Joshua had his best meet of the year Saturday at the Little Elm Lobo Invitational by setting not one, but two personal records. In the 3200m, Josh had his best time ever with a 10:12. That is 11 seconds faster than his previous best time of 10:23. Despite his record time, it was only good enough for a fifth place finish. For a change, Josh had some very good competition. The winning time was a blistering 9:33 with second being a 10:00.
In the 1600m, Josh crossed the finish line with a 4:45, eight seconds faster than what was his personal best of 4:53. Once again, despite the great personal showing, his time was only good enough for sixth place. First place ran a 4:30 while the second place time was 4:36.
In both races the top two times were from Frisco Centennial which is a 4A school like Forney, so if Josh can make it to the regional meet, he will see them again. Going into the Little Elm meet, Josh was wanting to run a 10:00 3200m and a 4:40 1600m. He will have one more shot at the times before the district meet. This coming Friday, the Jackrabbits will run at Rockwall-Heath. The district meet is set for April 8th & 9th in Mesquite.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Monday, March 17, 2008
Josh sets PR in 1600m
Joshua set a personal record last Friday at the Cotton Ford Relays held at Greenville High School. Josh took third place in the 1600 but also ran his fastest time ever by breaking the five minute mark to finish with a 4:53. He also took second place in the 3200 with a time of 10:38. The winning time in the 1600 was 4:47 while a 10:28 took the top spot in the 3200.
Joshua enjoyed some friendly harassing from my boss before the 1600. From all accounts, Leo Sanders, my boss, was not bad as a long distance runner in his younger days at Carthage High School. He made it to Greenville in time to watch the 3200 and then stuck around to see the 1600. Between races, Leo started giving Josh a hard time about how slow he ran and kept calling him a "sissy" every time Josh asked for something to eat. "All you need is some water and a power bar you sissy."
As the time between races got longer and longer, Leo finally told Josh, "You run a 4:50 mile and your dad will buy you a big steak." Josh looked at me and I agreed. "So if I run a 4:50 you are going to take me to Salt Grass and buy me a big steak," Josh asked. Once again I said yes. Remember, up until last Friday, his fastest mile was 5:00. As it turned out, it must have motivated Josh. Even though he didn't hit the 4:50 mark, he got very close. When he crossed the line and got his time from the timekeeper, Josh made some comment about being upset about his time. The timekeeper told him that he had a very good time at which Josh replied, "Yea but I just missed getting a steak." A lot of his teammates also came running up to him to see what his time was because they all had heard about the steak bet.
The next meet is one that was just added to the schedule this coming Saturday at Lancaster. We are already committed to be at the Leadership Training for Christ (LTC) convention in downtown Dallas so Josh will not get to run in the 3200. There is a chance we will be able to get him to the meet in time to run the 1600, that is if the race is later in the afternoon like it is with most meets. Otherwise, the next meet will be March 29th at Little Elm.
Maybe by then, Josh will have to run a 4:40 to get a steak.
Joshua enjoyed some friendly harassing from my boss before the 1600. From all accounts, Leo Sanders, my boss, was not bad as a long distance runner in his younger days at Carthage High School. He made it to Greenville in time to watch the 3200 and then stuck around to see the 1600. Between races, Leo started giving Josh a hard time about how slow he ran and kept calling him a "sissy" every time Josh asked for something to eat. "All you need is some water and a power bar you sissy."
As the time between races got longer and longer, Leo finally told Josh, "You run a 4:50 mile and your dad will buy you a big steak." Josh looked at me and I agreed. "So if I run a 4:50 you are going to take me to Salt Grass and buy me a big steak," Josh asked. Once again I said yes. Remember, up until last Friday, his fastest mile was 5:00. As it turned out, it must have motivated Josh. Even though he didn't hit the 4:50 mark, he got very close. When he crossed the line and got his time from the timekeeper, Josh made some comment about being upset about his time. The timekeeper told him that he had a very good time at which Josh replied, "Yea but I just missed getting a steak." A lot of his teammates also came running up to him to see what his time was because they all had heard about the steak bet.
