Running with the Buffaloes Read online

  Perhaps the most illustrious of the walk-ons is Shayne Wille Culpepper. She transferred to CU from Vermont in the fall of 1995 and did not make the roster to NCAA’s. But by the end of the indoor season she was an NCAA All-American in the 3000 meters. She continued to improve throughout her career, and at the end of her senior year she placed third in the outdoor 3000 meters at the NCAA’s in a school record 9:06.

  The reality, though, is that these “bluebirds” are currently the worst athletes on a team that, combined, has over fifty athletes. Wetmore wishes he could give them more of his attention. “I’ll say it again,” he says.

  “If I had that last bluebird group ten years ago (when he was the distance coach) at Seton Hall, I’d have been psyched. I’d have taken those girls and finished in the top half of the Big East. Now I just have better athletes.”

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  Sunday, August 30, 1998

  Boulder Reservoir (Aqueduct run)

  8:30 a.m.

  Oh, Goucher!

  On a quickly warming morning at the Boulder Reservoir, referred to as the “Res” by local runners, the team heads out for a long run along the aqueduct canal. The rising heat is an unwelcome sight for the assembled harriers. While flat, the run snakes out along an irrigation canal that heads north out of town towards Gunbarrel, Colorado. There is no shade for the entirety of the out-and-back run. Six of the harriers, including Goucher, are slated to run out 60 minutes and back. Without water and without shade, the blue sky is unsettling.

  A large group has assembled today, and the entire men’s and

  women’s teams toe a starting line drawn in the dirt by Chris Schafer.

  Some local runners looking for company have also arrived. Among the more distinguished of the “mercenaries,” as Wetmore refers to them, are US Army runners Brad Hudson and Sam Wilbur.

  While the CU veterans are heading out for two hours, the young-sters are embarking on runs of anywhere from twelve to fifteen miles.

  Wetmore gives the word, and the runners are off. A mile in, Goucher already has a substantial lead on the pack. He covers the first mile in only 6:30, yet he runs alone. It is a wise move on the other runners’ part to let him go, because he proceeds to slowly squeeze down on the trigger, almost imperceptibly, until he is running at an astonishingly fast clip.

  He passes five miles in 29:21. Chris Valenti is the nearest CU pursuer, and he is already 200 meters back. Goucher runs purposefully along the canal, his effort controlled, yet constant. Eyes squinting behind a pair of Nike shades, breath audible, he pushes steadily forward. Before long an hour is reached, but Goucher elects to press on until he reaches the eleven-mile mark. He figures he will still run approximately two hours because “it’s a bit downhill on the way back anyway, so it’ll be faster.”

  Sixteen miles in, a jagged line of salt becomes visible on his shorts.

  Absent this visual cue, there is no way to measure his exertion because he has not changed his form or his visage since the start. But since he hit mile five, he has dropped the pace substantially. He clicks off miles sixteen through twenty in: 5:31, 5:29, 5:27, and 5:34. He has covered the first twenty miles in 1:52, a torrid pace of 5:36 per mile. As Goucher reaches the twenty-mile mark, the sun rises higher in the distance, and a slight breeze off the canal offers the only respite from the heat. The dawdling water that flows just a few feet away provides a tantalizingly RUNNING WITH THE BUFFALOES

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  cruel reminder of what reward awaits at run’s end. A watersnake slithers upstream as Goucher heads for home, searching for prey of its own.

  Entering the 21st mile, Berkshire and Ponce become visible in the distance. They are the first runners Goucher has seen since the run began.

  Spotting them, he again imperceptibly ups the tempo; his breathing is still constant, his turnover not visibly faster. He starts reeling them in, and he passes them right before reaching the twenty-first mile. He clicks his watch to check his mile split and sees he ran the twenty-first mile in 5:13. “I don’t know what happened,” he would say later when queried by Wetmore as to why he ran that mile so fast. “I guess I just saw those guys and slipped into competition mode. I didn’t mean to run that fast.” He eases up in the last mile, running a controlled 5:47. All said, he runs 22 miles in 2:03.

