World Junior Championships

I may have mentioned in previous posts that I was an Olympic-class runner in my teens. When I was 16, I ran the 1,500 metre race. My time for that distance was 3:52 – unofficially. I’m sure there is a record of it somewhere in county and WOSSAA (Western Ontario Secondary Schools Athletics Association) records from that time. But, since women hadn’t broken the four-minute mile at international levels yet, this time was extraordinary. My family just didn’t have the money to advance my racing to a higher level.

Over the weekend, the hubby and I watched some of the World Junior Championships held in Moncton, New Brunswick. Because of my love of track and field since I was a kid, I always enjoy watching these events. I was surprised, however, to find the current junior (age 19 and under) world record for the women’s 1,500 is 4:08. 4:08? Wow! Thirty-three years ago, I ran it in 16 fewer seconds! Wow! I have checked online but WOSSAA hasn’t put their records online.

At the adult level, my “record” was broken at the Pan American Games in 1986. I don’t remember now who surpassed it, but it brought home to me how successful I could have been in track and field if there were some way I could have competed at the top levels. Do I regret that I never got the chance to compete at those levels? Not really. It surely would have been nice but, being a pragmatist, I could see how there was no way to make it happen. I was more disappointed when I was younger. I can also see the blessing of not being involved in the sporting life in those times. Performance-enhancing drugs were the order of the day, and I may have inadvertently become involved with it. My health is bad enough now. Can’t imagine how that involvement would have made things worse now.

Sometimes I wonder how I got to be such a good runner – in that day. Surely am not now! I had a thought about that while watching this event. The Kenyans, in particular, are amazing runners. They won the most medals in Moncton, and often took first and second places. I saw a documentary once quite some time ago that said it was part of their culture to run everywhere. Even though they now have vehicles, the roads are still not very good. So they run from one place to another. They can run, quite fast, for hours. They start this habit when they are small children. And their excellence shows on the international stage. The commentators said these are the cream of the crop. There are so many others “back home” who are still so much better at running than the rest of the world.

I realized I was a “Canadian Kenyan,” if I may make such a bold comparison. As a kid, I loved to run and, from the age of six, I ran everywhere! When I was in my early teens, Sunday afternoons were often for napping. I was not interested in napping, so I would run around the block – 5 miles. And, if when I completed the run I was not tired, I’d go around again. I remember one day running around the block 4 times before I decided I was finished. It was hilly, and sometimes my pace was slow, and sometimes I’d push myself for a while. I just ran because I liked it. I didn’t usually go anywhere in particular – just ran. We lived 7 miles outside of Stratford. A few times, I ran there and back. Once I ran all the way to my aunt’s house 20 miles away. She drove me from that one.

“Train up a child in the way that he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” I probably haven’t quoted that exactly, but it’s how I remember it from Confirmation class. The habits a child learns stand them in good stead for the rest of their lives. Before my health deteriorated, I could still run – fast. The muscles remember, and the brain remembers those feelings of speed and satisfaction I got from running.

I guess this sounds like I am advocating fitness for children, and that is certainly important. But the greater need, in my opinion, is to teach them Christian habits. Teach them to run the race and not grow weary.

Until next time, take good care of your children…