Cross Country

At the very end of summer..... At the very last possible moment.... After the parent meeting had already occurred.... My son (yes, my never-before-had-an-athletic-bone-in-his-body child) decided that he would join the Cross Country team.  I was so unnerved by the idea.  What?  MY kid, choose... without coercion...on purpose to run! Crazy talk.  At my house, running is only ever employed for the following reasons (and only for short distances):

•  escaping predators or any sort of wild animal that one might be able to out-run
•  leaving firework displays before the rest of the crowd on the 4th of July to beat traffic
• chasing a ball in a sport such as tennis, volleyball, or basketball
• capturing run-away toddlers

I'm really trying hard to think of other reasons, but it's truly difficult because I hate running... I always have.  I often blame my own lack of interest in running on my very minor heart condition that I was born with.  But, that's a giant lie....there's really no reason I can't run - I just don't WANT to run....ever!

 

Anyway, Jourdan spent the summer running with two of his friends from church/scouts who had participated in XC and track in the past.  He was able to keep up with them on their (almost daily) runs. So, he decided that he could join the team without any problems.  Okay, here's the deal.  The three boys had been running just over a mile every day.  (We calculated their routes with MapQuest.)  We found out quickly at XC that the shortest run these athletes complete is a 3-5K.  Jourdan was really not prepared for the season like he thought he would be and his knees yelled that fact at him constantly.  He never gave up - even though I encouraged him to back out due to the pain in his knees and feet, his constant coughing (which turns out to be a chronic lung thing, similar to asthma) and the VAST amount of time the sport was taking.

 

Because we didn't go to the parent meeting, we didn't know a lot of things.  For example, the kids run every day (even on weekends).  The runs can be well over 4-5 miles some days.  They run in the heat; even when temperatures are hovering near 100 degrees in the early fall.  They run in the rain; they run in torrential rains.  Also, running in the wind and mud are not out of the question at all.  Case in point....Below is a picture of the only XC meet I attended this fall.  It was the Nike Pre-Nationals at Portland Meadows racetrack (yep, the track used as a horse racing venue).   The temperatures were very cold, the winds were excessive (many local events - bike races and beach clean-up projects had been cancelled throughout the city due to this storm) and it was wet.  And, what's funner than all of that?  Add in the mud factor.  The mud puddles were about 6 inches deep throughout most of the course with puddles exceeding a foot in a few places.  Check out the aftermath (in this sideways picture):

And don't I wish my camera had new batteries in it so I wouldn't have to resort to using my "stupid" phone to take pictures.  (I don't own a "smart" phone.) If you can't tell, he has splashed mud up to his knees, all over his clothes (even his back), and those WERE brand new white running shoes.  (Thank heavens those came clean in the wash, after a thorough rinsing with a garden hose.)  And....guess what else???  I drove, not one, but 4 muddy children home in my van.  Those of you who know me well know exactly what I'm talking about! 

These pictures are from another race at Round Lake in Camas.  I don't remember what I was doing this day, but I wish I had been able to go to this race instead of the other one.

Jourdan was only able to attend two of the dozen or so races due to scouting commitments and other previously scheduled events.  That was okay with him.  He wasn't involved in the sport to be competitive; he was in it for the exercise and the camaraderie that he enjoyed with the other team members.  The other kids thought he was nuts to not have a great desire to compete in the races.  The funniest part is:  He wasn't the slowest kid...He wasn't the fastest either, but he was right in the middle of the "pack".  So, it's not like he didn't want to compete because he wasn't any good; he did really well for someone who just happened upon the sport a few months earlier.

 

The only up-sides:  He doesn't have to take PE anymore.  And, this counts as one of his two required team sports participated in for his Athletics Merit Badge.  ("Anything for a badge" - that's our motto!)