Dear Running: Patience And Belief Will Power Us Through

Who would have thought that we would have to break up for this long, maybe an entire season. 

For so many years, I have never been without you. And so this break feels like an injury I can't see. 

As a coach, how do I prepare my kids? To explain to them that they may not be able to compete this year? How do I tell my seniors that they may have already had their last high school meet? 

This is the kind of uncontrollable circumstance you really can't prepare for. But it comes down to patience and trusting that it will return, and when it does, that I will be ready and willing to give my all again. 

Moments like this remind me to cherish each and every race, and every invitational, because you just never know when your last one will come. 

Six years ago, I came to Harding University High School in Charlotte, North Carolina, to show this place that we had history here. 

For 11 years, this program was hidden. The kids in the hallway didn't know there was a history, a past success that needed to be explained. I was asked to come to a place where many other coaches had walked away, or didn't see the hidden talent. 

But I could see it and I believed that these kids had the same love for this sport that I had. We went from a total of six athletes and no state qualifiers in my first year, to 25 athletes, eight state qualifiers and a state champion this indoor season.

Every year we have grown as a team and as a program because the kids have begun to believe in you again. They finally saw that with running there is opportunity, freedom, growth and a family that they didn't know they had.  

As a freshman, my daughter, Akala Garrett, knew the task was not going to be easy, and when she brought that first state championship back to Harding in 11 years, winning the Class 4A 55 meter hurdles in February, she knew it was bigger then just herself. 

* Akala Garrett won Harding University High School's first state title in 11 years in February

And then, when the news broke that our spring season was on hold, tears began to fall down her face because she knew what it meant for the older girls, that they may not get to return to the track. 

And so this letter is for my athletes: To Tanniya Womack, a state runner-up who works longs hours and still finds time to train every day; To Nicole Diaz, who came to America not knowing a word of English and is now a 4.0 student who dreams of running in college; To juniors Queen Burnett, Naiobi White, Armani Blair and Zyonna Austin, who still remain hopeful for a future in this sport. 

Everything about Harding High School's track and field program is about holding on to that hope and believing that this sport is bigger than just a single track meet. 

Running gives us a purpose as coaches, and from coaches to athletes, we build bonds and give each other inspiration. No one really knows that my coach in high school (Mike Porter) is one of my assistant coaches now. 

Running has kept us together after 20 years. Every one in this program is connected in some way, from Coach Mike Zimmerman to Coach Will Perkins, to Bryan Davis. 

Everything about Harding High School's track and field program is about holding on to that hope and believing that this sport is bigger than just a single track meet. 

Running has kept us united through the years. For our team, it's given us stability, a place to train champions, and reboot to a history. We've rewritten our school's history so that no one will forget about Harding University High track and field ever again.

And we can't wait until you come back. We know the only way to overcome this adverse time is to be patient and be prepared. We are holding on to the belief that this shall pass and everyone will be back and ready hit the track when that time comes.