The next meet is one that was just added to the schedule this coming Saturday at Lancaster. We are already committed to be at the Leadership Training for Christ (LTC) convention in downtown Dallas so Josh will not get to run in the 3200. There is a chance we will be able to get him to the meet in time to run the 1600, that is if the race is later in the afternoon like it is with most meets. Otherwise, the next meet will be March 29th at Little Elm.
Maybe by then, Josh will have to run a 4:40 to get a steak.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Josh wins 3200m
If I was ever this late getting a story to press back in my newspaper days, I would have been fired on the spot. But since I am the publisher/sports editor of this "electronic rag," I can be late. I really thought I would wait until after last week's meet in Heath, but after Thursday's meet was cancelled before it ever got started due the rain, sleet and snow that hit the area I had to go to plan "b".Anyway, Joshua's last meet was March 1st at the Clay Jones Relays here in Forney. Josh had a very good meet taking first place in the 3200m and fourth in the 1600m. Despite finishing first, he was not pleased with his performance as he ran his slowest time of the year at 10:38. "I didn't have any competition," Josh said after the run. My come back to him was, "That is when you have to really push yourself."
I thought his 1600m time was really good when you take into account that by the time the 1600m was run around 5 p.m., the wind was blowing very strong out of the south. Josh's time was 5:02. The winning time was 4:48.
Forney entered two varsity teams in the 4 x 400m and Josh was selected to run the anchor on the second team. He was not looking forward to it before the race for a couple of reasons. First, the 4 x 400m was the race right after the 1600m. The second reason, Josh is not a sprinter and in today's track world, the 400m is a sprint. Nevertheless, Josh shocked himself by running the fastest quarter he has ever ran at 0:59. I told him all he had to do was run that time eight times in a row and he would take the state title in the 3200m. He was not impressed.
This week they have two meets on the schedule. Friday they are scheduled to run at Greenville. The 3200m will start the running events at 3:00 and as with most meets, the 1600m is the next to last event of the meet which means he will probably be running around 6:00. Saturday, the team is scheduled to run at the Jesuit-Sheaner Relays in Dallas, but according to Josh today, he does not know if they are going or not. Apparently this meet is one of the premiere meets in the state with teams coming from all over the U.S. I saw a list of teams that have signed up and there really are two high schools from New York and two from Oklahoma.
Josh was told last week that Forney was not going to have anybody run the mile because they could not compete, but they would enter the 3200m. The winning time at last year's Jesuit meet in the 1600m was 4:21. Josh's fastest time in the 1600m this year is 5:00 which would have got him 19th place. The 3200m time is more in line with what Josh has the potential of getting. Last year's winning time was 9:35 which by t
he way was a kid from Forney who is on track scholarship this year at Sam Houston State. Josh's fastest 3200m this year of 10:23 would have got him 11th place last year.It looks like the weather is going be nice this weekend so we are looking for some fast times.
Until next time...
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Hardware & Sunburn for Josh
The second track meet of the Spring saw Joshua come way with some hardware and a sunburn.
Josh took third place in the 3200m last Saturday at Wylie. His time of 10:23 was three seconds behind the first place finisher. The first and second place runners were from Plano. The weather was much better than the first week. The temperature was in the low 40s when he ran around 10 a.m., but he said he did not get near as cold as the previous week. By five o'clock when he ran the mile, the temp was up to the low 60s with bright sunshine. As a result, Josh's face got sunburned and he complained to his Mom and I that his face was really hurting before he ran the mile. Sitting on the artificial turf of the football field all day did wonders for the team staying warm, but it definitely took its toll on Josh's energy. Nevertheless he did manage to run a 5:00 1600m which was good for 8th place. The winning time was 4:38.
This week, the Jackrabbits will host their own meet Saturday here in Forney. Joshua will again run the 3200m and 1600m and he also found out this afternoon that his coach has stuck him on the the 4 x 400m relay, otherwise known as the mile relay. That should be interesting since the 4 x 400m is right after the 1600m...back to back races.
