing my footing. I tried to stabilize myself, to recover my footing, but it just was not going to happen. In an instant I had crashed to the rocky trail, I felt a blinding, white hot pain in my face, knee, and elbow almost simultaneously. I hit hard and finally skidded to a halt a few feet away. Dazed I suddenly realized what had happened. I had a mouthful of dirt and gravel, and searing pain in my face ,knee,and elbow. I laid there for what seemed an eternity, but was actually only seconds. I was all alone on the mountain trail as darkness quickly approached All of my teammates were much faster than me, I was running by myself. I got up slowly and painfully and started walking. I then started jogging slowly and steadily. I still do not know how I made it to the finish. All of my cuts were burning due to the sweat which drenched my body. My knee ached from the fall as did my face. I told myself through these last agonizing miles, that this was it, I was going to quit the team.

I must have been a sight, there I was hobbling more than running ,blood streaming down my leg arm and face, covered in dirt and looking very glad to be done. My coach ran over to me and made sure I was alright. My parents were also there and anxious at the sight of me. I assured them I was alright. suddenly seeing my parents made all my pain and emotions spill forth. I started sobbing and saying "I quit I want to go home now, I am not going to do this anymore. I quit" My coach seemed concerned he was telling me I have had a great week at camp. He also told me he was seeing improvement in me each day. I was still upset and hurting and was still insisting on going home and quitting. My coach finally with the persuasion of my mother convinced me to stay. He said "you only have one day left Chris, just hang tough" . "You can be a mediocre runner or a great runner". "The choice is yours to make" "I think you know the choice the great runner would make Chris" He then turned and walked away.

I made my choice that eventful August night at Bear Valley. I made the choice to stay. The choice a great runner would make. I know that every coach at sometime in their carreer will say to an athlete"you can be good or you can be one of the greats" I actually took those words to heart that night, as I stood there in the dark crying and bleeding over twenty years ago.

As a senior in high school I had become a good runner, we were defending state champions.I would learn another lesson on this eventful day.Today was my final state championships race. After our coach had given us the pep talk,We went to prepare mentally for the race. My thoughts drifted back to that night in Bear Valley. I thought once again of what coach had said "you can be a mediocre runner or a great runner." "It's up to you" struck a chord in me this day . I felt invincible, I reflected on my hardships as a child the determination to not quit that night at Bear Valley. Today it was my destiny to be remembered as one of the greats! I did become one of the greats that day. I ran the race of my life. I had never felt so fast and light on my feet. It seemed as if I was gliding effortlessly for three miles. I had a single minded purpose that day. I did not want to let myself or my coach down.I remembered the promise I made to myself at Bear Valley two years earlier. That promise was to become a great runner. As I sprinted effortlessly into the finish chute. Hastily a card on a string was placed around my neck. It had my finishing place printed on it. I looked down at the number. I was elated, I had finished tenth in the state championships! We won the race as a team that day . We had placed four runners in the top thirteen places. we had defended our state title that day and I had fullfilled a promise to myself and my coach. This oath was made years ago in the dark. I had made the choice to overcome obstacles and perservere.I had made the impossible possible.

To this day when things get tough, I think about coach and what he had said. I then think about all I have accomplished in my high school running. I also think of how this had guided me through my college running carreer.I was ranked one of the nations top Twenty marathon runners at the college level. I have realized that throughout all of the years since Bear Valley. After all of the wreaths of Garland had been placed upon my head. I realized that there is one thing that I have really neglected to do. I want to say, Thanks, coach Hoover, I will never forget you, or what you have done for me. May God bless you always. Thanks Coach!