Anyone that truly knows me (that is, mostly anyone that goes to my school) would probably know that I run more than anyone in our entire school. That's right, it's true. As a cross country runner who would double run everyday throughout seasons and offseasons, I would cover more distance than a lot of the people on our team combined. With each 5:40 AM run, with stretching afterwards, and each solid afternoon practice, followed by another hour of corework and stretching, I take my running very seriously. That isn't to say that running is a job for me. That isn't to say that don't enjoy my running. I work to be the best, because I finally found something that I'm good at. Sure, I would do mediocrely at many sports. I had basic talent in almost everything I tried. But I never excelled, no matter how hard I worked. With so many failed attempts, I finally found that I was better than most at running. And now that I have found this passion, I can't afford to slack off and forfeit the special talent I've been given. I take tremendous pride in the hard work I put in, so consequently, it kills me to finish behind people who work less than half as hard as I do. I am yet to have a major breakthrough.
Despite the original title (which I happen to like to much too switch around) I feel that now would be a better time to transition into the importance of friends, because it is my friends that keep my hopes alive and my feelings in check when I need it the most.
Last night, I spent a good deal of time talking to a good friend who happened to be a training partner of mine. We talked about the whole college process as far as recruitment letters to being a walk-on. I'm planning on attending Washington State University, but brought up my hesitancy towards competing D1 and in the Pac-10. I didn't have much faith in myself, because of my results thus far. He brought up that even if I didn't make the varsity team as a freshman, that at least I'd get to run with high-level recruits and a team that cares about the team and running in general. And most importantly, he told me that he had faith in me. He continues to have faith in me, through all the ups and downs I've experienced. The road of a runner is not an easy one.
Some of my most important friends haven't even been my peers. Coach Jimenez was the best coach that I ever had because he believed in me, when my past coaches haven't. Jimenez saw my desire and was one of the few who truly knew what I was going through (all of the miles, injuries, and other hardships). He would always email me back if I had questions and he always wanted to know how I was doing in the offseasons. He truly knew that I was the hardest working, despite the nonexistant credit given to me outside of my own team. I followed every direction he ever gave me and he truly knew his stuff. Thank you Coach Jimenez.
Another one the people who I could always turn to was my favorite teacher ever (hands down), Mr. Swartwout. I just want to say that he has always cared for me more than any other teacher and has believed in me when others wouldn't. He is always there for me when I need an adult to talk to inside the school, and I can't say thank you enough.
You might be wondering why I included Running With Buffaloes in my title. Well, to be honest, I feel like running with my team can be like running with a bunch of buffaloes. Just kidding. . . but seriously. I hate the apathy that radiates throughout our team. No one cares about the sport, and more importantly, few people care about the team. The book Running With the Buffaloes by Chris Lear documents the 1998 University of Colorado Cross Country team--a team that truly desires the national championship and demonstrates what is required to be the best: Unbeatable work ethic and unbelievably strong team unity. Because of this, I'm focused more towards my future, running at the collegiate level. I've wanted nothing more than to have a team with a winning attitude and a passion for running and I'm not going to find that at Sprague.
Forgive me for the disorganization, but passion cannot be contained in a set structure.
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2 comments:
Love that last line, Jeff. Almost poetic and very profound.
Thank you, Jeffrey, for the kind words. Believe it or not, teachers get discouraged too and some days doubt their vocation, but its students like you who renew our hope and keep us going.
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