Running with the Buffaloes

by Chris Lear

  Potts Field

  3:45 p.m.

  Let It Rain

  It is an overcast Tuesday afternoon in Boulder. The sky is portentously gray. Snow is forecasted for later in the week. Regardless, there is business to be done. By the time the runners have finished their warmup, the sky has opened, dropping a light steady rain on the harriers. Wetmore welcomes the discomfort. “Messner,” he says in a booming voice so all can hear as they change into their spikes, “it’s gloomy. What’s good about that?” He answers his own question: “Right now, our opponents would say, ‘It’s a crummy day, I feel crummy.’ This is our day to get an advantage!

  The worse, the better!”

  Then, Wetmore explains the goal of today’s endeavor. “Today, we want to simulate what we want to do in November. We’re doing seven 800’s for the men, five for the women. Men, on the first five, I want you getting out that first 100. Then settle in to your race pace and go.” On the last two, the men will kick home the last two hundred meters as they would at the end of a race. Of the last two, Wetmore says, “You are gonna be ooh, aah. Oh, man, I don’t even want to think about it! I hope you didn’t eat lunch today. But if you did, no puking in lane one.”

  Seeing the runners duly intimidated, Wetmore injects some levity, offering a tale of a former Bernards runner. “Michael Hinson at Bernards High puked in lane one. It was so acidic, it left a hole in the track that was there for five years. That’s what he was famous for. That, and for running 1:58 as a frosh and 2:17 as a senior.”

  Roybal flies past JD.

  RUNNING WITH THE BUFFALOES

  183

  Lear 150-195:Lear 150-195 1/5/11 3:25 PM Page 184

  The runners continue lacing up their shoes, and make their way to the starting line. Wetmore turns his attention to JD. “You’re in charge of getting them tired. The mistake I’ve made in the past is that they’ve gone out too fast, and didn’t settle in. That’s what you have to solve in the beginning.”

  Batliner sprints onto the track as the men are finishing their strides.

  Wetmore screams, “Bat where are you, you’re holding us up, slowing up the whole operation!” “I’m skipping the first one,” says Batliner, “remem -

  ber?” One other runner is absent: Brock Tessman. He met with Wetmore this morning and, while reticent about what transpired, Wetmore makes it known that it did not go well.

  Bat needs to get in the work to be ready to go in Lawrence, and Wetmore is continuing to cautiously test Batliner’s limitations. Today’s experiment is another success. He nails the workout, staying with the pack for all six intervals.

  Wetmore turns to the men as they toe the line, “Now, the first part of the workout is mental. The first three, I could do the workout you’re doing. Feel good.”

  Fifty meters out, Goucher is in front. The rest of the Varsity squad competing at Big 12’s battles behind him. “14, 15, 16,” they fly through the first 100. They settle in, and Goucher rolls through the first interval in 2:14. The rest is brutally short — a 200-meter jog around the bend to the pole vault pit and back. They will toe the starting line for the first five, JD

  giving a starter’s call on each one.

  Behind Goucher, a surprising leader has emerged in the second pack: Ronald Roybal. The man who saved their ass at NCAA’s last year has turned the corner. Not only has he assumed command of the pack, he is making it look easy. For the first time, Roybal is demonstrating the form of the Big 12 indoor 5000 meter champion from two years ago.

  Wetmore and JD could not be happier. On the second interval, Wetmore lets out a spirited “ROYYYBBBAAALLL!” Wetmore says to JD, “You know, I don’t think Ronald thinks of himself as a runner. Some guys sit there all day and think about it, wondering what they’re gonna run that afternoon. I honestly don’t think practice even occurs to Ronald until he gets to Balch. I don’t know if that’s good or bad.” Clad in Kiwi black with the sleeves rolled up and black gloves, Roybal looks lean and mean.As they line up for the third interval, JD says, “Roybal, you’re looking buff!” He sarcastically adds, “You’re spending too much time in the weight room!”

  Lean Jay Johnson hangs onto the back of the pack. He has quietly made remarkable strides the last few weeks, and now he is fighting for a top seven spot. At 5′10″ and a buck forty-two, he is a different runner from the 158-pound object of Wetmore’s sympathy in early September.

