#22 Returning to my roots

5/7/14

#22 Returning To My Roots

    Since the Iron Furnace 20k in Ohio I haven't taken a step on any of my trails. I have been running though. I have also decided to venture through the mountain highways to Roanoke, Virginia for a trail marathon June 1st. That's a different state than West Virginia. I honestly feel like I have to say that in case anyone from not West Virginia is reading this. I have been dumbfounded many times by people's honest to god belief that West Virginia isn't a state. Just last year Josh and myself went up toSchenectady, NY (I want to take this moment to say this is the proudest moment of my life to not see a red squiggly line under a word.) to run in a 15k. Well Josh ran the 15k. I decided to only run 4 miles then thought better of it. Upstate New York is such a beautiful place, it's a shame that it is within the same border of that dirty butt NYC that I hate so much. Anyways, about to turn this full circle. Josh sent in his elite entry from Morgantown, WV. The official entrants were put online- Josh Simpson- Morgantown, VA. One of many times that I think people honestly don't know of this state's existence. Other times people have just told me that they didn't know of WV. But we are the stupid ones. Don't get me wrong, this state is infested with stupid people, but so are the other 36 states I've been in; forcing me to assume America along with every country has idiots. I haven't run on trails in awhile. I believe that was where I meant to start this entry off at. I have taken to my original running routes a lot; something that I haven't done in a long time. Returning to my origins as a run is always the perfect move to pry me out of any rut that I find myself in.

    Last weekend was filled of WV running; and I lived a good weekend by a running spectator's standards. Friday I drove through the woods to Glenville. That is one of this state's many sketch communities. There was the inaugural MEC championship. Best friend Patrick & Co were preparing for another dominant performance. The first event that I wanted to see was the steeple. Glenville is notorious for running the worst meets potentially in the world. 45 minutes it took to raise the steeples from girls 5mm height to a height that you can't trip over. The hurdle crew consisted of one big Glenville State football player. I assume that he could throw the steeple a solid forty yards. But he and the rest couldn't raise it. Eventually it kicked off and Joe killed everyone. 1/1 in distance events for Wheeling Jesuit. Men's and Women because Jen won the female steeple chase by a funny margin. I'm pretty sure she has been running the show since forever. Then Jes won the girls 10k. Now, for my favorite- men's 10k. Luke was the heavy favorite and ran like it. Patrick and Riff were trying to beat a Notre Dame runner who was seeded better than the two of them. They annihilated him. Jesuit 1-3. I am looking forward to watching Luke run at nationals later this month up in Michigan. Funny fact- Joe & Jen and Luke & Jes are both items and won the same events. 

Right after chatting with the 10kers and WV's best coach, esp if you're a male- Ricky Moore, I hopped in my car and flew back through the backroads to i79 and made it down to Laidley Field just in time for Jesuit's future Cardinal's 9:34 3200m. I was about 90 minutes late based off of the rolling schedule posted before Gazette Relays kicked off. But if there is one thing that I faith in it is that no WV meet will ever run on time. I did miss the race I wanted to see, and would have if MEC hadn't run much later than planned. Ol Radabra ran 9:34 in the AAA 3200, but I wanted to see my boy from Fairmont run in the AA 3200m. Honestly he should have been in the AAA race, the fact that my old school has been relegated to AA is annoying. We always had AA enrollment but every sport was competitive on the AAA level against schools with thrice the students. I am convinced the relegation was by request because the football team had taken a turn for the pathetic and they wanted to mask it with worse competition. Granted, I am sure that is not the case, but I will believe it nonetheless. Truth is what you make it. The following morning was the 1600m. Jake ran a 4:44, big PB for him. There was Dave Ciarolla, probably the toughest CC runner in Fairmont Senior this millennium, class of 08. Patrick and myself, '10-'11. Nick Trefz '12. All fantastic runners for FS. Then there was nothing. One of the most embarrassing things I've ever witnessed is the distance team of recent. But that is going to change. Jake is only a sophomore and is making leaps and bounds. Running times faster or similar to the champs that came before him did at his age. There is at least one state title in his future- you heard it here first!

Luz these guys

After his mile I head northeast for Glenville. Day two of MEC was underway and I needed to make the 1500 and 5k. I missed the 15, but made it well before the 5k. The plan was to do the same today as they had done the day before. Sure enough, Luke calmly whooped the field and PatRiff broke the field and took 2nd and 3rd once again. The most impressive part of the entire meet was Patrick's chops n stache. Wheeling Jesuit didn't win the team title because there is a stupid school called Wesleyan that breed a stupid number of mediocre people. To attend that school you must be unable to win anything, but with great numbers of losers comes great number of points. There isn't really a rivalry between Jesuit and Wesleyan because Wesleyan is so terrible at everything. Maybe one day they can learn how to do something well and turn this into a rivalry. 

