Coach P is Running Again (Not For Office)

Six and a half months after my pacemaker surgery it was good to go to the starting line of a race today at the 11th Annual Haddon Township Turkey Trot.  Debbie and I have been a proud sponsor of the race for at least six years after she ran into race director John Foley at a nail salon one stormy day back in 2011.

This year I planned to train more and build up to running the full 5K without walking, improving on my 2016 time of 37:28.  (Keep in mind that back in the day my PR was 21+ and I would warm up for a 5K by running 5K.)  I was building up on mileage on the treadmill, until one day my heart stopped for about 5 seconds and I was diagnosed with a bradycardia (slow heartbeat). 

Next thing I know I was flat on my back at Virtua Hospital feeling great but with a temporary pacemaker that prevented me from moving for two days until the surgeon was available to do the procedure.  The cardiologist recommended not running for six weeks, which I stretched to seven, but I kept walking during that time.  Very gradually I began running a bit with the walking.

I did not run a full mile until this past Wednesday.  At my age (71) six months without training requires about six years to get back to baseline.  So I wasn't sure what to expect when I went to the starting line today.  Fortunately the weather was ideal - low 40s, manageable humidity, no wind.

I hit the first mile in 11:07, walked/ran the rest of the way and finished in 40:17 - not great but I'll take it.  During my first New York Marathon in 1980 I remember crossing the 59th Street Bridge at 16 miles and hearing people say Al Salazar had won.  Today, sort of like that on a much smaller scale, I was thinking early in the second mile that the winner had most likely crossed the line (he had) and at 20 minutes - when I still had half the course to go, I expected my son Scott had finished.  He had - after being uncertain whether he could break 20 minutes, he came in at 19:33, good for first in his age group and 24th overall.

After the race we posed for our traditional picture in front of the Pour House sign.

The End Of a Soccer Mom's Career

Good story in today's Philadelphia Inquirer by Noel Dolan of suburban Philadelphia about the end of the line for her career as a soccer mom.  Seems her son was a goalkeeper for a local high school whose season ended with a loss in post-season play last week.  No more sitting at games in all weather, washing uniforms, driving to practices, working the snack bar and all the other things soccer moms and dads do.

While being a soccer mom (or dad) for a high school team is different than for a club team with its travel and year-around play, the ideas about which Dolan writes are the same.  But the piece is about more than supporting your kids' activities be they soccer, ballet, ice hockey or whatever.  It's about kids growing up - her son is off to college next fall, she wrote - and parents aging.  She quotes from "Landslide" by Stevie Nicks: "even children get older, and I’m getting older too."  As one who has watched countless games my kids played in countless rec league, travel team and high school games and is now a soccer granddad, I can identify.  

As much as I enjoyed the story, I take issue with Dolan's statement, "I must confess, I was not a very good soccer mom, at least not in the stereotypical imagining" because she did not have a team decal on her car or wear a team shirt.  But she goes on to say, "I was there for my son, to support him in a sport that he enjoyed and in which he found meaning and friendship. That is what moms do, soccer moms, football moms, ballet moms, field hockey moms, the dads too, you name it. Show up and offer support, win or lose."

Sounds like she was the best soccer mom to me.

A "National Shame": Italy Fails to Qualify For World Cup

By virtue of a scoreless draw with Sweden Monday, Italy failed to qualify for the world Cup for the first time since the Eisenhower administration.  Jason Horowitz described it in a well-written piece in today's New York Times:

"ROME — Many tragedies have befallen Italy in the last 60 years. Dozens of governments have collapsed. Earthquakes and terrorism have shaken cities. The French started adding cream to carbonara.

But the failure of the national soccer team on Monday night to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1958 seems to be taking a place in the pantheon of Italian disasters."

And speaking of soccer disasters, Iceland is in and we're not!

Progress: First Woman Referee In The Bundesliga

Saturday's New York Times carried the story of Bibiana Steinhaus, the first woman to referee in the German Bundesliga.   Good for her and good for the sport.  No reason a woman who is qualified cannot officiate in the Bundesliga or any other top league.  Are you listening MLS?

Steinhaus seems pretty cool - serious about the job, worked hard to get where she is but still a bit in awe.  “This is the freaking Bundesliga! This is cool!" she is quoted as saying.

Maybe in the not too distant future having a woman working top games in any sport will no longer be news.