Run for your Life: A Labor of Love for a Coach's Athletes

The letter Coach Hind wrote to his team prior to the 2013 XC State Meet

The Hoover High School Track & XC program is one of the most successful in the nation.  At the helm of that program is Devon Hind, who has over 20 state championships throughout XC, Indoor, and Outdoor Track & Field.  He has had 91 individual and 23 relay state championship teams.  Coach Hind served as Head Coach at Berry High School from 1978-1981 and Hoover High School from 2003 until present.

Coach Hind recently cleared time from his schedule to let us know about his latest project, a compilation of letters he has written over the past 20 years to his athletes.  

What inspired you to write your book? 

I basically just put a book together.  After every meet I sit down and write results and do a commentary on their races.  I just write a letter to them as a team.  It can be about the race, something that comes to mind – a life lesson not even about running.  I started writing them in1993. Every year I write between seven and twelve letters.  At the urging of friends and former athletes I took my letters to a publisher in August and was told  it would be a great idea for a book.

The book itself is 200 letters to my athletes that cover a broad spectrum from how to run to how to live life.  I communicate a lot of times through written word to my runners.  Most are 1 page letters.

What genre do you consider your book?

I haven't really considered that although I would probably say  Inspirational.  My kids save them.  When they need some motivation they often go back and read them.  This wasn't my original intent but is a happy unintended side-effect.

How did you come up with the title? 

The daughter of one of the Hoover coaches came up with it.  The title is Run for Your Life: 21 years of Inspirational Letters from a Coach to his Athletes.    It contains tons of parallels between running and how to live your life.  Also each letter has a title that reflects the thought behind it.

Is there a message in the book that you want readers to grasp?  

There is a pattern to success.  If you follow the pattern, anyone can be successful at whatever you are trying to be successful at. This is teaching the pattern to success at all different forms.  Be content with where you are in life.  It suggests that you prepare for your race and your life the same way. 

What was the hardest part of writing your book? 

Some weeks just trying to articulate what I wanted to say was difficult.  Some times it is a struggle, other times it is just waiting until after a race to sit down and write it because I have so much on my mind.  Often times my idea for a letter will change after a race…it just isn’t what the kids needed to hear that week. 

Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?

I share a lot of stories.  Mistakes I 've made.  My experiences.  Sometimes I will go back and read my own letters and self discover I need to follow my own advice sometimes.
 

What were the challenges in bringing it to life?

The biggest challenge was going to the publisher.  I had to build up the nerve to go present it.  As busy as I am as a coach, finding time to proof, edit, etc was very time consuming.


Do you have a current project? 

One never knows.  I wasn’t really even planning on this.  I have nothing at this moment.