Coach Reeder

     

Sometimes in your lifetime you are lucky enough to be molded and taught by a great coach or mentor.  I am one of those lucky ones to have been molded by Coach Reeder.  Coach Reeder passed away a year ago now and in his honor I just wanted to share this tribute to him.

     I went for a run this evening. It was my first post baby run. It was not fast and it was not far, but it was perfect. The 6 inches of snow packed on the ground was soft and comforting to my post baby muscles and the snow falling gently from the sky was beautiful and quiet, letting me get lost in my thoughts. My thoughts were on Coach Reeder and his sweet wife Dona. Pretty soon Coach Steve Reeder was on my run with me.

   He was at every turn in a different scenario of my running career. First, he was in his Blue Truck with the USU XC license plate on the back, leaning out the window saying, "Is this Heaven? I responded to him "No, It's Iowa." Just as he had done as we were training the day before we left to Iowa for Pre Nats. This made me smile from ear to ear. Next he was cheering from the stands at the Stanford Invite yelling calmly and reassuringly for each of the 12 1/2 laps, "You are right on. Good. Perfect." The next time I saw him it made me laugh out loud as he was telling me that the Breast Stroke is the fastest stroke out of the water pit in the Steeple Chase. Around the next corner I saw him in the orange groves or California cheering me to the finish at the Big West Conference Championships.  Then he was at first dam on the Logan River trail giving me water. Next he was out on Utah State's track with Dona by his side.  This time I had graduated from USU and had come back to run in the 5000 meter open race, just for fun. Coach was coaching me just like old times.  Half way through the race every other runner had dropped out of the race for various reasons. I was the only person still running on the track. I was a little embarrassed so I asked Coach if I should just step off too. His reply was, "No, you finish what you started." And he kept cheering me on the rest of that 5000 meters. 

      The tears came at this point in the run. People around probably saw an out of shape 30 something year old hurting from trying to get back in shape. They could not see that I was feeling a profound gratitude to all that this man taught me. "You finish what you started."  Life is good, and it is hard but we keep moving forward.  We finish what we started. We get back up and we keep running the race. 

     It felt good to cry and think about all that I have learned through Coach Reeder and running. As I finished I sat and watched the sunset and thanked my Heavenly Father for all the blessings he has given me in my life. I am blessed to have had the opportunity to run for Coach Reeder. I am blessed to have learned all that I have learned from him and his good wife, Dona. I am blessed to have the life long friendships that I have from this sport. I am blessed to be able to run and clear my mind and get back into something I love after taking a break to have a sweet little baby. I am blessed to be able to go inside now and take care of my little ones. I am blessed to have a husband that supported me then, and now,  in my endeavors.  I am blessed to be where I am in life. A big part of the reason I am where I am now is thanks to a good man and his sweet wife that sacrificed and supported us crazy runners. They taught us about life through running.