  184

  CHRIS LEAR

  Lear 150-195:Lear 150-195 1/5/11 3:25 PM Page 185

  Ironically, the seeds of the both Johnson and Roybal’s growth were born on August 18th, when the two discouraged athletes splashed and chatted in the Boulder Creek. On that day Johnson told Roybal, “You know what, we have experience, we have to be calm, and we’ll run better, even if it takes to indoors.” They have both made the jump. Reese also started his comeback at the same time as Roybal and Johnson, “but whereas he

  [Reese] made jumps right away, it took me time,” says Johnson. Part of the reason it has taken Johnson so long to round into form is that he did nothing but rest when he had mono this summer. “When I got mono,” he says, “I quit everything. Job, everything. I’d get up, read two hours, get lunch, read, then fish in the evening. For two weeks all I did was chill out.”

  He started running August 1st, and did not hit 50 miles a week until camp.

  Johnson’s progress has come in part because of a hectic schedule that does not allow him time to celebrate or dwell on his running. He says, “I’m super busy scholastically, and I’m super busy socially. So, [running] is a choice now. I’ve never felt trapped by running but I feel . . . I go to practice, run the workout, then forget about it. Like Friday, I was horrible. I came back, relaxed with [girlfriend] Laura [Sturges] — it was cool.”

  And as he has progressed, his level of expectation has risen. “In August, I thought if I PR’ed in every race on the track, I’d be satisfied.

  Now I don’t think I’d be satisfied with that.” Johnson now wants to be on the squad in Lawrence. But even if he does not make it, “this weekend, just being there, I’m completely psyched. There’s a big likelihood this is my last race, and I’m glad it’s with these guys.”

  Johnson aspires to compete beyond Big 12’s, and it is a situation he has been in twice before. The experience is impacting his strategy this weekend. “My sophomore year, I didn’t make the team [to Nationals] and my junior year, I did. I need to give myself a shot to be fifth or sixth [man].

  Seventh doesn’t matter. If I get fifth, I can make a case to be on that team.

  I would hope our team’s seventh guy is fitter than I am,” he says earnestly,

  “but I don’t know. Who knows, I guarantee if Sev was on the team I wouldn’t even have the chance to be on the team. Valenti and I are a long way back from Brock and Ronald. I have to run 20 or 30 seconds faster for me to feel like I deserve to be on that team.”

  Roybal also believes that first dip with Johnson set the tone for him.

  “That day . . . we talked about the season and put it into perspective. I could see the season as one big long road.” He has made a breakthrough today, and he credits “that patience and faith in training and in doing little things. It finally paid off. Plus, I’ve been doing it for so long, I know when to back off and when to go.”

  Roybal is ecstatic to be running Big 12’s with Johnson. “With Sev dying,” he says, “when Johnson ran good it was the perfect thing because RUNNING WITH THE BUFFALOES

  185

  Lear 150-195:Lear 150-195 1/5/11 3:25 PM Page 186

  Jay and Sev were best friends. It makes it a little more balanced that he ran good. It feels awesome to have Jay running with us.”

  But Roybal wants to run well for himself. He says of racing, “It’s understanding that that’s the beauty of it. It’s for you, not like buying something, but for your own growth, maturity, understanding and walk through life, basically.” He thinks of how hard he works in races that receive scant media attention or
coverage. “How many people work so hard, then pour it in a river? Whether or not people see it, or it’s a big deal to anyone, or it makes any difference in the world, it’s something big that happened. That’s what’s happening. Within each runner something’s going on, a person’s growing.”

  Roybal thinks back to when he turned the corner, and he points to the quarters the morning of October 16th. “Ever since that day, I don’t know what happened. I just ran good, an awesome workout. I can run pretty good workouts [now]. I can’t stay with the pack yet on Sunday

  ’cause my recovery is slower, I’m not used to all those miles.”

  Roybal wisely picks and chooses his moments. He says, “Sunday and Wednesday runs kill me. It looks like I’m not trying, but I am. To run faster on Sunday, I’d have to be digging in the well. It’s better for me to run 70 a week, with good workouts, being patient, than pushing the envelope, risk-ing being hurt. Sometimes, other people look at Sundays like I ran weak, but that’s where I am. I gotta do what I gotta do, and that’s the point.”

