Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Mullen, Mullen!

In my last post, I mentioned that I am coaching cross-country at Mullen HS, but I haven't really talked about it - well, blogged about it, yet:). So, naturally, this post is dedicated to how I got the job, why I took it and what I think of it (so far).

Let's go way back. To February, to be a bit more specific. I decided then that I really wanted to go back to school, actually receive an education, be around people that have the same morals as me, and have a much-needed change of scenery. So I decided to move to Utah in August and attend Utah Valley University.

As July was fast approaching, I received a phone call from Dave Reese, the Head Coach at Mullen and a good running friend whom I would always talk to at every XC and track meet since my junior year. He had just recently became the head XC coach and was given full control of his coaching staff, so he cleaned out the old coaches and wanted to hire an entirely new, fresh staff. He thought I fit perfectly into that category.

It took me a good week or two to make a decision. I wanted - needed - to make sure that whichever choice I make, I need to be 100% committed to that choice. I decided that this was too big of an opportunity to pass, so I picked Mullen...for one semester, at least.

A month has now passed since I became a Mustang, and I am convinced I made the right decision. It took some time to get used to all of the kids/Mullen parents, but I feel comfortable running with everyone, working with the other new coaches, learning what I can from Reese, and teaching the kids everything I learned while running at Wheat Ridge. More importantly, the kids have gotten used to my presence and they seem to actually listen to me when I dish out advice. To gain the respect of the kids is a huge bonus!

My title is Assistant Head Coach, which is awesome, and Reese prefers me working with the Varsity guys and girls, which is also awesome. As much respect as I have for JV runners, I feel way more comfortable working with Varsity runners because, quite frankly, that's all I know from my experience.

The guys are a great bunch of kids. They're all laid back, easy to run with, and have a general passion for sports. They're not a State Championship team (might not even be a State Qualifying team), but they're all a blast to work with. Being able to play football and ultimate frisbee are also added bonuses!

The girls team is different. They are the most talented group of runners I have ever seen on one team. The problem is keeping all of them motivated every race for the whole season. Last year, they were considered the favorites to win 4A State heading into the race. Because of faulty training and lack of focus during the race, they dropped to 5th. I'm really hoping I find a way to keep them going through State, because I would love to see these girls win State, which is a very strong possibility this season.

Best of all, I'm feeling like a XC runner again! I'm still not exactly in shape, considering I stopped running for a full year before I took the job, but I am definitely getting there, and since I'm running the workouts with the Varsity guys, I'll be in racing shape soon! These workouts have once again lit the fire that was there for so long in high school. It makes me want to race again. My first test will be in a couple weeks: the Farmer 5000!

I am very grateful that I took this job because of everything I mentioned above. Before I made the decision, I prayed for direction, hoping I would receive my answer soon. I remember thinking that the best scenario would be to accept the job, see how it goes and then make a decision after the season. I'm realizing this is my answer to my prayer because if I had gone to Utah two weeks ago, I would have kept thinking what could have been, being a coach at Mullen. Now I know. Although it's been great, I don't see myself working with Reese after this season, and the desire to go to school is even stronger, mainly because I feel I'll be ready to run in college next August. So, come January, I'll be in Utah, traning to run for Coach Houle in 2010.

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