I’ve referenced my old buddy Tom Cotner before. Head Coach of Club Northwest for umpteen years. Holds a Phd. from both Harvard and MIT. Brilliant! One of the most profound things he ever told me was “There’s always two ways”. To say things, to look at things.
With that in mind…
We have heat back at the Bar None after 3 days without, outside of our wood burning stove at any rate. In the last month I’ve installed a garbage disposal, completey rebuilt the Moen faucet, and over the last 72 hours gotten a fair bit of HVAC experience. Electrical, the last frontier of my inauguration into self sufficiency. Tracing wires, finding old splices that don’t resemble each other on the ends, retracing again, circuit boards and manuals tutoring. Linda woke up with a bright bulb over her head last night! “Maybe the ‘new’ batteries we installed into the old thermostat (before replacing, which yielded unexpected results- the A/C coming on instead of the heat) were no good.” Brilliant! Off to the store this morning, new pack of AA batteries did the trick, some times its the simplest of solutions.
Tom Cotner. Brant Kotch. Bill Roe. Meb Keflezighi. Deena Kastor. Greg Meyer. Dave McGillivray. Alan Steinfeld. Gerry Lindgren. Bill Rodgers. Lamine Diak. Mr. Tanaka-San. Keith & Kevin Hanson. John Walker. Scott Keenan. John Conley. Joseph Kariuki. Hank Brown. Nina Kuscik. Jim McLatchie. Henry Rono. National Champions, Olympians, World Champions, World Record holders. And more and less and more and more. My passion has allowed me friends that otherwise I’d only have read about in books. I’ve mistakenly been accused of name dropping plenty of times. But each time you’ve read my stories and experiences you have been learning about the True Pioneers in running from my generation and into yours. Trailblazers that have shaped the best parts of our sport as we know it today. Mentors and colleagues that have also helped form my expectations of excellence in running. And that trickled into Nebraska, no doubting it, many of you now enjoying the benefits.
Thank them, not me.
In 1983 I was 26. Founded my first running club, The Gulf Coast Windbreakers. Would also direct my first race, the Channel Industries Sports Association 5K. And was setting course records. Had hair and a kick too!
About Author