  Now Roybal feels that he is on the precipice of a breakthrough, and he feels slightly . . . guilty. “In a way,” he sheepishly admits, “I feel embarrassed. I don’t want to pass Oscar and Friedberg because they worked harder than me over the summer.” But, embarrassment is not enough to make him relent any at Big 12’s. He is prepared to stick his nose in it. “I need to make a jump, and if it kills me, it kills me. In workouts, I feel like I can be top five [on the team]. I think, ‘Fuck, this is it.’ I find a pace, feel the pace, and it’s comfortable. That pain feels good. That’s when you know you find pace.”

  More than anything, this weekend, Roybal wants to really compete.

  He says, “You could say my goal is top ten, top five, but I feel like I don’t know what’s going to come of it. Mentally, I’m going to be in that race, but it’s hard to say because we’re running so close now, all of us. I have no idea what spot I am on the team, but I know for sure I’m gonna go out and really go after it. Last year, it wasn’t until NC’s. It was good at the time, but I need to shape up now because I can’t be 45th if we are going to be good. I imagine myself getting second [at Big 12’s]. Those fantasies are ultimately what take you to second, behind Gouch — being brave enough to live it. On the other hand, I can just suck, get eighth and not emerge to Nationals, but I don’t think that’s going to happen.”

  186

  CHRIS LEAR

  Lear 150-195:Lear 150-195 1/5/11 3:25 PM Page 187

  Roybal will run the race thinking of Severy. “You can feel Severy being gone,” his says sadly. “Every day at practice, someone says, ‘Hey, who’s missing?’ I wonder if the other guys say, ‘Hey, it’s Sev.’ In workouts, I wonder where Sev would be. I wonder if Sev could do that 4:21 mile [that he ran at the end of last week’s mile repeats]. It’s hard to say. People gave him shit about not having speed, but he could bust it out. You don’t necessarily need quickness. He was as strong as a fucking mule.” In four days, Roybal and Johnson, with Severy in their thoughts, will have a chance to show how far they have come.

  Out front, Goucher continues to impress. While still sore, his groin troubles him little today. The others run the first five 800’s in 2:25 to 2:22, but Goucher consistently runs 2:14 to 2:12 while running the first 200 in 31 seconds and then settling in to race pace.

  For the last two Goucher is allowed a rare luxury — the opportunity to come from behind and kick people down. He bounces up and down in place from toe to toe as the rain keeps its steady patter. He eyes Wetmore and takes a couple forceful exhales as he waits for Wetmore’s signal. Three . . . four . . . five seconds pass before Wetmore barks, “OK, Adam, go!” With that, Goucher is off, and as he tears after the others Wetmore yells, “Control, Adam!” He gains ground on the pack as he passes the quarter in 65. Down the backstretch his enormous stride continues to eat track, and he continues to gain. Around the turn he passes Johnson and Ponce, who have fallen off the back of the pack. Eyes set on the rest, he charges down the homestretch, passing them all before the line. Closing in 30, Goucher has run 2:06.

  They jog around the turn and back, and yes, the rest is too short to be rightfully referred to as rest. They set off for one last go, and again, Goucher waits for the word to go from Wetmore. Sore groin and all, he repeats the feat, again charging by all his mates, closing in 30, for a half in 2:07. The rain continues.

  RUNNING WITH THE BUFFALOES

  187

  Lear 150-195:Lear 150-195 1/5/11 3:25 PM Page 188

  Wednesday, October 28, 1998

  Balch Gym

  2:30 p.m.

  How Good Are We?

  Wetmore’s pessimism about their chances of winning NCAA’s has subsided. The guys are running 40 to 60 minutes easy, and he is holding out hope they do well enough to merit more optimistic projections about their chances. He says, “We gotta find out how good we really are. Oklahoma State ran against [number two ranked] Arkansas twice and Oregon once. I want to run what we are capable of, and see how we compare. Is [winning Nationals] it in reach? Is it believable or not? I want to go to NC’s and if we get fourth, I want to say it’s a good job if it is a good job. We have a lot to do this weekend and we need to take it more seriously than we usually do; not to mention the fact that we’re defending champs and we want to defend our championship.”

  Wetmore is also mulling over Roybal’s reaction to some comments he made to him before yesterday’s workout. “Just as a joke I said, ‘I’m sick of your shit, hiding out in the back.’ Maybe I accidentally found a way to motivate him, I don’t know. His eyes lit up like I hugged him.” He laughs.