Oh by the way, Josh is running on the varsity this year. Not bad for a sophomore.
Until next time...
Josh took third place in the 3200m last Saturday at Wylie. His time of 10:23 was three seconds behind the first place finisher. The first and second place runners were from Plano. The weather was much better than the first week. The temperature was in the low 40s when he ran around 10 a.m., but he said he did not get near as cold as the previous week. By five o'clock when he ran the mile, the temp was up to the low 60s with bright sunshine. As a result, Josh's face got sunburned and he complained to his Mom and I that his face was really hurting before he ran the mile. Sitting on the artificial turf of the football field all day did wonders for the team staying warm, but it definitely took its toll on Josh's energy. Nevertheless he did manage to run a 5:00 1600m which was good for 8th place. The winning time was 4:38.
This week, the Jackrabbits will host their own meet Saturday here in Forney. Joshua will again run the 3200m and 1600m and he also found out this afternoon that his coach has stuck him on the the 4 x 400m relay, otherwise known as the mile relay. That should be interesting since the 4 x 400m is right after the 1600m...back to back races.
Oh by the way, Josh is running on the varsity this year. Not bad for a sophomore.
Until next time...
Sunday, February 17, 2008
First Track Meet
The things parents will do to support their kids...
Joshua had his first track meet of the year Friday afternoon in less than ideal conditions. The temperature was in the low 40s with the wind blowing out of the north and a light mist at times. In fact it looked like it could start snowing at any time. I told some of the other Forney parents that Deshonna and I spent a few days back in December in Estes Park, CO and the temperature there was in the teens the whole time and I was warmer there walking around then here in Richardson.
Joshua was entered in the 3200m and 1600m races. For you old folks like me, that's the equivalent to the two mile and mile. In the 3200m, Joshua finished in 8th place with a time of 10:33. First place was 10:03. Of the three runners from Forney, Joshua had the best time. Joshua led the first three laps before being overtaken by the pack. (3200m is eight laps) Josh told me after the race that he did not really know what to expect because he had not ran a true 3200m in practice. As it turns out, he found out that he started off way too fast and didn't have anything left at the end. He also said that he would rather run a cross country meet instead of running around a track. After being used to running cross country, he said he could not believe how fast the finish comes in the 3200m.
The meet was cancelled due to the cold before the 1600m so he obviously didn't get to run it. He was really disappointed about it because his one mile split in the 3200 was 5:04. "If I can run the first mile that fast in the 3200m, then I know I can break the five minute mark in the 1600m." His goal for the 1600m is 4:40.
It was really amazing that any of the track team made it to Richardson following a very eventful day at Forney High School. Earlier in the day, the high school was evacuated following a bomb threat. All 1,700 students were bused from the high school to the newly remodeled middle school that will reopen this coming fall. It took about 45 minutes to move all the kids. Josh sent me a text message and asked me to come to the middle school to pick him up, that they were releasing kids to their parents.
By the time I got back to Forney and close to the middle school, I could tell that it was not going to be an easy task to get to where Josh was. The traffic was almost at a standstill as it looked like all the high school parents were trying to get to the middle school to pick up their kids. When I did get to the middle school about 12:15, the police officers made an announcement that the high school had been cleared and that parents could take their kids back to the school to get their personal belongings and cars.
My main concern was whether or not the track team was going to Richardson are not and how was I going to get lunch to Josh before the team left. About 12:45, Joshua finally got a signal on his cell phone and called me. He said the coaches had managed to get some pizzas to the middle school and that they were on the way to the cafeteria to eat. After that that would catch a bus back to the high school to get their track stuff and then head to Richardson.
