"Run, William, Run!"
Thanks to the 1994 film Forrest Gump, if a person starts running really fast by themselves, there's a decent chance someone will shout "Run, Forrest, Run!" (or a variation of that) in reference to the movie. However, if you were to go up to Northeast Ohio and replace Forrest with William, that references something completely different.
On the last day of the 2002 NFL regular season, the Cleveland Browns were fighting for a playoff spot. They were facing a must-win situation against the Michael Vick-led Atlanta Falcons at home. In the fourth quarter of that game, Cleveland narrowly led 17-16 with about 4 minutes to go. It was then that Jim Donovan, the Browns' radio play-by-play announcer, famously shouted "Run, William, Run!" as rookie running back William Green broke off a 64-yard touchdown run to extend the lead. Cleveland went on to win the game and make the playoffs for the first time since rejoining the league in 1999. All these years later, and I can still remember hearing that call, though it probably helps that I grew up in a family of Cleveland Browns fans.
Amazingly, in all the years I've been running, I don't know that I've ever gotten a "Run, Forrest, Run!" comment from someone. And sadly, Jim Donovan has never been around to say "Run, Will/William, Run!". Running is good. Though I don't run nearly as often as I'd like to these days, running has been good to me over the years...even if it didn't start off that way.
When I was in 6th grade, my mom (and sister) gave me an ultimatum: take up piano lessons or try out for track. I can't remember exactly how that conversation went, but I think it had to do with my mom wanting me to be more active and do extracurricular activities. Plus, my brother and sister had taken piano lessons and my sister was doing track and cross country at the time. I didn't want to do track, but I really didn't want to take piano lessons. Therefore, I tried out for track, not expecting much. That year, track ended up being a walk-on team. I was one of, if not the slowest, distance runner(s) on the team. And yet, I had some fun with it. When track tryouts rolled around the next year, I wanted to try out - no ultimatum required! This time, there were cuts and I didn't make it. That didn't discourage me, though. I did make the team in 8th grade. If anything, middle school track laid the groundwork for what was to come.
Throughout middle school, I can always remember my sister talking about track, but also this sport called cross country. She'd even go up to a weeklong running camp in August with her team. She had a lot of fun with it. To this day, she still does run, and has been really helpful with running advice. Naturally, when I started high school, I took up cross country as well. Without a doubt, that was my favorite memory of high school. I did it all four years (with one year of indoor and outdoor track mixed in there as well). Cross country (or XC) made the transition to high school - and later a new high school - easier. I met a lot of great people and made a lot of great memories through XC. Hearing words/phrases like fartlek, lactic acid, shin splints, race pace, and tempo became commonplace. I remember in 9th grade there was also LSD - Long Slow Distance, of course.
There are a lot of great stories and memories from the races themselves. There was one time in 9th grade where two trees along the course were covered in saran wrap (that later turned out to be a prank). Another time, I was running side-by-side with a guy when I heard a coach from another team yell "don't let Squidward here beat you". To this day, I stand by that that's what I heard him say. In another race, I was with a pack of runners and we were circling around a pole. As we went around the pole, one of the runners looked back, shouted "Bazinga" (a reference to The Big Bang Theory), and just took off. The memories from races are all over the place, from running one in the pouring rain to a guy holding a boombox on his shoulder at the start/finish line.
Since high school, I've been on and off with running. I ended up doing a 15k and two half-marathons in college (including one with my sister, the true runner in our family). Though I haven't entered in any races since, I keep telling myself that I will - and (hopefully) soon. When my dad and sister came down in January for the Houston Marathon, I was reminded of why I enjoy running and what makes it great. Seeing all the runners crossing the finish line and celebrating for something they've spent months preparing for and be able to celebrate and get that medal is cool. Everyone goes in with different goals and dreams, too. In that sense, you really are running your own race and often competing against yourself. And hey, there's even a beautiful Bible verse about running "the race marked out for us" (see Hebrews 12:1-2).
One thing I learned from XC was this: it wasn't just about the countless miles run. It was also about the friends and memories made along the way. That it why I look back on those years and smile when thinking about them. It meant a lot of running, early mornings, workouts, and carbo-loaded team dinners. In the end, it was all worth it. That is also why I still find myself wanting to run and get back in to it. There's a beauty in running...and in that shiny medal they hand out at the finish line.
