Dear Coaches,
I have enjoyed the process that is cross country season more with each passing year. This last one certainly was the most special. I have never been part of such an amazing team - athletes, coaches, trainers, supporters - and know enough by now to cherish these moments, as they so rarely come along. In the past, I didn't allow myself to be immersed in any sort of team environment (I won't bother analyzing the psychology behind that one just yet), but I sure learned in the nick of time.
McMaster XC is an incredible blend of circumstance and character. Every one of its members is such a different, strong personality. The team opens its mind and heart to the local running community and its supporters (family, friends, significant others, other sport coaches, alumni, members-in-training, shoe stores, clothing companies, Twitter and Facebook followers, recruits - the list goes on). The program does not run its athletes into the ground but it doesn't set the stage to plateau either. So many people have improved leaps and bounds, some with hardware to show for it, others massive PBs and lengthy running resumes. Somehow, you coaches have found the magical distance formula of pace-specific training, varied terrain, personalized recovery plans, and emphasizing "time on your feet" with a dedicated long run, all of which is achieved without hammering interval after interval or burning your athletes' physical/mental reserves. Sure, we push each other in workouts, but we don't cross the red line. It is a healthy environment with the attitude of pushing each other to improvement, not as a dropping or assertion technique. (Like it used to be for me. If only I had known then how enjoyable and rewarding workouts could be with friends-teammates-competitors, without maxing myself out and pissing everyone off. Ah, hindsight.)
In any case, the positive energy surrounding the McMaster program is evident even to the casual observer. It certainly is no wonder that recruits like Maddy McDonald (as fine a girl as I have met) and Connor Darlington (yes he's a stud but he's also a pretty decent guy) choose to become Marauders. There is no doubt in my mind that the program will succeed for years to come. Four key members of our women's team are either graduating or used up their eligibility - man, time friggin flies, Lindsay and I are the old ones now - but a lot of talent and quality remains, likely with a recruiting class to match. They will make magic of their own, with you as coaches, overseeing their improvement, progress as students/athletes/people, daily to annual highs and lows, and continuing to nurture such a close-knit, caring environment. I will forever look back on these days as some of the best in my life, and remember you as three of its key players. Thank you.
Love Jill
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