The 3200 was scheduled to start at 2:30 and the team did not arrive in Richardson until 2:15. I had a patient in Kaufman that I really needed to see so I told Josh that there was no way I could be in Richardson by 2:30 and that I would be there for the mile. It was about 1:15 when I finally left Forney and headed to Kaufman. I saw my patient and then headed to Richardson about 2:45. Half way between Forney and Mesquite, I got another call from Josh and he said they had changed the start time of the meet and that the 3200m would not start until 3:30 and that they would run the boys and girls JV and girls' varsity 3200m before he ran. That gave me time to stop and get a hot dog and gas and then not be so rushed to get to Richardson to watch him run.
Thanks to my laptop computer, wireless air card and cell phone, I was able to set up my "mobile office" with a HEATER in the Suburban and got some work done after the 3200 and before what I thought would be the 1600.
Hopefully next week will not be as eventful before the meet and it will be warmer. Josh and his team will run at Wylie on Saturday.
Until next time...
Joshua had his first track meet of the year Friday afternoon in less than ideal conditions. The temperature was in the low 40s with the wind blowing out of the north and a light mist at times. In fact it looked like it could start snowing at any time. I told some of the other Forney parents that Deshonna and I spent a few days back in December in Estes Park, CO and the temperature there was in the teens the whole time and I was warmer there walking around then here in Richardson.
Joshua was entered in the 3200m and 1600m races. For you old folks like me, that's the equivalent to the two mile and mile. In the 3200m, Joshua finished in 8th place with a time of 10:33. First place was 10:03. Of the three runners from Forney, Joshua had the best time. Joshua led the first three laps before being overtaken by the pack. (3200m is eight laps) Josh told me after the race that he did not really know what to expect because he had not ran a true 3200m in practice. As it turns out, he found out that he started off way too fast and didn't have anything left at the end. He also said that he would rather run a cross country meet instead of running around a track. After being used to running cross country, he said he could not believe how fast the finish comes in the 3200m.
The meet was cancelled due to the cold before the 1600m so he obviously didn't get to run it. He was really disappointed about it because his one mile split in the 3200 was 5:04. "If I can run the first mile that fast in the 3200m, then I know I can break the five minute mark in the 1600m." His goal for the 1600m is 4:40.
It was really amazing that any of the track team made it to Richardson following a very eventful day at Forney High School. Earlier in the day, the high school was evacuated following a bomb threat. All 1,700 students were bused from the high school to the newly remodeled middle school that will reopen this coming fall. It took about 45 minutes to move all the kids. Josh sent me a text message and asked me to come to the middle school to pick him up, that they were releasing kids to their parents.
By the time I got back to Forney and close to the middle school, I could tell that it was not going to be an easy task to get to where Josh was. The traffic was almost at a standstill as it looked like all the high school parents were trying to get to the middle school to pick up their kids. When I did get to the middle school about 12:15, the police officers made an announcement that the high school had been cleared and that parents could take their kids back to the school to get their personal belongings and cars.
My main concern was whether or not the track team was going to Richardson are not and how was I going to get lunch to Josh before the team left. About 12:45, Joshua finally got a signal on his cell phone and called me. He said the coaches had managed to get some pizzas to the middle school and that they were on the way to the cafeteria to eat. After that that would catch a bus back to the high school to get their track stuff and then head to Richardson.
The 3200 was scheduled to start at 2:30 and the team did not arrive in Richardson until 2:15. I had a patient in Kaufman that I really needed to see so I told Josh that there was no way I could be in Richardson by 2:30 and that I would be there for the mile. It was about 1:15 when I finally left Forney and headed to Kaufman. I saw my patient and then headed to Richardson about 2:45. Half way between Forney and Mesquite, I got another call from Josh and he said they had changed the start time of the meet and that the 3200m would not start until 3:30 and that they would run the boys and girls JV and girls' varsity 3200m before he ran. That gave me time to stop and get a hot dog and gas and then not be so rushed to get to Richardson to watch him run.
Thanks to my laptop computer, wireless air card and cell phone, I was able to set up my "mobile office" with a HEATER in the Suburban and got some work done after the 3200 and before what I thought would be the 1600.
