The Woodberry Harrier 2015: Volume 2

The Light in the Distance

After the 40^thWoodberry Forest Invitational, Saturday I found myself in a well-known tight spot between celebration and consternation.  I wanted to exult in the three breakout performances and the very respectable team finish, but I was worrying about the four disappointing races, wondering what went wrong.  Was Thursday’s workout too hard?  Did I make them paranoid about their form? Did I push them into the wrong strategy? Once these questions start, they keep coming until I am able to start thinking again about the PR’s.  Until…well, you can guess.  Any coach will tell you that it’s like being lost in a rhododendron thicket.  All you can do is laugh at yourself for ending up there in the first place.

Sitting in my back yard Saturday evening hashing over this with my former runner Kevin Bennert, I glanced up and saw a flashing light off in the distance and realized that I was looking at the tower atop Moormont, so nicknamed for the beautiful orchard which once thrived atop Clark’s Mountain, the highest spot in this area, where General Lee convened his officers to study the Union forces gathering across the Rapidan in Culpepper County.  It’s also the site of the most legendary of Woodberry Cross Country workouts:  repeats of the last 5/8 mile of the mountain (which includes the steepest stretch) every 15 minutes.  Every Woodberry harrier of the last quarter century has vivid memories of that hill, where we purposefully conjure our demons so that we might run them down.  First comes Dread with Doubt in tow.  Then soon after the whistle blows, Anger appears with Pain and Fear backing him up, and if those have done their work, the seductive Compromise descends--usually in the last 50 yards--with sweet-smelling reasons to quit—just a little.  

But for those who resist her charms and manage to push all the way to the top, the wobbly legs and light head become signs of a new strength rather than symptoms of the old weakness.  The beautiful 360-degree vista at the top (where years ago we bought fresh cider from Mr. Moore and crunched the sweetest apples I have ever tasted) has become for so many runners a symbol of the new confidence they won in that internal battle. If Woodberry cross country had a logo, it would be a picture of Moormont.

And so I was reminded that Frustration is just one more demon we must banish for tempting us forget that disappointment is the very thing we are risking—on purpose—every time we toe the starting line.  No risk, no struggle.  No victories.  No lessons learned.  No 360-degree sun-drenched vistas.  No nothing. 

I am so grateful I had my chair in a spot where I could see that light, which I plan to gaze at often.

Woodberry Forest Invitational
Woodberry Forest, VA
19 September, 20015
3rd out of 14 teams Top-five spread: 1:31
Runner	Place	Time
Singleton	9th out of 158	17:43
Carrington	15th	18:04	a 13-sec. course PR
Tydings	25th	18:54	a 40-sec. course PR
Jacobs	32nd	19:04	a 16-sec. course PR
Rich	39th	19:14
Hernandez	76th	20:11	a 25-sec. season PR
Gussler	96th	20:42
Kacur	112th	112th	a 34-sec. season PR
Daphnis	117th	117th	a 15-sec. season PR
Duke	41st out of  181	22:11
Pittman	43rd	22:13	a 38-sec. season PR
Wall	DNF

Looking over these results, I am also reminded how dangerously easy it is to overlook all the wonderful hidden victories.  For example, Sy Duke beat 140 opponents in his race, and John Pittman beat 138.  That’s a lot of Ws!

Next week we take a break from the 5K grind and compete in Milestat’s relay meet at Pole Green Park in Richmond.   Each leg is 2500 meters.  It will be a great opportunity to work on speed against some excellent competition.