APRIL SHOWERS

Rain Spurred My Daughter’s Best Race

Needing something to boost spirits, Mother Nature provided it

The day didn’t start out particularly promising as I stood in the backyard sipping a white chocolate mocha calmly as I waited for our terrier B.B. to take a poop.

“Dad, hurry up,” my 18-year-old Brenna hollered at me. “We need to get going.”

It was 11 a.m. Her race wasn’t until 7:30 p.m. The drive to Arcadia was only an hour and a half.

Why the need to get there, oh, seven hours early?

It was Brenna’s senior track season, and it had been an up-and-down, rollercoaster season with a few more downs than ups.

Super sophomore season stopped

Her sophomore season had started out so sensationally, racing to personal bests in early March. She was excited and couldn’t wait for some of the bigger meets to come, and then — of course, for the league finals.

Then it struck.

COVID.

Putting a cruel abrupt and haunting halt to her terrific start. Putting a freeze on everything she had worked so hard to accomplish, robbing her of the rest of the season. Killing her momentum.

Momentum she wasn’t able to regain.

Her junior year was a joke. They had a modified, sympathy season with tiny dual meets against smaller schools in the extremely windy Antelope Valley, which made it impossible to run exceptional times. Motivation was extremely tough to come by.

A season for redemption?

This was now her senior season. Time for redemption.

It was just a few weeks ago in Simi Valley that she appeared to my wife and me in the stands in tears — unhappy with her race. Confused about how to improve her time.

“I’ve tried everything,” she cried. “I’ve been eating better, running more miles daily, and getting more sleep.”

We tried to encourage her, but it fell on deaf ears.

A brand new day?

This March afternoon wasn’t much better.

The trip to Arcadia was off to a disastrous start. Not happy when we made a wrong turn to pick up one friend, then argued with her mom over whether the gated community code of another friend started with the pound key, number key, or hashtag — which were all the same thing.

Then she was really annoyed when my wife — didn’t notice her friend — and drove right past her waiting in the driveway.

Dum Dad and brother Bryce

I think I embarrassed her, even more, when her dorky dad introduced himself and then asked her friends if any of them wanted a Dum Dum lollipop. They politely said no.

Her older brother Bryce had driven from Ontario to see his little sister race and met us at Arcadia High School.

It was only a few minutes before her relay race was about to begin when Bryce said, “I think I’m going to go down by the fence to get a better view.”

My wife decided to stay atop the bleachers to record Brenna’s race.

“I’ll join you, Bryce,” I said, cherishing every second getting to spend with my 23-year-old son.

Glory days

Leaning against the fence with the track just a few feet away, Bryce reminisced about his glory days when he and his fast friends had a crazy comeback to win their 4x800 relay at the prestigious Arcadia Invitational five years ago.

“I still remember it like it was yesterday,” Bryce said. “It was sick. We all ran well, but we gave David just enough distance to catch the runner and he just killed it — we were all pumped. On cloud nine for the whole night.

“I didn’t want to take my jersey off. I was on such a high.”

If only Brenna could experience what Bryce felt.

My beloved Murray State Racers were playing Cinderella darling St. Peter’s in the March Madness as I snuck peeks on my iPhone. Unfortunately both my phone battery (10 percent) and the Racers — trailing 54–46 late — were running out of time.

I’d hoped it wasn’t a bad omen for Brenna’s upcoming race.

I wisely put my phone away.

And they’re off

Then the gun fired and the first group of ten runners in the 4x400 were off. Brenna’s teammate got off to a great start, then settled into fourth place with one final lap to go.

It was a beautiful Southern California night with clear skies and the temperature was around 77 degrees. You couldn’t ask for better race conditions.

Stranger Things: Here comes the rain

Then, as her teammate, Giselle, rounded the final turn — out of nowhere — raindrops began to appear and fell innocently onto the clay track.

It was a very unusual weather change. I felt as if I were in an episode of Stranger Things.

“No way! Sick,” Bryce announced. “This is crazy. I can’t believe this.”

“Oh no!” I interjected. “This is horrible.”

“Dude,” Bryce responded. “Brenna loves the rain.”

Running in the rain

Brenna took the baton confidentially from her exhausted teammate and tore around the first corner, zipped and zagged, edging closer and closer to the third-place runner who was a good ten yards ahead.

Determination — and the rain — her two best friends.

As she made her final turn on her first lap, Bryce yelled, “Go, Brenna, You can catch her. Pick it up.”

A quick smile emerged from her face.

“Did you see her smile?” Bryce asked.

Smiling times

Was she smiling hearing her brother’s voice? Excited to run in the rain? Or just having the race — and time — of her life?

Sure enough, a few seconds later she had caught the elusive runner ahead and moved into third place.

The rain picked up a tad and become a light drizzle, acting as an encouragement to Brenna, demanding of her to go faster as the rain too picked up speed.

First place was too far ahead, but if she kept this pace she could clearly catch the now-tiring №2 runner who was about, oh, 15 more yards ahead.

It took two more laps, lots more raindrops, and more encouragement from Dad and brother, but with around 200 yards to go on her final lap, she moved into second before passing the baton to her next teammate, and best friend.

She was beaming with pride, as she paced the sidelines, yelling encouraging words to her good friend, Peanut.

And, magically, just like the rain had appeared. It stopped.

Just like that.

Whole lotta joy

She was in a joyous mood as her and her teammates’ second-place finish was strong enough to qualify for the prestigious Arcadia Invitational in a few weeks.

And her 5:48 mile — though not topping her 4:38 personal best she had as a sophomore — was still a season-best, which made for a joyous and rewarding car ride afterward both to In ‘N Out to celebrate, and then the shortest ever one-hour-and-fifteen-minute ride back to Palmdale.

Truly a night to remember.

Rainy race reactions

We often don’t always affiliate weather — particularly rain — with a memorable athletic event or emotion. Mother Nature — or rain — definitely was a supporting character that played a huge role in Brenna’s run to greatness in her senior race at Arcadia.

Sometimes, we can draw inspiration and motivation from the strangest places or things. Rain was the perfect remedy that gave my daughter that extra spark when she needed it most.

It’s a night I’ll never forget. My oldest son cheering her on where he had his greatest race, my wife capturing every second on camera, Brenna’s confident smile, and, of course, the soft, soothing raindrops that gave Brenna that little you-can-do-this boost when she needed it most.

Thanks, Mother Nature.

Thanks for reading my rainy memory.

Tagging some who like to sing in the rain: Scot Butwell, Ginger Cook, Lu Skerdoo, Klara Jane Holloway, Ning Choi, Gerald Sturgill, Sreese, The Sober Vegan Yogi, Ruby Lee, Deborah Camp, Misti Lynn, Jane Kelley, Alison Levine, Janet Meisel, Mary Chang Story Writer, Jan Sebastian, Victoria Valentine

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Here comes the rain again, and more of Michael L Butler’s writing about humorous, nostalgic memoirs. You can read thousands of stories and earn money writing your own stories by joining Medium for $5 a month. If you use my link I receive a small commission and can enjoy a warm cup of joe with my Western New York buddy sreese.