Another amazing tale you won’t believe, where your superannuated reporter drives through THE STORM FROM HELL, keeps pace with three 2:20ish marathoners and a three-time Conference Mile Champion and meets a future marathon star and gets a medicinal chocolate milk shake. There was also a big brown dog.
WEDNESDAY, I walked Ragnar, cleaned up and was literally reaching to go out the door to buy bananas when I suddenly took ill. Woozy, nauseous, pulse racing. Fearing vertigo, decided I was not comfortable getting behind the wheel.
Spent most of the rest of the day and that night in bed. Supposed to hit the road in the morning. Way I feel, it’ll be face first.
THURSDAY has been designated a Weather Alert Day all across Central Florida, with one of the biggest hazards being damaging straight-line winds. Real lane-changers.
The front associated with the severe weather outbreak across the Deep South will continue its track east, increasing rain and storms by the afternoon. Models show the line of storms approaching northern counties by lunchtime, just when I’ll be heading north.
Rain chances will range from a 60-80% with a slight to marginal risk for strong to severe storms. My ass. Had to be closer to 111%. Risk going straight to “severe.” And hanging there.
Put the word out, might not be able to make it. Word comes back, “Sorry to hear you are not feeling well. GAME DAY DECISION.”
Level 2, my other ass. Maybe in a freakin’ subterranean bunker somewhere far off. Definitely, way deep down.
Game Day Decision. Went into Barker Ajax mode. Turns out the alter ego was ill, too. Comes in waves. All my personalities are ill. Feel like I am fighting an attack from an enemy that hasn’t quite let its identity be known. The older I get, more this seems to happen. Whatever it is.
Woke well rested, so there’s that. Walked Ragnar, took him and Lily to the kennel, gassed up, and drove north missing only one turn, getting lost only once while surviving A TORRENTIAL METEROLOGICAL NIGHTMARE, where I stopped only once in a median cut-through. Barker’s been down this road before.
Cassie Topaz Malone is sitting shotgun like she’s Sally Ride. Medicated and a real trooper. She exhaled, ladylike.
I needed to gather myself. All of us. Which reminds me.
There once was this famous cutthroat pirate, Black Jack. He was greatly feared across the seas, gaining much booty as he swept out of the sun to sunder. Black Jack always wore red pants because – as he told his crew and all the desirable damsels back at port – “So, if I am wounded, the enemy will not see my blood.”
One overcast day, after a recent victory over a Jamaican weed freighter, Black Jack misjudged the size of the opposing force. He had been too stoned to judge the danger, no, DOOM, he was facing. Greatly outnumbered, vastly out-matched.
What to do now?
“Bring me my brown pants!”
Finally, we arrive basically right on time, to learn I should have turned my phone on. Plans have changed.
Missed out on an extra hour of automotive confinement and a fried oyster lunch at a legendary restaurant but was able to have my normal fruit nut cottage cheese and take a nap. Feel almost okay.
But somebody forgot to bring bananas.
FRIDAY, a limited number of events were contested in the Tom Jones Memorial Invitational in Gainesville, Florida, with the bulk of the meet set for Saturday.
The University of Florida created this meet in 2008 to honor the late Gators track and field coach Tom Jones. Jones led Florida’s women’s track and field team for 15 seasons as head coach and led the team to 15 top-10 appearances in the indoor and outdoor NCAA championships. He also helped athletes on and off the track with over 200 SEC Academic Honor Roll named athletes. The Tom Jones Memorial Invitational has been hosted on the Percy Beard Track at the James G. Pressly Stadium since 2008, excluding 2020.
We’ve been dragged here to cheer for Williamsburg, Virginia’s Caroline Bauer. Never heard of her? Well, you will. Coming off injury and the travails of that first year out of high school, she’s regained her fitness and is now seeking new PRs. Personal Records.
Stopped at Checker’s on the way into Gainesville. Many years ago I learned of the therapeutic miracles often manifested by a chocolate milk shake. Prove me wrong.
The author of Once A Runner points out one of Quenton Cassidy’s training routes.
That huge complex over there used to be a field. He sounds wistful.
My first track meet in some time, okay, maybe nine years, the 2015 Prefontaine Classic. I am sitting with two OGs and none of us have ever seen this before – no officials at the finish line.
Of course, we are old enough to remember when nine volunteers – also old – were standing right there with their stopwatches. One eye on a specific athlete so closely, they miss most of what else happens.
But the times were always spot on. Give or take.
