All were school records when they were recorded. It was October 1977 and I was running and winning the Kansas City, Kansas League Cross Country meet. Then without warning, my heart acted up, like it had done on a few occasions before, but never at such an inopportune time. When I say my heart acted up, what I really mean is that my pulse rate increased immediately to somewhere between 250 and 300 beats per minute and it became very difficult to breathe. Not an ideal condition for a long distance runner.
Life's like that sometimes.
The picture you see above is of myself, and my coach, Roy Hicks. The picture was taken by David Boyce, also a student, and received a number of awards for high school photography. For Coach Hicks and myself, it was a beginning of heart breaks, joyous triumphs, increased medical knowledge and a lasting friendship. It is an increase in the heart rate due to physical exertion. I first noticed it in the eighth grade, but didn't say anything to anyone.