  He immediately heads for the van, and downs some water from an old two-liter Gatorade bottle. A bedraggled Berkshire straggles in, with Ponce on his heels. Ponce is exhausted, and he immediately heads for a dip in the Reservoir. Ponce is pleased with his day’s toil. He ran twenty miles in 2:06. That is the farthest he has ever run, and he did it running at a 6:18-mile clip. Berkshire is also wasted, yet satisfied with the effort.

  All told, six Buffaloes run two plus hours today on the Canal: Batliner, Berkshire, Goucher, Nordberg, Napier, and Ponce. Out of town for his cousin’s wedding, Severy runs nineteen miles in Steamboat Springs. For the last three miles of his run, Severy runs up the mountain for a mile and a half on some cat trails before turning back down. Counting Severy, seven men have run two hours or more this morning.

  Those who run under two hours are no less impressive. Valenti, out to show Wetmore that he is for real, runs a solid fourteen plus miles in 1:23. In six days he will have his chance as he runs the time trial to guarantee his spot on the roster. Meanwhile, Slattery runs a little over twelve miles in 1:20—his farthest run yet. He may yet challenge for a spot at season’s end. And then there is Roybal, who runs 16 in 1:48. It looks as if he, too, may round into form.

  But the story of the day is undoubtedly Goucher. In his log he writes of the day’s effort, Felt really good. Just rolling them off, not out of control. Felt easy, got a little tired the last seven miles or so, started to feel it somewhat, but still not too bad; 21st mile 5:13. For weeks to come Wetmore will field calls as word spreads around town about Goucher’s effort. While pleased with Goucher’s effort, he worries about the cumulative toll the hard work is taking on him. He has run over 100 miles this week, at elevation, in only eight runs. He will not run as far again this season—of that Wetmore is certain. But, the question lingers, is Goucher doing too much?

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  Tuesday, September 1, 1998

  The Buffalo Ranch

  4 p.m.

  Seasonal Affective Disorder

  The men have now been training together for three weeks. They will be doing another fartlek around the course today. A week ago, they did ninety-second segments; today, they will be doing two-minute segments.

  Everything is going smoothly, yet Wetmore is concerned. “There are a lot of neuroses today,” he says.

  Jen Gruia asks him what that means. “Seasonal affective disorder,” he says. “It comes with the changing of the leaves, and it’s worse later.” Also referred to by Wetmore as “three-week syndrome,” it is his term for the collective neuroses that suddenly crop up at this time of year. The initial feeling-out period is now over and the density of training is starting to catch up to his athletes. It occurs to them that all the hard work that has been completed is but a prelude for the more strenuous workouts that have yet to commence. For those who are already overextending themselves, it is a painful realization.

  The neuroses are enhanced this week because it is the week of the time trial. Robbie, Valenti, and Ruhl still have to make the squad, and who knows who else is going to come out of the woodwork? But Wetmore need not have worried; everyone rolls today.

  The course looks great. Another plywood bridge is in place. It goes over a little creek on the lower mile loop, eliminating the need to scamper across the dried-out creek that ran beneath it as they did during the last fartlek. One person who was looking to run the course in a CU jersey this season is now reconsidering. Slattery is leaning towards saving his eligi
bility. “I’d like to race because this is the best team we’ve ever had, but I’d also like to redshirt so I can have another season. If Mark calls on me, I’ll be ready.” He shows it today; he runs four miles in 19:44.

  The men take off in packs, and finish in packs, with the exception of Goucher. He covers the course in 23:56, and finishes a minute and a half in front of the others. He is ambivalent about the day’s work. “It wasn’t hard,” he says, “but I don’t feel like I have the neuromuscular speed right now. I just don’t feel like I’m really fast right now.” Considering the volume he is putting in, his lack of zip is not surprising.

