Running Beginnings

I've spent a few days thinking about this post and probably the most important realization I made is that "every post doesn't have to have some type of message" sometimes a post is just a post! Anyone following this blog knows that it is meant to share who I am with anyone interested in the future. A big part of who I am is pretty obvious in the titles of both of my blogs to date so I thought why not share a few pictures from the running journey that has been and continues to be such a large part of my life.

I've gone through a lot of memorabilia and the best picture that I could find that might explain why I decided to become a runner is the following.

That is the 8th grade "B" football team picture and that is me on the front right. Now a person might ask why this might be a motivation to eventually become a runner and the answer might be in a close up of my picture.

Yes, sadly, even though it looked as though coach pulled every available uniform shirt from multiple seasons out of the closet, I had no shirt. Probably a pretty good indication football might not be in my future. I did have to laugh at the consolation I was given, a football to lean on. Anyway, did that have anything to do with me becoming a runner? I don't know but that and my size probably had a lot to do with me not becoming a football player.

I honestly don't know why or even when I decided to run but I'm sure glad that I did and I'm even more glad that I had a great Coach who continued to encourage me no matter how poorly I ran. And believe me when I first started as a member of the Cross Country and Track teams I was a very poor runner. As a matter of fact, I didn't even earn a freshman/sophomore letter in Cross Country or a C-team letter in track my freshman year. The good news is that despite that I was encouraged by my Coach to keep running and be on the team as a sophomore.

Freshman Cross Country - Fall 1962

Freshman Track - Spring 1963

Fortunately because of support from my Dad and encouragement from my Coach as well as friends that I made on the teams I decided to stay with the sport and it has given me a lifetime of memories. The next year I was named team captain, earned my Frosh-Soph letter in Cross Country and my Cee team letter in track. My junior year I letter Junior Varisty Cross Country and Bee team track and finally my senior year I was a letter winner on both the Varsity Cross Country and Track teams. I learned a lot about persistence and not giving up through that four year experience.

Senior Year Cross Country - Fall 1965

Varsity Cross Country Team - Turnbull Canyon Road
Fall 1965

My senior year when other athletes were getting scholarship offers I received a flyer from Mt. San Antonio Junior College and the Cross Country Coach wrote a note on the front, "I hope you'll join us in the fall". I really didn't think of myself as a college runner but a good friend, Al Maples and I decided to go out for the team. While I wasn't a top runner once again I was good enough for the "B" team and because our B team was good enough to beat many varsity teams from other schools I earned letters in Cross Country and Track my freshman year at Mt. SAC. My sophomore season is another story for another time but relates directly to my next team running experience.

Mt. SAC - Second 7 - Fall 1966

Mt. SAC Cross Country - Fall 1966

Just as my high school coach had a tremendous positive impact on my running and my staying with running my College Coach had a tremendous impact on my deciding to stop running on the Mt. SAC team my sophomore season. That decision led to dropping out of Mt. SAC after my 1967 fall semester and enlisting in the Navy shortly after that. While in the Navy I found that I had not lost my love of running and joined the Navy team at Naval Air Technical Training Center (NATTC) in Millington, Tennessee. While we were a team we only trained for and competed in one meet, the Navy-Marine track meet at NATTC.

Interestingly another Coach provided a negative experience that I was fortunate enough to turn into a positive. I was scheduled to compete in the 880 or half mile with two other sailors, Newton and Washington, against the Marines. Prior to the race, the coach came up and this is basically what he said, "OK Newton, they have one really good runner but I know that if you stay right on him you have a good chance to win. Washington, just let Newton set with the pace and run right with him, you'll do fine". With that he turned to walk away. Then he turned back and said to me, "Oh, good luck". It wasn't funny then but it served a very good purpose because when I became a coach I always tried to never discount an athlete no matter their ability. Here are two pictures from that day in 1968.

1st - Marine 2nd - Anstey 3rd - Newton 4th Washington
I stayed with Newton and Washington until the last curve and almost ran down the Marine.
"Oh, Good luck" Indeed!

The 2nd place trophy I received.

Those are a few of my early running experiences and every one of them had some influence on the type of coach I became when I started coaching in the 1970's. But that's a story for another post.