Convergence

Another Friday night at The Armory. Another long race for which to take splits. I’m not saying it’s ho-hum for me, not in the least! I still look forward to every race in which I have athletes running. The blood gets pumping. The adrenaline gets flowing. I’m inspired and fired up enough to yell, and rant, and rave. However, there is a repetitiveness to it. Here we go again. Get to my usual spot track-side, pull out the reporter’s notebook, get the split chart ready, find my lucky timing watch. Here we go again.

It’s just that sometimes … sometimes, you just never know when something special will occur, when the stars will align just right, when everything converges and makes that memorable moment.

And that’s what happened to me on Friday night, Leap Night, 2.29.08, at the NYU Fastrack Invitational. In my usual spot, trackside, with my reporter’s notebook and split chart and lucky timing watch.

Unseeded section of the 5k. My gangly freshman Timmy Keegan is in there. One of my boys, Marist alum Geoff Decker – now running for Central Park Track Club – he’s in there, too. I remember when he too was a gangly freshman. Seems like last year, but it was a long time ago.

The gun goes off. Time to take the splits, as usual. I’m taking down the splits for Timmy. I’m also taking down the splits for Decker. He’s no longer wearing the Marist red-and-white singlet, but he is one of us now and always. Doesn’t matter that he is wearing the orange CPTC singlet. I’m proud that he is running, and running well, with this respected club.

Early in the race, Decker takes the lead. He has the fastest seed time of all the entrants and so he is setting the pace. We yell at Timmy to hang with Decker. Eventually, this is exactly what he does. Decker leads the way and Timmy follows. Each of them clicking off 37-second laps routinely.

Outwardly, I’m yelling the usual stuff. Smooth, smooth! Relax, relax! Another 37, great! In control, in control! Same stuff I’ve been yelling for years.

Inwardly, I take a figurative step back, and I see the beauty in this. The past and the present have converged in this race. At 37 seconds per lap, I see something that as a coach and a runner I have been striving for since I started coaching the Marist Running Program in 1991. One of our alums, three years removed from college running, is still going strong and running fast and chasing it. One of our freshmen is running a smart 5k, on his way to a big-time PR and a competitive time.

Decker leads. Keegan follows. The past and the present merge into one. Makes me smile on the inside and feel like we have created something pretty neat, indeed.

Back to the live action … it turns out Decker did all the dirty work for Timmy. As I have stressed for years, it’s hard to lead a race wire-to-wire. Being in front is stressful. It’s tough. It’s tiring. Sure enough, a little past 2 miles, Timmy starts surging. Decker falters slightly.

Timmy goes on to run his best collegiate race to date, pulling away to win the section. His final 1k is closed in about 2:55, fabulous! His finishing time of 15:11.86 is a PR by more than 15 seconds. It is the fastest non-Girma/non-Raucci freshman 5k time in history (I know, a convoluted statement, but if you are reading this, you probably know the significance of it).

Decker? Oh sure, he was disappointed in his time of 15:25.62. But I remind him that earlier in the week he had mentioned his goal was 15:20. So that was not too far off. And then he realizes that this is an indoor PR by about 15 seconds. Pretty darn good, if you ask me.

Decker is the past, but his present is still pretty darn good. I’m proud of that. Keegan is the present, and his future is pretty darn promising. I'm proud of that, too.

On one night, at the Armory, they converged in the same race, and made this old coach smile.