www.belgraveharriers.com
Mission JJ - October 31, 2004
I write from a bright and breezy Frankfurt where Dorchie and I are having a bittersweet weekend, with the aim of trimming a few minutes off my marathon time. Well, I crossed the finish line an hour ago with heavy legs to match my heavy heart, and suffice it to say the trimming has not occurred! But the race has given me some stark answers about where my running career goes next: and it's really the best, most constructive news for my career, and certainly for my future with the Bels. More later.
I have come across only a handful of people in my life who have given me the unconditional encouragement and support that my dear colleague John Jeffery gave to me. My first race for him was in the Gold Cup final four years ago, where I came third last. But John's reaction astonished me. Seeing I had taken a few seconds off my pb he rushed up to me after the race and said "Will Cockerell; hero." Then, whenever he passed me during the day he would mutter under his breath, "star." I could learn to like this! For the next four years of my stuttering career, John could always be relied on to boost my confidence and pep me up. Make no mistake, I ran a few inter-galactic clunkers for him as well, but he'd always come up with a positive spin, like, "that was a good last lap, you almost caught that guy for an extra point."
I must have driven hundreds of miles all over England doing steeplechases for JJ, even though I have no love for the event and am pretty woeful at it. I never resented it though: John had been so good to me - time to give a little back. In July I finally told him I'd had enough. "No problem, and a million thanks," came the reply. Of course it was a problem as we found when going into the Jubilee Cup Final this August. No chaser. Deep into the afternoon after I'd run a banal 10,000, I asked him if he thought we could win. "Well, we're two points down, and about to get a big fat zero in the chase." I pondered, mulled, chewed my lip, and then said, "you know this whole retirement thing..." I never got to finish the sentence. JJ leapt three feet into the air squealing: "I just had to pitch it right! It was all a question of how I pitched it!" before running off to the referee's hut. I'd never seen a grown man get so excited. This was someone who CARED passionately about his chosen sport, and it was wonderful to see. I did that chase for him and him alone.
As the tributes to JJ point out, Belgrave has suffered an enormous loss. But my goodness our athletes have a reason to run their socks off in the coming months. "Mission 4-5" for me, has now become "Mission JJ", and when the club looks back on this winter, 10, 20 or a hundred years from now, not only will the finest winter in our history be there for all to see, but the reason for it will be clear too. Let's all rally round these next six months and run with fire in our bellies: not for ourselves, or for the club, but for John.
I have not quite played a captain's innings today, but the good news is that I'm going to finally follow the advice of so many senior members of this club and beyond, and let the marathon go for a few years. I simply don't have the leg speed - or mental toughness - for it yet. But I will! One day. For now I simply must get my 5 and 10 K times down. I got into running because of the marathon, so I owe it an awful lot, regardless of how many times it's broken my heart. But it's cost me a lot too. There's no question that my career has stagnated since my 66 for the half at Wilmslow a couple of years ago. In fact it's taken a step back. And how many more times am I going to miss out on a National Gold medal in either a relay or cross-country by one place? It's not rocket science why I can't make these teams: I don't have the leg speed. Well get training guys, because I'm going out to get it - and I want YOUR place!
A charming Kenyan pace-maker took me and me alone to half-way
today in 72 before nonchalantly stepping off the course. Whaaah!
Well I got my head down and ran hard for the next 8 or 9 k, but
by the time 30k came along my goose was not only cooked but
consumed and digested. Less said about my last 10K the better! I
ran 2:31:02 for 22nd. But the
truth is impossible to ignore: it's time to hit the track...
