Throwback Year 16

The year that he turned 16 was the year that JT really discovered running.  They’d been acquainted for a some time, of course.  As a little boy he had asked me why anyone would walk when they could run.  But 16 year old JT took it to a whole new level.  In June, T, JT, and I made a trip to Missouri and watched some baseball.  

Much to our surprise, JT ran each day of that vacation.  We came home and he kept running.  By the time August arrived, he’d developed a daily habit.  Every morning he’d wake up and go outside to stretch and run.

He started the fall Cross Country season running in the middle of the JV team.  He ended it as the fastest runner on the team.

The hard work paid off in wrestling as well.  The season began with 6 am runs on the trails outside the gym at school and it featured some nice wins in matches.

I enjoyed cheering him on, of course.  But my enduring memory of the year was the realization that my boy had found a powerful thing for himself.  Living with a 16 year old always has challenges but many of them were eased by miles and miles of running, where JT found direction and contentment.