Fast Eddie

Not too many people know that Jason's nickname used to be "Fast Eddie." My husband (whose middle name is Edward), back in his glory days was super fast! He ran track for many years and set a lot of records at his high school. He even earned a track scholarship to Fresno State, which is pretty much how he (and later on, me) ended up here. He got injured while running at Fresno State, and that pretty much ended his running career... Until recently! So, how did this all come about? Jason has been coaching volleyball for quite a number of years. He began to train and run to get in shape for coaching. The more in shape he got, the more it reminded him of his track years. He remembered back to a time when he ran in All-Comers Meets. An All-Comers Meet is a track and field meet that is open to all ages. It is competitive, and many high schoolers run in them as part of their training and to qualify for other events. Athletes who no longer run for college compete for the sheer pleasure of the sport and the thrill of competing.
Jason attended his first All-Comers Meet since college this past February. Our family drove to Sacramento (it was a reeeaally long day- the kids didn't do so great). Between Gracie pulling my arm trying to get my attention, and Jeremy practically falling off the bleachers, I pretty much missed Jason's race. He pulled a muscle and barely made it over the finish line.
Last week, Jason ran in his second All-Comers Meet. It was held at Los Gatos High School, his alma mater (Los Gatos is in the San Jose area). It coincided with our week in San Francisco without the kids. I was soooo excited to go support him on his home turf! I loved seeing his world- he showed me their track fieldhouse where the records are kept. We discovered that 2 of Jason's records still stand from 1994 (100 m at 10.47 seconds, and the 200 m at 21.28 seconds). WOW! Jason was able to meet up with 2 of his former coaches, Butch Lumby and Willie Harmatz, and even a former college teammate, Etroy Nelson, who he'd run relays with at Fresno State. He barely had enough time to warm up before his race, and I was worried that he was going to get injured. His first race was the 100m and he was placed in the first heat against runners who just recently graduated from college. His goal was to finish the race without injuring himself. He did great, coming in 5th (not bad for an old guy!) with a time of 11.95 seconds and no injuries! Unfortunately, I didn't think he was going to be in the first heat, so I didn't get the camera out in time to get the entire race recorded. He does have ongoing problems with his achilles- he's got tendonities which he goes to physical therapy for. They hurt enough, that he decided not to run in his second event, the 200 m. His next two All-Comers Meets will be in July in Edmonton! Let's see how he fares against Canadians!