On the last day of the 2002 NFL regular season, the Cleveland Browns were fighting for a playoff spot. They were facing a must-win situation against the Michael Vick-led Atlanta Falcons at home. In the fourth quarter of that game, Cleveland narrowly led 17-16 with about 4 minutes to go. It was then that Jim Donovan, the Browns' radio play-by-play announcer, famously shouted "Run, William, Run!" as rookie running back William Green broke off a 64-yard touchdown run to extend the lead. Cleveland went on to win the game and make the playoffs for the first time since rejoining the league in 1999. All these years later, and I can still remember hearing that call, though it probably helps that I grew up in a family of Cleveland Browns fans.
Amazingly, in all the years I've been running, I don't know that I've ever gotten a "Run, Forrest, Run!" comment from someone. And sadly, Jim Donovan has never been around to say "Run, Will/William, Run!". Running is good. Though I don't run nearly as often as I'd like to these days, running has been good to me over the years...even if it didn't start off that way.
When I was in 6th grade, my mom (and sister) gave me an ultimatum: take up piano lessons or try out for track. I can't remember exactly how that conversation went, but I think it had to do with my mom wanting me to be more active and do extracurricular activities. Plus, my brother and sister had taken piano lessons and my sister was doing track and cross country at the time. I didn't want to do track, but I really didn't want to take piano lessons. Therefore, I tried out for track, not expecting much. That year, track ended up being a walk-on team. I was one of, if not the slowest, distance runner(s) on the team. And yet, I had some fun with it. When track tryouts rolled around the next year, I wanted to try out - no ultimatum required! This time, there were cuts and I didn't make it. That didn't discourage me, though. I did make the team in 8th grade. If anything, middle school track laid the groundwork for what was to come.
Throughout middle school, I can always remember my sister talking about track, but also this sport called cross country. She'd even go up to a weeklong running camp in August with her team. She had a lot of fun with it. To this day, she still does run, and has been really helpful with running advice. Naturally, when I started high school, I took up cross country as well. Without a doubt, that was my favorite memory of high school. I did it all four years (with one year of indoor and outdoor track mixed in there as well). Cross country (or XC) made the transition to high school - and later a new high school - easier. I met a lot of great people and made a lot of great memories through XC. Hearing words/phrases like fartlek, lactic acid, shin splints, race pace, and tempo became commonplace. I remember in 9th grade there was also LSD - Long Slow Distance, of course.
There are a lot of great stories and memories from the races themselves. There was one time in 9th grade where two trees along the course were covered in saran wrap (that later turned out to be a prank). Another time, I was running side-by-side with a guy when I heard a coach from another team yell "don't let Squidward here beat you". To this day, I stand by that that's what I heard him say. In another race, I was with a pack of runners and we were circling around a pole. As we went around the pole, one of the runners looked back, shouted "Bazinga" (a reference to The Big Bang Theory), and just took off. The memories from races are all over the place, from running one in the pouring rain to a guy holding a boombox on his shoulder at the start/finish line.
Since high school, I've been on and off with running. I ended up doing a 15k and two half-marathons in college (including one with my sister, the true runner in our family). Though I haven't entered in any races since, I keep telling myself that I will - and (hopefully) soon. When my dad and sister came down in January for the Houston Marathon, I was reminded of why I enjoy running and what makes it great. Seeing all the runners crossing the finish line and celebrating for something they've spent months preparing for and be able to celebrate and get that medal is cool. Everyone goes in with different goals and dreams, too. In that sense, you really are running your own race and often competing against yourself. And hey, there's even a beautiful Bible verse about running "the race marked out for us" (see Hebrews 12:1-2).
One thing I learned from XC was this: it wasn't just about the countless miles run. It was also about the friends and memories made along the way. That it why I look back on those years and smile when thinking about them. It meant a lot of running, early mornings, workouts, and carbo-loaded team dinners. In the end, it was all worth it. That is also why I still find myself wanting to run and get back in to it. There's a beauty in running...and in that shiny medal they hand out at the finish line.
My Sister and I after the Bearathon ("The Toughest Half in Texas"). Thankful for all of her running help.
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