Spring Break is soon to be a memory. It's late Sunday afternoon and back to work starts tomorrow. I look forward to it though, it's not a bad thing. The school year is 3/4 behind us and this is the quarter that always seems to speed right by. We have already had 2 track meets but we still have 8 to go and I have also volunteered to drive the Youth in Government group to santa Fe sometime next month. It will be a busy nine weeks and busy always means that time will fly. Summer is around the corner!

The Montoya's had a simple Spring Break. We were home for most but did travel to Alamogordo to visit Grandma Burns and help with the Tom Burns Memorial Mile as part of the Alamogordo High School track meet. It has become a thing that a lot of people look forward to although I don't think it is highly advertised. The kids that have run the event multiple times have been very grateful for their prizes and it's always nice to hear a genuine "thank you" from these kids. I am sure the event means something a little different to everyone but I got to thinking that we are not far from having my niece and nephew, Sydney and Thomas, compete in it. Sydney is a freshman at LCHS but wasn't too excited about the direction of the T&F team there and Thomas is a sixth grader. That is really going to be fun when they are racing in it!

During the break I was able to have a pretty good running week during the 9 days off. I ran 8 of those days, the only one I missed was the day of a track meet. I totaled a little over 60 miles for 8 days and lost about 4 pounds from the beginning to the end of the break. I am pretty happy with it especially since todays 10 miler felt so good from start to finish. I think I want to continue to strive for similar results for a couple more weeks and also start to add in some biking and swimming before I go full on triathlon mode. I guess I just figure that running is the most bang for your buck and with coaching and family that's what I can do right now. My first triathlons are in May so I still have some time plus they are both sprints races. My training doesn't usually get going until after the track season anyway.

On the kid front, Emma lost 2 teeth over the break and is becoming very good on her skates. She is reading and spelling and counting more and more all the time. She surprises me when I ask her questions just to see what she knows. And Grace, aka the Gracenator, is doing alright also. We definitely have 2 different girls each with their own unique qualities :)

I'm having a difficult time doing anything this afternoon. I'm just sitting on the couch and I can hear the wind through the fireplace insert. Spring temperatures tease us for a few days but it seems that winter isn't ready to let go just yet.

This morning I ran the farthest I have since October when I did Ironman. I just thought about it and holy moly... that was nearly 5 months ago! Where does time go?

So I met 3 kids this morning and we set out on our long run. Instead of running the "10 mile loop" we had been consistently finishing we decided to make up a new loop to the southsteast of Socorro. I had an idea of where we should go but I had't run out there in more than 9 years. I didn't have my GPS but one of the kids had a Nike+ which reported the loop as 12.5 miles and I felt great the entire way.

This one boy in particular has been doing a great job this school year as far as working hard and getting better. Yesterday, at the first meet of the year he ran a 12 second PR in the mile and is oh so close to breaking 5 minutes, a goal he has had now for a while. It's great to be a part of it all and I am looking forward to him breaking it just as much as he is. Running is such a tough sport and not many young kids are willing to accept the work required to be a successful distance runner.

This level of committment has been on my mind a lot lately. Partly because attendance at the Sunday morning long run has been dismal at best and also because of budget cuts and rumors I have heard lately regarding possible cuts to athletics. In the past 3 years that XC has been in existence at SHS we have grown and improved each and every year. Great stuff, I know, but... how good do my kids want to be? Are they satisfied with 7th and 9th at State? I'm not.

It is difficult not to take rumors to heart because I truly love coaching XC. I hate to hear that a kid of mine is considering playing football instead of running or even worse that another coach is trying to sway their choice. I hate when a kid with talent doesn't want to be the best they can be. I can't stand to hear that budget cuts may effect XC which is the most ridiculous idea I have ever heard of to save money. WE ONLY COST GAS MONEY AND A BUS DRIVER for 8 trips! This stuff just eats at me. I'm not very good at letting things go either.

I don't know how long I will coach at SHS or how long I intend to coach, period. But I will never turn my back to kids that want to improve and be the best they can be. I had a conversation with Lindsey the other day about how important I think it is for every kid to try something where they give their all, 100% dedication. Sport allows them to do this, to work, to improve, to chase a goal and to achieve and set a higher goal. I see too many kids that only go just enough in every aspect. They do just enough in the classroom, just enough in sport and I assume they will never know how to give their all when it will be required. I teach and I'm a coach and I am not satisfied with that. I want to change lives for the better.

So as long as I have kids that are there eager to meet me, I will be there eager to meet them.

Fortitudine Vincimus