Best I can tell, the Tom Jones Invitational is run by that A.I. you might have heard about, Artificial Intelligence, that’s taking over everything. Gonna miss those old guys. Ladies, too, of course.
We are in time to see Chris Robinson run a 47.95 400 Hurdle World Leader. If you can believe the robots.
We notice something else missing, maybe during the steeplechase – there’s no yarn at the finish line? No string. No tape. ‘There is no finish line’ is finally true.
I ask Coach Parker, winner of many races, did it mean anything to physically breast the finish line?
What I thought I heard him say was “Hell, yeah.” He was on my good ear side.
This wasn’t her night maybe and we didn’t have to be dragged. Forgot to mention – no admission charge. Storm passed, clear skies and a sunny seventy degrees F.
Caroline Bauer was in the third heat of the 1500. 4:38.28. I missed most of the race because I was watching her old coach watch her. He was beaming. Drove all the way from Williamsburg, Virginia for this.
Coach Kevin Harper has been my friend – like a brother; same coin, different sides – since the Spring of 1978, when he invited me to speak at a VERY HILLY race clinic. Forgotten everything about the event except the hills. Oh, yeah, and I was picked up at the airport with two cold Heinekens awaiting, as stipulated in my contract.
So, when he said, ‘Why don’t you and Parker and Greenie come with me and cheer her on?’, you can imagine our response – “Hell, yeah.”
I had to know the back story. Jim Valvano once told me, you have to know where you’ve been, before you can figure out where you’re going. Suppose she goes far.
Here’s Coach Harper (Ret.)
Caroline was a freshman in 2018. Swimming background, huge aerobic engine, tiny body, running mechanics were almost painful to watch, but she was still one of the fastest on a good team. Got injured and did not finish the season.
Same story in XC and T&F her sophomore year. Good performances early, injuries, almost hobbling by end of season but continued to gut it out for team points.
Junior year, COVID hit. Caroline decided to concentrate on only running {she had been swimming HS team over the winter and club team in summer). Went to a sports medicine lab at Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters. Gait analysis, consultation, exercise program monitored by physical therapists. Caroline completely revamped her running mechanics. Once COVID allowed for a return to competition, Caroline was multi time all state as a junior.
Senior year, Caroline won a state title (3200), got second in 1600, was Top 10 in many of the big national caliber meets and committed to Florida.
As a college freshman, Caroline ran 4th for Florida in XC at SEC and Regional. Hip injury (torn labrum) – after two indoor meets – shut down indoor and outdoor track.
This past fall, Caroline got a stress fracture in her femur that shut down XC. Indoor races were disappointing to her but she was still in a comeback mode. Outdoor track has shown some promise but not where she wants to be just yet. Talking with her Mom at the Gainesville meet, it seems Caroline has finally learned to go easy on the easy days, but still has a tendency to race the quality days.
My opinion here:
Caroline has a lot of potential. She has only been focused on running for four years. With the injury setbacks, she has really only two to three years of full-time focus on running. She was one of the few HS athletes who was hungry not only to train, but also hungry to learn about the sport and how to train. A real breath of fresh air to coach. She pushed me to learn more about the physiology of running and how to better explain it.
Caroline has the drive and talent to be a top runner. As she gets better at listening to her body, I think she will put up some really good performances.
On top of all that Caroline has a strong character, is bright and just a fun person to be around.
I hope you can see why I think so much about Caroline.
Four heats of the Women’s 1500m followed by four heats of the Men’s 1500m. Almost my bedtime. When somebody said, “I thought there was a 5K,” I thought I might cry. Parker and Greenie looked a little teary-eyed, too.
‘Let’s stay, if it’s a good race,’ someone says.
What makes it a good race? 75s?
We decide to give the kids a break; our driver wants to stay. Agree on 80.
The field comes around in 84. Three of us shout, “Let’s go!.”
But we wait for Caroline to cool down.
No way any of us are leaving without a victory hug for the old coach. All hugs are victory hugs in track & field. They’re on my bad ear side and I hear she got boxed in more than once but a great learning experience and then they’re off, talking about the next race.
Which is 5000m at the East Coast relays. UNF-Hodges Stadium – Jacksonville, FL Friday April 26.
SATURDAY. If you are the first one up every morning, you might get to see a herd of deer frolicking in the front pasture.
Still not feeling top notch and I have to drive home and get the dogs.
I see sunny skies ahead.
Hell, yeah.