  The chase pack is much more excited than Goucher about today’s run. Berkshire leads in a pack of ten, including Batliner, Sev, Roybal, and Reese. Coach Roch saw them running a few minutes earlier, and she says,

  “Wes was way out in front of the guys he was with, but he might have RUNNING WITH THE BUFFALOES

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  just been working really hard.” Others intentionally held back to keep the guys together. Despite continued tightness in his IT band on his good leg that he attributes to compensation, Reese is pleased. “It’s good,” he says. “We were all together. Some guys like me and Roybal were pushing it to stay with them, and Bat and Sev were slowing down to stay with the group.”

  As they come down the finishing stretch together, the excitement is visible in Wetmore’s eyes, if not in his voice. In an even monotone he says,

  “No kicking,” before repeating it a couple of seconds later. Out the back as the guys start kicking anyway, Sev recovers quickly to erase the gap and they finish as one.

  Wetmore is relieved about the workout: “From the third week we get going to the end of September, it’s always crazy, but they were rocking. Twenty guys just rolling along, talking . . .” But his day is not done.

  The recruiting wars are starting to heat up, and JD and Wetmore have narrowed their search for the next generation of CU runners to a trio of promising harriers. The first two are twins Jorge and Eduardo Torres from Wheeling, Illinois. Two of the most sought-after recruits in the land, they have committed to visiting CU the weekend of September 19th. But getting them to sign letters of intent is a long shot. Both tremendous talents, Jorge has a shot this fall of becoming the only schoolboy ever to make the Foot Locker National Cross Country Championships four times. If Ed makes it, it will be his third trip to the national finals. Stanford and Oregon are also in the hunt for their talents, so it will be a recruiting dogfight.

  If they do not land the Torres twins, there is a guy closer to home without the reputation or the results of the Torres twins who fits the profile of the typical CU runner. His name is Seth Hejny, and he is a two-miler from Grand Junction, Colorado. He ran a 9:33 two-mile at Air Force last spring to win the Colorado state meet. That is worth about a 9:16 at sea level, but it still may be slow enough to dissuade most schools from bidding for his services. What is even more intriguing about Hejny is that he has what JD calls the “Wyoming Factor” on his side. He is from a nowhere place and he has yet to really run consistently against top-flight competition. JD is going to go watch him run the Arapahoe Invitational not far from here on Friday, and while he cannot approach Hejny and talk to him, he can speak to Hejny if Hejny approaches him. Stanford has landed most of the best kids in recent years, and this will be a chance for JD to see if Stanford is eyeing Hejny as well.

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  Wednesday, September 2, 1998

  East Arapahoe Trailhead

  3:45 p.m.

  The Tank

  The team is running today at the East Arapahoe Trailhead. CU runners refer to it as “The Tank” because from the start a large water tank that serves as the six-mile marker is visible to the north. The trail goes slightly downhill for two and a half miles and then flattens out for a half mile before rolling hills bring one to the tank. The run does not appear especially difficult when compared to Flagstaff Mountain or Magnolia Road, but it is hard enough to keep one’s heart rate humming.

  The guys are running their second AT of the year on Friday, so no one hammers too hard today, including Goucher. He runs steadily with Friedberg, Severy, Batliner, and Ponce. They are the only ones going past the tank, and they run approximately fifteen miles in ninety-three minutes.

  Reese does not go with them. As part of the requirements for his business degree, he is doing an internship with the athletic company Saucony. The company is based in Boston but has a sports-marketing department in Boulder. Not one to hit the books with vigor, he is investing a lot of time and effort into the job because it could lead to a position with the firm when he graduates. It also may lead to a coveted shoe spon-sorship. His current responsibilities include making decisions on which athletes to sponsor, running expositions and promotions, and making sure the athletes Saucony sponsors receive their equipment.

  Unfortunately, his work schedule conflicts with practice on Wednesdays, so he will run most of his medium-distance runs in the morning.

  Missing the Wednesday practices will not be much of a nuisance for him, though, because he lives with three post-collegiate runners—Brad Hudson, Kelly Lambert, and Clint Wells—who are often game for putting in a run with him. This morning, for instance, he ran for sixty-eight minutes on the Mesa Trail with Clint Wells.

