Dream Deferred

Like many of us, when I was a kid I dreamed of wearing the good ol' USA across my chest in the Olympics or World Championships. I still vividly recall the first time I even saw a race on television when I was nine watching the Montreal Summer Games as Frank Shorter duke it out in the rain with Waldemar Cierpinski of the now defunct East Germany. Mesmerized by what I thought was one of the most amazing things ever, grown men, running around in shorts in the rain, sharing water bottles, yet, wanting to beat the other one to the finish over a 26 mile course. Two years later in 1978 I watched Boston Billy Rodgers win his second Boston Marathon edging Jeff Wells in an epic battle and then the great Duel in the Sun of 1982 as Alberto Salazar and Dick Beardsley pushed each other to their personal limits. More recently, the clash of the running gods Haile Gebrselassie and Paul Tergat in an amazing finish in the Sydney Games 10,000 or Fermin Cacho kicking his way to a Gold Medal in front of an ecstatic home crowd in the '92 Barcelona Games. These are the moments in athletic history that are forever frozen in my gray matter, inspiring me even to this day when I wake up, lace up, and dream as I head out the door. My dream, to wear my country's singlet and race with what the world has to throw out me from all continents.

I have been blessed and fortunate to have earned two Division II All American awards, compete on some really great teams, meet all my running heros and have raced all over our great country allowing me to have experiences that most people only dream of having. But, I never got the opportunity to wear a red, white or blue singlet with the greatest country on the planet pasted across the chest, USA. There is no regrets, because simply put, I was not fast enough to wear that singlet. But now, now I have a chance to finally wear that singlet.

In the middle of July I will represent our country in the World Masters Athletic Championships in Sacramento, running both the 5,000 and 10,000 meters on the track. At 44 I will finally pull on that blue singlet with those 3 letters, U S A, lace up my racing flats and with pride, run against some of the finest over 40 year old athletes in the world. I know it is kind of corny, but I am really excited about this. I have spent most of this past year chiseling my body back into somewhat of the shape of a runner. Once again, I have begun to have dreams of running in peanut butter and not being able to dig down and find that closing gear in the final stretch of a race. I get excited about how a work out is going to send me to the toilet for an hour or more. I am a runner again. Slower, gray around the temples and less hair on top, but that same guy who dreamed big in his younger days has found himself jumping with joy at the challenge that lies ahead. A dream deferred, but a dream that is going to come to pass.

So as I prepare for the World Masters Championships I want to thank all of my former teammates, coaches, running friends and family for being the inspiration that gets these old legs out the door. As always, stay healthy, keep running and don't give up on those big dreams!