Serendipity or how I ended up being a runner by pure dumb luck - part 1

I think I lost track of time.....well that and the school year is finally finished. Due to a combination of work, having to take care of the wee one and having to 'force' myself to get to a gym I haven't done anything. It’s been a while since I've done nothing. Even when I had my achilles problem in the fall I still got out enough to maintain my fitness.

With work coming to an end today I now have no excuses to get out a do my 'injured' workouts (the gym, grouse grind, mtn bike and roller blade). The good thing is that the achilles is almost back to normal....the bad is that this last little bit is being really stubborn.

I said previously that my training was going to be pretty boring, so I'd discuss aspects of what I think are things important to running. Some people say hard work and talent is the key, and while I don't disagree with that assessment sometimes there is something far more 'mystical' at play. So alas my topic of the day is pure good old fashioned dumb luck in running. If ever there was an underrated area of running it would be simply 'being in the right place at the right time`. If there is one thing I could ever say to a young runner is to appreciate the luck when it comes around...because it doesn't always happen.

I have been far too lucky (maybe it's simply destiny) that I ever ended up running. It's got to be luck when you cross paths with some coach, or some training partner ends up motivating you. I know for me these lucky incidents have occurred over and over again.

Back in high school (Vernon in the Okanagan) I was an okay runner (read good PE class runner, but not the best and ran a 4:52 1500m in PE class). In grade 9 I didn't even make it out of our district championships (I was 3rd and needed to be 2nd), but one of my schoolmates had to play hockey that weekend, so I was able to take his place at the Okanagan Valley championships. I can remember the race I ran (...800m) like it was yesterday. I got to wear a pair of spikes for the first time and split 61 sec (on a cinder track, which was 1 second faster than my PR at that time) and held on to run 2:13 and place 2nd to a grade 10 student. Not an indication of times to come.

I thought nothing much about the race, but a week later my HS coach came up to me and said that I had placed high enough to put in my name to make our Okanagan Zone for the BC Summer Games. So filled out the paperwork and a week or two later I got a phone call saying I had made the team. I was shocked...I had no idea what i was getting myself into...

I didn't know it at the time, but this lucky race I wasn't even supposed to run, would alter my life. I ended up going to a zone meeting/workout and meeting some of my coaches ....two guys named Don Bertoia and Mike Van Tighem. As I would find out later that summer this Don guy had actually represented Canada at the 64 Olympics. And Mike, who was one of the nicest guys I had ever met, would end up being a national team coach and end up coaching current Olympian Malindi Elmore (among many other great runners).

I also met a couple of teammates (some girl named Tania Jones and a guy who was Don's son named Dan). Dan would end up winning the Can 1500m title (and Pan Am bronze) being one of my best friends through university and my main training partner, while Tania would end up being one of Canada's top distance runner. But more about them later....

I ended up running and having a great time, but I never really thought too much about this running thing. In fact I ran X country in the fall, but it was terrible. I ran the BC HS championships, but ended up in 185th. I doubt anyone ever thought that the title of Can XC champion would ever end up beside my name if they knew of that result.

The next year in gr 10 I had the luckiest break of my life....literally. We were doing wrestling in PE class and I dislocated/broke my elbow. I wasn't allowed to do any contact sports for 6 mths. Now for a guy who lived in small town Canada and had played hockey since he was 4 yrs old this was a tragedy. That was until my HS coach came up to and told me I had no excuses to not run. Besides I wasn't allowed to do any other sports, so what the heck I thought. But still my concept of training was minuscule at best....but once again my old friend serendipity found its way into my life

I was fortunate enough to have a girl who had made the Juvenile provincial team from our school in the 400 and 800m. She would even become the eventual BC high school champion over 400m and NAIA ALL American (Alana Kripps - now married to former Can Jr 1500 rec holder Andrew Lenton). I also had another girl who was a 4:4? 1500m runner named Julie Cawkell. Both girls needed training partners and they'd find me in the hallways and ask me what I was doing after school. "Catching the bus home I guess," would be my reply. "Well maybe you could come pace us?", one or the other would ask. Of course I am kind of a stupid so I'd say 'ok', go in my tennis shoes and sometimes take Alana through some hard 400m sessions and on other days I'd help Julie in her 1500m sessions. I knew absolutely nothing except that I was helping these girls out.

But once again luck had an even greater impact. We had female teacher at our school, whose husband was on the sub list (Mr. Woods was his name) and he was trying to earn a contract position. In the meantime he helped coach our track team. But this guy knew his stuff (I think he was a sprinter so he gave us lotsa running drills and short workouts that didn't make you hate running).

When I first began training with Julie and Alana I thought they'd kick my butt, but I found that after a few workouts they couldn't keep up with me. I thought they were taking it easy, but as I was to find out later they simply couldn't keep up. I never even trusted my ability until a fateful practice, on a dirt track and done by myself.

The day in question was over our Spring Break and my head HS coach had me do a 1500m time trial with Julie. After a few steps Julie was nowhere to be seen and I ran around the oval my 3 and 3/4 laps. When I asked my coach how fast he said '4:24', I honestly didn't believe him (and I wouldn't until about 3-4 weeks later I ran an official race in 4:11).

But wait it gets better.... I got faster and faster until I ran a 2:03 and qualified for our provincial HS champs. I was shocked, that any of this happened. So off I go to the big city (the legendary Swangard stadium)... the stupid hick from Vernon in his royal blue and orange sprints spikes that were a size too big, a red pair of shorts and our school singlet of white and maroon (Oh yes I was a sight to behold to the big city club kids).

I ran the 2nd of 3 heats and about 150m in someone clips me from behind and down I go. My goal of simply running a PR goes out the window.....but my head coach makes a sympathy request to let me run in the 3rd heat. Some official (I would kiss him now if I knew who he was) says that I wasn't at fault and they paired me up with one of the favourites (a guy named Sasha Nagy who would alos impact my uni career). I somehow ended up running 2:01 and make the finals as the 8th and final guy. From there I run just under 2mins (1:59.9) and place 7th (may I add that I did this in borrowed spikes that now fit me).

My season was not yet over as I ran our legion camp (juvenile) trials and ran just over 2mins, but I had gotten my taste of what it took and what I was capable of.....the dream and the bug were now in my system.

So I finished year one of my 'real' running career. It's one of those things where I wish I could see some of those people (especially the ones who I have lost contact with like Julie, Mr Woods and my head coach Mr Kereliuk) and thank them for the gift they gave some dumbass gr 10 kid many years ago. Without them I have little doubt I would have ended my running career right then and there...or better yet it wouldn't have even started.

As I would find out the luck that had guided me was only just beginning....almost all of the people would have a major impact on me at various times in my life .....and that is another story...or maybe better described as stories for the next 15 years...yeah seriously at least 15....

The message here is hopefully obvious. Take advantage of those lucky situations. You may not realize it at the time, but when a situation presents itself in any way don’t close any doors. I didn’t deserve any of those chances, but somehow they kept presenting themselves to me until I took advantage. Who knows, you may find out that (to quote former wld champion boxer Rocky Graziano) ‘ somebody up there likes me’.