Opportunity Takes Its Time

Couple of fun stories, non-running related, from the State meet this weekend.

The first happened Sunday while waiting for some awards, in this case, the top eight finishers in the 1B/2B Girls Division. A woman beside my wife and I commented that Asotin always has the cool shirts. (We do!) That sparked a conversation. I'm not sure what I said, but the woman looked at me and asked, "You're that guy that wrote the cross country blog last year?"

I admitted it and she mentioned that she went looking for it this year and was disappointed to find it missing. So were the other parents and the kids. I explained that my workload didn't let me get the articles written, so I suspended the blog until I could get some help. I might have to rethink this.

Nice to meet fans. Next year, I might be able to get a little help and InlandXC may come back to life. If so, it would be very cool.

That was Saturday. My wife and I stayed over to Sunday to celebrate her birthday. While we were having breakfast, the team from Holy Names out of Seattle (I think) was eating as well. Marketing opportunity, right?

I admit I was a little slow, but until I get fully tanked on coffee, the brain stays sluggish. Once I did think of handing out a bookmark or two, I had to find them. My sweetie gave me the keys to the car, and I went out. Oops. Not anywhere I looked, so I thought they were up in my bag.

My sweetie's brain works better than mine early in the day. "Did you look in the glove compartment?" she asked. "I showed you were I put them."

Oh, yeah. There.

By the time I fetched them, the team had left. Blown opportunity. Coaches came back in for coffee. I have a mouthful, can't talk as they top off and head out. Blown opportunity two. Sipped my coffee, lamented my lack of initiative.

A coach came back in for a lid for her coffee.

Gathered courage and introduced myself by holding out a bookmark for Finishing Kick and she took it, looking slightly confused. She mentioned that she was out for the meet and I nodded and mentioned we had been, too, to, cheer the Asotin kids.

"Do you know the Roach Family?" she asked, and mentioned the parents.

"I know the some of the kids."

"Megan Roach?"

Now, as it turns out, I do know Megan. I coached her in junior high. At big meets, I was the one that would get her to breathe and relax. Out on the course, she was a warrior. As it turns out, Megan is dating a relative of the lady, so I told her a story.

Megan and my daughter were the number five and six runners on the team in 2011. They paced each other around the the first two miles at the championship meet before my daughter eased ahead, leading by about forty yards on the final downhill to the line.. It wasn't enough. For her last race on the state course, Megan unleashed one of the most beautiful kicks I've had the privilege to witness, passing my daughter and about five other girls as she flew to the finish line, nearly collapsing when she got there.

She explained later. All the kids had written "One more time" on their hands She said she looked at that as the finish came into sight and realized it was just one more time, for real. And she gave everything she had to make it count.

And for those who have read Finishing Kick, now you know where the story came from.