Home Run

Thoughts from Rob McDougal, father and coach
(along with wife/mother Lisa) of Josh McDougal
and siblings Jordan, Michael, Dru, Pete and Johnna:

(as told to Stephen “SteveU” Underwood)

1. Coach/Dad McDougal on Josh’s early interest and development in running:

“Josh started to display his running ability as a 7-year-old halfback on the soccer field. We were told by many spectators that he would be a good runner. Lisa (wife/mother) has been a running addict since her early teen years. She ran track in high school and XC and track for Plattsburgh State. After starting a family, we both ran for fitness and pleasure.

“Josh and his younger brother Jordan would beg to go running with either one of us and we began letting them run with us at an early age for about a mile, although they would beg to run further. A friend and running enthusiast suggested that Josh and Jordan might like to race in the USATF JO Program. The boys were excited to try a race, despite the fact that they had never ran any kind of speed workout, so off we went to Saratoga, NY for the USATF X-country association meet.”

2. Coach/Dad McDougal on early race experiences:

“Josh and Jordan both threw up at the finish line and my wife and I thought that would be the end of their desire to run in races. Much to our surprise, they both asked when they could run in another race because it was so much fun! They both qualified to race at the Regional level, so off we went to Providence, and Josh qualified for nationals. I said that was enough for this year. However, my wife suggested that he may never make it again and convinced us to go on. So off we went to Baton Rouge.

“He ran well and the fire of desire began. He studied those results and read everything he could get his hands on about training, and he began to train hard. Josh was determined to do even better in track the following spring.

“I remember Josh's first track race. He ran in the Adirondack JO Association 3000m race when he was 11. No one knew who he was before the race, but after that race we knew he had what it takes to be a competitor. He ran in second place for the first mile and then pressed into the lead with 1000m to go. However, he got sick to his stomach and lost the lead with 800m to go. At 600m to go he actually threw up, yet never stopped running. Entering into the bell lap he began to fight his way back to the front and with 200m to go took the lead for good. Many victories and many losses have occurred since then but that first one was a real memorable event.”

3. Coach/Dad McDougal on current racing programs:

“Josh and his three younger brothers have won several national titles in the USATF and AAU. They have also set a few national age group records on the roads as well. Every year since that first race all the boys have competed in the USATF Track and XC, as well as the AAU programs in track and XC.

“Shortly after that first JO race Josh heard about road races and asked to try some. After their first road race, "The Frostbite Run," in the middle of January less than a mile from the Canadian border, Josh and Jordan were hooked on road racing! Now Josh and Jordan are allowed to run in college opens and invitationals. They also have participated in the High Performance Track Series in Boston. They have never been allowed to compete in any high school sanctioned event, because they live in New York and are home schooled. Many states allow home-schoolers to compete. New York does not. This is a real negative because they are not able to race against the top high school runners in the state. They would love to be able to compete in high school invitationals.”

4. Coach/Dad McDougal on Home Schooling

“As Josh briefly described, Lisa and I decided to home-school our children long before they reached school age. When they reached their high school years they were given the choice to go to high school or continue their education at home. They profess the choice was a no brainer.

“My wife did all of the teaching until recent years when I took over math, and this year I am teaching them Chemistry as well. I say them, because Josh and Jordan take the same classes together. This means that there is some instructional time during the late afternoon or evening when I am home. Their curriculum differs from the public school curriculum because most of the books we use are written from a Christian perspective.”

5. Coach/Dad McDougal on training:

“Lisa and I have been the only coaches Josh and our younger sons have ever had, yet many coaches and running talents have highly influenced the training program. Josh runs a well integrated mix of distance and speed. Josh still reads and analyzes all the running programs he can get his hands on.

“Josh and Jordan have always trained together. Distances and times are slightly modified to match the two-year difference in their age. Josh has at times had the fortune to train with Jason and Josh Jabutt, but now Jason runs for Villanova and Josh runs for Quinipiac. Now and then some of the local high school runners will join them for some training runs, but for the most part they train with one another.”

6. Coach/Dad McDougal on pros and cons of their home-school training setup:

“Some "pros" of the running situation are:
* they train when they want, free from the regular school day schedule
* they can train harder and longer than many school programs
* they don't have to race 2 or 3 times a week for the team
* they are free to run in some of the highly competitive road races and college opens
* we share some great family time revolving around running events

Some of the "cons":
* they would enjoy running for a team
* they miss the opportunity to run against NY's best high-schoolers
* they would love to compete at States, Feds, Millrose, Penn Relays, Manhattan, etc.

7. Coach/Dad McDougal on what it’s like coaching his son, Josh:

“If I could describe what it is like to coach Josh in one word, it would be EASY. Josh has always been self-motivated, setting high goals for himself. My wife and I have actually had to hold him back a little, not letting him train at the distance and the intensity he wanted because of his age. This year is the first year we have let him train as hard and as long as he desired. Every morning we discuss the what, where, and when of the workout that day.

“I sometimes accompany the boys to the track or orchards to time them during their workouts, but often they do this for themselves. On their easy days the whole family is sometimes involved in part of their run, with 6-year old Johnna joining in for a mile. We used to run together a lot more but the boys run too far and too fast! In the early years I found the races for them and handled all of the paper work, now they do much of that themselves. We discuss and decide as a family what races they will run in.

“My wife does a great job preparing a healthy natural diet for their huge appetites - one of the hidden expenses of distance running. Josh is self-motivated in the area of natural health as well, so we have never had to nag him about eating right or getting enough sleep.”

8. Coach/Dad McDougal on Josh’s place in the running community and chances at Foot Locker NE:

“He is well liked and respected by all of the area runners. I know of one that actually keeps a scrapbook of news clippings about him. The local papers cover him well.

“Because Josh has not had the opportunity to race against any of the top contenders racing at FL NE, and XC times on different courses or on the same courses under different conditions are hard to compare, rating Josh's chances at FL NE is difficult. Based upon some very fast times he has run this fall, Lisa and I do feel his chances to qualify are as good as any of the other top contenders. With Dalpiaz not running there does not appear to be any individual competitor that stands out as having the best chance to win. We expect the top ten to twenty competitors to be very tight. Josh will need to keep his head and run well. We are all very excited about this Saturday!”