I just got back from New Jersey. I grew up there. I still answer with New Jersey when someone asks me where I’m from even though I’ve been living in Oregon for the last 8 years. And I’ve spent long stretches in other places too. Northern California. North Carolina (two stretches there). But NJ is home. And that’s where most of my Home Runs are too. What’s a home run? Well, in baseball it’s a hit that ends up with the batter reaching all four bases. I love baseball by the way. But I’m not talking about a home run in baseball. I’m talking about a runners home run.
I’m talking about those runs that you know like the back of your hand. (I should mention here that I don’t feel like I particularly know the back of my own hand very well. But that’s the phrase that makes the most sense to use here even if it makes no sense to me.) Your home runs are the runs that flood you with memories when you’re nostalgic. They’re the runs that give you the confidence to dream when you’re open to magic. Your home runs are your runs. They are a part of you even when you are apart from the trails and roads that make them up. Your home runs are where you feel safe. Your home runs are where you feel most at home on a run.
I felt at home on run after run in NJ. I ran the boardwalks of the Jersey Shore. Home run. I ran the Manasquan Reservoir. Home run. I ran Thompson Park. I ran Allaire State Park. I ran Holmdel Park. I ran CBA. Home runs all. These are the places I go back to every time I go back. These are the runs that leave me feeling like I never left. I had some of my best runs and my worst runs at these places. I had breakthroughs and breakdowns on these trails. I’ve won and I’ve lost on these roads. I’ve started and stopped and started runs again on these courses. I’ve quit the sport and quit on myself on these runs. I’ve fallen in love and out of love and back in love with running on these runs. That’s why they are my home runs. These are the runs that have seen me at my greatest and they’ve seen me at my lowest.
Like I said, I know these runs. But these home runs know me better. I think that’s why I feel so comfortable going back to them. I don’t need to prove anything to anyone (most importantly myself) on these runs. I just need to run. We all have our own home runs. They are where you run when you need a run. And those home runs will give you what you need. Maybe not what you want… but what you need. And that’s what we really want… what we need.
So, where are your home runs? Nearby? Far away? Maybe you could run a home run today. Maybe you can only make it to one of your home runs in your mind. Maybe you’re building a new home run right now. Somewhere you can be wholly you. Somewhere that’s getting built with every next stride you take. Somewhere that’s always going to have a place on the starting line waiting for you.
Somewhere you can always call home.
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5 NEW EPISODES OF COACH BENNETT’S PODCAST
I’ve dropped five… yes, 5… that’s right V new episodes of Coach Bennett’s Podcast since the last newsletter. The reason for such a long break between newsletters was that trip back to NJ. Don’t fret! We’re back and ready to crank out some extraordinary newsletters. So, get ready for an exorbitant amount of listening and reading opportunities to come your way. Check out the latest podcast episodes below:
I’m just giving links to the podcast on Apple Podcasts but Coach Bennett’s Podcast is available pretty much everywhere that podcasts are offered. Spotify. Pandora. Google. Amazon. You name it. It’s there just waiting for you to press play and listen and enjoy and then follow the podcast so you don’t ever miss a new episode and then even leave a great rating and review.
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BE A FAN OF YOUR SPORT
The Track & Field World Championships ended last weekend. And it was a glorious Track & Field bonanza. There were so many extraordinary performances. What stuck out to me though was how those extraordinary performances were all a result of great competition. No rabbits. No time qualifiers in the distance races. No lights lining the inside rail and set to some predetermined pace that somebody somewhere thought was what we all wanted to see.
Nah. None of that. Just line up and race. I loved it. And I also loved that there were so many athletes that competed in more than one event. Coming back to take the line again and again. Totally badass. Makes you think about how great this sport could be if more of the greatest athletes competed more. Of course, we as fans can help make this happen by actually supporting the sport. That means watching the meets when they are on TV or being streamed. It means posting and reposting about the great races and jumps and throws that these athletes produce instead of (or at least in addition to) that cat riding on that dog like it’s a horse. It means buying tickets to that elite/pro T&F meet in your area. It means following some of those great athletes on social media. It means inviting friends and family out to that elite/pro XC meet.
It means being a fan of our sport. I think it starts with us because I’d rather we own it. And I hope the athletes believe it starts with them. And I hope the meet organizers believe it starts with them. Maybe if we all believe it starts with us then we can all start something badass together.
Speaking of something badass… the Diamond League Final is taking place in the United States for the first time ever. The Diamond League Final is the last elite meet of the year for Track & Field. How the DL works is lost on me. But the inane way T&F is run and presented at the highest levels is a subject for another time. Right now, it’s just important that you know the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon at historic and legendary Hayward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon will be doubling as the Diamond League Final. The worlds greatest T&F athletes will be competing there on September 16-17. It’s going to be a complete barnburner of a meet. Do not miss this. Check out the Prefontaine Classic Here
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NEW EPISODE OF TWO COACH BENNETT'S TALKING
We’re back with a brand new episode of Two Coach Bennett’s Talking called… wait for it… WE’RE BACK. How witty is that? Very witty. That’s the answer. Check it out!
And we also had an episode come out right before we headed back east to visit the land of milk and honey… that’s New Jersey. Yes, it is! Don’t make me start swearing and waving around single finger salutes. NJ is the promised land. Deal with it. Anyway, you can check out the episode aptly titled BARBENHEIMER because we saw both Barbie and Oppenheimer and… well, we talk about the movies. Waddya think we were gonna do with a podcast called Barbenheimer? I apologize for my tone. My Jerseyness is escaping.
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DID YOU KNOW I’M ON STRAVA?
Because I am! And Nike even started a group on there. I’ve been known to drop very long posts on Thursdays in the group. In fact, here’s my last post:
Celebrating the Greatness of the Greatest
It’s basically an appreciation post for Eliud Kipchoge. Kipchoge won the World Championship 5K 20 years ago. Think about that? Better yet just read my post I linked above. And if you like it… like it. Join the Nike Club on Strava too. That way you’ll never miss my obscenely lone posts every Thursday.
And if you want to follow little ‘ol me Strava you can do that too! Just take this link to my profile on Strava.
PS: Nike is working on getting that Strava/NRC link up and running. Hang in there.
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Cheers and thank you for reading Coach Bennett’s Newsletter. Please think about subscribing and sharing the newsletter. And if you want to support the work of the newsletter by being a paid subscriber that’s greatly appreciated too.
Cheers,
Coach Bennett
It’s OK to fart-lek
NJ is my home too. Unfortunately, it's where I learned to hate running. A coach in high school was of the "if you're not running hard..." school. In my current home, PA, I've learned to love running and that was largely because of you. Thanks for sharing this home run of a post!