  Each Wednesday, the show will go on without him.

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  Thursday, September 3, 1998

  Colorado Springs, Colorado

  3:15 p.m.

  The Miracle Doctor

  The men are going easy today. The assignments range from fifty minutes for the younger guys to eighty minutes for mileage hogs like Friedberg. It is blazing hot, and Goucher, for one, is feeling the heat. His training is catching up to him. Of today’s run he writes in his log, Very hot, feeling pretty tired, still not too bad of a run. Legs kind of sore all over, and not too responsive. Strides felt terrible. Despite being sore and tired and having an AT with the others at 6:30 tomorrow morning, he still runs seventy-five minutes.

  For the second day in a row, Reese runs in the morning. He is skipping practice so he can see a “miracle doctor” in Colorado Springs to help him with the IT band on his left leg. His left quad is still visibly smaller and weaker than his right quad as a result of the knee surgery performed last spring. To compensate, he has been putting more pressure on his right leg and now the IT band in his right leg is also becoming sore. Nevertheless, he is going to Colorado Springs to find relief from the pain in his left IT band.

  The “miracle doctor” will attempt to alleviate his discomfort. His name is Doctor Michael Leahy, and he is an ART or “active release therapy” practitioner. He works by manually breaking up adhesions or scar tissue that can entrap muscles, ligaments, tendons, and nerves and cause pain or disability. Reese is hoping that such manipulation on his IT band will cure him of the chronic pain in his left thigh.

  He is not the first athlete to try this therapy. Donovan Bailey, the former world record holder and Olympic gold medalist in the 100 meters, is a client of Dr. Leahy. In fact, it is he who helped make Dr. Leahy famous.

  Rumor has it that Bailey tore his hamstring one week prior to the Olympic Games in Atlanta. Without Leahy’s aid, Bailey claims he would not have won the gold medal. Professional hockey players Al McGinnis of the St. Louis Blues and Gary Roberts of the Carolina Hurricanes are two other athletes who claim ART saved their careers when all else failed.

  Reese learned about Dr. Leahy from his sister Angie. A reporter for the Colorado Springs Gazette, she recently wrote an article on Dr. Leahy and his company Champion Health. She told Reese about him, and with her recommendation and these testimonials, he is ready to give it a shot.

  It is not cheap. The initial fifteen-minu
te session costs one hundred and fifty dollars.

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  at 3:00 p.m. for his 3:15 appointment. The lower level has all the accou-trements of an athletic rehabilitation facility. There are medicine balls and rows of exercise equipment next to the waiting area and reception desk.

  Reese sits down on a white leather sofa as he completes the necessary paperwork. It is a pleasant atmosphere; stuffed cactuses are placed around the room, the walls are papered in light pastel colors, and easy-listening music plays softly over the speakers.

  After finishing his paperwork, Reese goes upstairs and waits to see Dr. Leahy in his office. While waiting, he thinks of tomorrow’s AT. Despite having only started running on August 9th, he is feeling somewhat fit. He has already lost eight pounds, and as a result he feels less “like a sloth”

  and more like a runner. If only he could alleviate the pain in his IT band.

  Dr. Leahy enters the room wearing two-tone black and brown shoes, slacks, and a Goodwill Games polo shirt. He is tanned and fit. He informs Reese that he completed a full ironman triathlon in Canada over the weekend—his seventeenth one. The fact that Dr. Leahy is an endurance athlete himself reassures Reese that he understands the rigors and demands of distance running at an elite level.

  Dr. Leahy asks Reese questions both about his knee surgery and what currently ails him. He feels Reese’s quadriceps with his hands when Reese finishes explaining his aches and pains. Dr. Leahy then explains to him that the IT band is stuck to his quadriceps so they are moving together instead of properly sliding parallel to one another. He says that this is partially why Reese’s knee continues to ache as well. He tells Reese that he will not be able to help the aching in the middle of the joint that is a result of the surgery, but that he can alleviate the other pain. His words are encouraging.