  “Maybe I’ll tell that to Valenti and all the guys! Friedberg will be in a race with six CU guys around him going ‘What the fuck!’”

  A lot goes through the mind when there is nothing to do but wait . . .

  188

  CHRIS LEAR

  Lear 150-195:Lear 150-195 1/5/11 3:25 PM Page 189

  Friday, October 30, 1998

  Lincoln, Nebraska

  Airport Inn Best Western

  10 p.m.

  Remember, We’re Buffaloes

  Big 12’s are thirteen hours away. The men’s and women’s teams are crammed into Wetmore and JD’s room for some final instructions. With all the bodies piled on the beds and on any open space on the floor, the heat quickly rises. Everyone has just returned from a team dinner at Gior-dano’s. A large CU contingent including parents of some of the athletes were there, and although the food was unspectacular, everyone enjoyed watching if Goucher was going to get “Gouchered” with his meal (he did not). Good thing, for Wetmore says, “He’s being especially grouchy this weekend.” Despite massages, treatment and easy running, his left leg is still sore. It irritates him to no end. His competition had better watch out, for when he is grouchy, he is usually at his best.

  The big question mark right now is the status of Brock Tessman. Last Saturday, on an easy ten mile run, he began experiencing acute pain in the ball of his left foot. “Something,” he says, “flipped out — out of nowhere.”

  Running a hard twelve miles on Magnolia on Sunday worsened the pain.

  The pain continued to worsen on Monday, and he began debating

  whether he ought to take a day off to rest his foot. However, he ruled against taking a day off and on Tuesday morning he met Wetmore at the track to run the 800-meter repeats the others were running that afternoon. “It was,” he says, “a bad idea.” He never finished the workout. “I just couldn’t do it anymore. It went from sore to something I’ve never felt in my life.” A visit to the doctor on Wednesday confirmed the worst — a neuroma in his foot.

  While not commonplace, the injury does occur to runners training at a high level; particularly those who, like Tessman, are forefoot strikers.

  A neuroma is an inflammation of the nerve between the third and fourth metatarsals on the foot, and there is no cure besides surgery to cut off the inflamed nerve ending, or rest. Neither opti
on is feasible three weekends before Nationals.

  Tessman needed an alternative, one that would alleviate the pain and allow him an opportunity to finish out the season. With no guarantees, Tessman elected to have a cortisone shot in his foot yesterday— something that appalls him — but he saw no other options.

  He was conspicuously absent from practice on Wednesday and

  Thursday. Only today do his teammates hear the news. He is planning on RUNNING WITH THE BUFFALOES

  189

  Lear 150-195:Lear 150-195 1/5/11 3:25 PM Page 190

  giving it a go tomorrow but only then will he know if he is capable of running.

  Goucher is late, and they are delaying the meeting for him. When Wetmore remarks that he is late, Jen Gruia sarcastically says, “No!” and everyone busts up. He arrives momentarily and everyone passes out the loot from the race sponsors — water bottles, towels, and PowerBars.

  Wetmore goes over some administrative details and instructs Captains Reese and Burroughs to make sure everyone is in compliance. Then, he gives the men his final race instructions:

  If you run 3:10 a kilo, that’s 25:20. That’s a pretty good day. As a rule of thumb, that’s what you’re looking for as you click forward . . . but remember that’s just a tool as we’re really here to run our opponents. Tonight you should make your plan. Plan on beating people.

  We’re in box twelve, and that’s a good piece of luck. I like to be on the edges. Instead of being boxed in, not able to move, we’re smashing into trees. Remember, we’re buffaloes, we like that.

  The main thing we’re looking to do here is see our opponents. We probably want to practice getting out faster than we’re used to. Staying calm when you’re stuck, it’s a good plan when we’re at Rim Rock. A team that keeps its head through that is going to do pretty good.

  The men’s race is a dual meet vs. Oklahoma State. They’re a top-ten team as far as I can tell. I met with you all individually, so you know what I expect. Men, from 7k on in, take advantage of people being stupid. Stay calm, we don’t need any rah-rah. That’s how we win, taking advantage of other people’s unnecessary enthusiasm.