Coolest pin out of the 36. Part of the hardest 18 you'll ever play.

Next week we are moving into a house on the tempo loop. This means my fitness level will shoot through the roof. Living right on an excellent place to run means that I will be running so much more. I am pumped. With the move comes a 5 day layover period where the current lease is up and the next lease doesn't begin. So I have slowly been moving everything into my old house in Fairmont and will stay there for the five days of Morgantown homelessness. Since I have been in Fairmont a lot, I have been running my old long run courses, hanging with old friends, and running with FSHS's future distance stud. Also I started another season out at Morris Park. Out of the five states that I have played disc golf in, Morris Park is still my favorite park to play in. 36 holes and the option to tee off short or long and throw to short or long pins. It's a disc golfer's paradise. When I snapped my femur in '08 I swore off ultimate frisbee. I replaced that with disc golf and have gotten pretty damn good. I played in a tournament either my junior or senior year of high school and took 4th, beating my U18 age group by like 16 strokes in 36 holes. It was a blast. I love the hippies out there. Shelby is the local legend I'd say. I remember when he first saw me playing and I almost nailed a shot from 100+ft out. "Woah you almost chained that maaan." It's funnier to hear in person. Last year I started playing at Dorseys Knob and hit my first Ace when playing with Justin. The hole was weird, you throw it straight down a hill and wrap it around brush to the left and the pin is set out of sight from the tee off. The throw was terribly short and hard, but it skipped up and hit the chains for an ace. Had it missed I assumed it would have been a 4. 

Hole 9 at Morris Park is almost the exact same set up. Blind tee off. The pin is down a big hill and wrapped around to the left. 190 feet away. The tee off isn't really a 'blind shot' anymore for me. I have played over 100 times through those 18 holes and know exactly where the pin lies. Just because I know where it is doesn't mean I can hit it from 190ft out. Twice in my life I have hit the cage, but the disc never stayed in for an ace. Yesterday I was playing a round with my dad, to be nice I will say our calibers are slightly different. Our way of playing makes it a decent competition though. I throw from the long tee to the long pin and he throws from the short tee to the short pin. For example- on one of the holes he has to throw 235 ft and I have to throw 510 ft. Makes for a close game except today I was hitting all of my shots. Making threes that I never make. I believe that I hit four long three shots out of five in the first 8 holes. I had just come from a track workout at the glorious four turn track in Fairmont. Imagine- 100 meters LEFT, 100 meters LEFT, etc. It was build by idiots. I used to always play a round or two after workouts in high school, that's why we were out; returning to roots. When we got to hole 9, last hole that we planned to play that day, I whipped my disc right above the ground. I always throw it less than a foot from the ground on that hole because the ground drops out from under it. 'Get in' I said as it curved left out of sight around the bushes/trees. I have thrown this whole well over 100 times. Every single time I say get in once it bends toward the pin. Until yesterday every time I said that I would look dumb. But I would always say that just in case it would find its way to the cage. Then saying get in as it went in would sound like a boss. Every time the disc cuts left I stand idle for a moment hoping to hear the sound of the chains catching my disc. Yesterday I heard the chains explode. I am not sure what the world record is for the 380ft dash is, but I think I set it. Instantly I threw my hat as high as I could and took off in a dead sprint down the hill to confirm my first ever ace at Morris Park. There my disc was, sitting in the cage. All pink and junk. I rounded the cage and sprinted back up to tee off; with my index finger pointed to the heavens and pumping my fist. I probably sounded like an ass. The only other time I have pumped my fist with my finger raised was on the rail trail from Fairmont to Morgantown last year. Josh and I were running the 18 mile trail when a bald eagle decided to fly with us for a good quarter mile. We both raised our hand and chanted USA for far too long. That was the most patriotic moment of my life. The only thing that would top that is if I rode on the back of a bald eagle as we circled the white house, but I don't see that happening. 

I am completely refreshed and excited for the summer. I have a great feeling about this summer. I am excited for my future. I plan to take all of you along the journey with me. I want to hear what is on everyone's agenda this summer! 

In the comments below, leave me your summer plans!

Coming up:

• Trail Marathon #3 6/1
• No NHL blog. I started it, but was too critical on my work and scrapped it. 
• Lots of Running
• Book Review on 11/22/63 by Stevie King

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