Race Day: Smith College Invitational

On Friday afternoon, T and I made the trip north to watch JT run in the second race of the season, held at Smith College.  After a blistering hot week, the weather had cooled and the morning of the race was overcast with temps in the 60s.  The team was excited.

The start was its usual stampede.

The course was hilly and the team ran with a purpose, looking to send a message to some of the teams in their conference who were also present in the race.

JT ran well, shaving time off of his last performance and coming in 29:22.  It was a hilly course and he was especially pleased with how he ran.

His team did well; the women placed third and the men placed first.  T and I had fun and took him out for lunch after the race.  He talked a mile a minute about his classes and the team.  We drove back home pleased that he’s settled in so nicely.  

That’s happy!

Race Day: Jim Sheehan Invitational

JT’s first race wearing a Springfield College jersey was on Saturday.  I drove up to Fitchburg, Massachusetts to cheer him on.  The race location was a wooded conservation area with rolling hills and plenty of shade.  Race day was cool, the sort of conditions JT loves best.

College cross country races are an 8k.  JT trained all summer and he was ready for the challenge.

He grabbed a stick and got after it.

He finished 38th in a field of 100 with a time of 30:06.  The team placed 5th out of 9 teams in the contest.  It’s a solid first outing.

Perhaps most important, he gave me a hug afterward and announced it was the most fun he’d ever had in a race.  So we’ve found his brand of joy in his college and I am most pleased about that.  Classes start on Tuesday, meaning he’ll now be a student as well as an athlete.  It’s been a happy to start to his first year of college and I am so very grateful for these blessings.