Hopefully next week will not be as eventful before the meet and it will be warmer. Josh and his team will run at Wylie on Saturday.
Until next time...
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Forney High School 2008 Track Schedule
Feb. 15 Fri. Richardson @ Eagle-Mustang Stadium -- Richardson
Feb. 23 Sat. Pirate Relays @ Wylie
March 1 Sat. Clay Jones @ City Bank Stadium -- Forney
March 6 Thurs. Hawk Relays @ Rockwall Heath
March 14 Fri. Cotton Ford Relays @ Cotton Ford Stadium -- Greenville
March 15 Sat. Jesuit-Sheaner Relays @ Dallas
March 29 Sat. Little Elm Lobo Invitational @ Little Elm Athletic Complex
April 4 Fri. Hawk Relays @ Rockwall Heath
April 8 & 9 Tues/Wed Varsity District @ Hanby -- Mesquite
April 18 & 19 Fri/Sat Regional Qualifiers Meets
April 25 & 26 Fri/Sat Regional Meet @ Denton
May 9 & 10 Fri/Sat State Meet @ Austin
Feb. 23 Sat. Pirate Relays @ Wylie
March 1 Sat. Clay Jones @ City Bank Stadium -- Forney
March 6 Thurs. Hawk Relays @ Rockwall Heath
March 14 Fri. Cotton Ford Relays @ Cotton Ford Stadium -- Greenville
March 15 Sat. Jesuit-Sheaner Relays @ Dallas
March 29 Sat. Little Elm Lobo Invitational @ Little Elm Athletic Complex
April 4 Fri. Hawk Relays @ Rockwall Heath
April 8 & 9 Tues/Wed Varsity District @ Hanby -- Mesquite
April 18 & 19 Fri/Sat Regional Qualifiers Meets
April 25 & 26 Fri/Sat Regional Meet @ Denton
May 9 & 10 Fri/Sat State Meet @ Austin
Thursday, December 27, 2007
20th Wedding Anniversary
What a differences 20 years makes!!!
December 19, 1987
December 15, 2007Deshonna and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary in Estes Park, Colorado. We flew into Denver and it was cold and snowing. By the time we drove to Estes Park, there was about 6 inches of snow on the ground. It was really pretty. We had no plans other than to relax. We did go out and eat Friday night at a really nice restaurant called Twin Owls. The food was very good. After that it was back to the room and the hot tub. Our room had a hot tub out side on the balcony. The temperature outside was 8 degrees but the hot tub was HOT. After we got use to it, it really felt nice. We laughed because Deshonna's hair started getting hard because it was freezing.
Saturday was spent doing some shopping in downtown Estes Park. There are a lot of nice little tourist type shops with a bunch of things to look at. After lunch we went driving around in Rocky Mountain National Park which is just west of Estes Park. The wind was really blowing the snow all over the roads. Thank goodness we had rented a Dodge Nitro that had four wheel drive. Part of the roads in the park are closed for the winter. We went and saw a movie that night before going back to the room and the hot tub.
We got up Sunday morning and went to church. Soon as we walked into the building, we ran into some friends who used to live in Snyder...Don & Diane Osborn. We hadn't seen them in about 18 years. The church had a "pot luck" luncheon and we were invited to eat with them. We have yet to turn down free food. After lunch we went back down town. There were a couple of more shops we wanted to look in that we had not been in Saturday. While downtown we got a call from the Osborns who were inviting us to their house. We went and spent a few hours catching up on old times. It was really nice to reminisce about our days in Snyder. A lot of the conversation for Deshonna was new since Don & Diane knew me several years before I met Deshonna.
After we left their house, we went back to the room and the hot tub.
Monday morning we got up and packed. Stopped at McDonald's for breakfast and then headed down the mountain for the airport in Denver. Overall, a great time in the cold Colorado mountains.
We are talking about making another trip to Estes Park this summer with the kids. It sounds even more appealing now since Don & Diane invited us to stay at their house.
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