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He's taking life one step at a time

Glenn Cable, the former Ridgewood running coach whose teams dominated in the 1990s, finds himself considering a return to his two greatest passions.

By IZZY GOULD
Published August 6, 2006

WESLEY CHAPEL - One of the most decorated running coaches in North Suncoast history spends most days tucked humbly behind a desk at Wiregrass Ranch High.

Coaching these days is confined to guiding students through the pitfalls of high school academics as he has for 31 years.

Ironically, his seat is within earshot of the bleachers surrounding Wesley Chapel's track.

The former Ridgewood coach has not looked back, though a 2-mile swim Tuesday and a 5-mile run Thursday have him thinking about running alongside Wiregrass' runners.

Glenn Cable abandoned coaching in 2003 after foot problems and a neck injury from two car accidents forced him to retire.

It was a sad end to Ridgewood's dominance in the 1990s. His boys cross country teams won state titles in 1991 and '99 and were runner-ups in '92 and '98. The girls were runner-ups in '94 and third in '92. Ridgewood also claimed 12 Sunshine Athletic Conference boys and nine girls titles.

"As far as programs, his was the model for every track coach in Pasco County when it came to track and cross country," former River Ridge coach Bill Napolitano said. "He had such a passion for the sport. It flowed down to his athletes. It wasn't that they couldn't lose. They didn't lose."

Cable, 57, is believed to be the only coach to win two state titles on the North Suncoast, which includes Pasco, Hernando and Citrus counties.

He has had at least one opportunity recently to return to coaching. Instead, he has funneled his energy into two endeavors - guidance and remodeling homes.

"I have great memories of coaching," Cable said. "No, I don't miss it. I can't say I do, because I see kids every day, all day. I don't think I could do it the way I used to do it."

Cable's way

Cable had a simple philosophy: Lead by example. He challenged his kids by showing them up.

If practice involved running hills, Cable was often a few steps ahead. If it was pushups, Cable was gutting it out alongside them.

"Distance runners are a different breed to begin with," Ridgewood athletic director Gary Anders said. "He knew how to connect with them. Part of the connection was he was out there running with them. He could run with or outrun everybody out there. . . . He understood the psyche of the runner."

Being out there with the kids gave Cable a better sense of how to adjust a workout or if his kids were giving enough effort. It also gave him instant respect.

"If they start whining about them, I say, 'I'm 50 years old and you're 16. Why can't you keep it up?' " Cable said. " 'Are you going to let a 50-year-old beat you?'

"That's just my competitiveness."

A tireless work ethic flowed through him. He credits those genes to his 83-year-old father, who still works full time on a golf course, and to his mother, who was always diligent when it came to tidiness.

"She's a fanatical Italian housewife," Cable said. "You'd take a shower, go get dressed, and when you walked back down the hall the bathroom is spotless.

"You could eat your dinner out of the tub," he said.

Not an athlete

Cable's athleticism spawned from a near-death experience while learning to swim at age 7.

"I almost drowned," Cable said. "They pulled me out of the pool. My mom was standing outside of the pool watching it all happen, screaming for someone to get me."

Cable went to the YMCA for years and became a strong enough swimmer to try out for his college team at Youngstown State.

Years after, when he landed his first teaching job, he was nowhere near a pool. That's when Cable took up running. He hooked up with a high school cross country team in 1975.

"We ran hills. We did a couple miles," Cable said. "It was already winter when I went out there. It wasn't that hard. I just kept going as a volunteer."

Six months later, he ran the Cleveland Marathon. His goal was to finish without walking. He did so in 3 hours, 56 minutes.

Between 1975 and '92, Cable logged more than 50,000 miles training. He began to keep track when he moved to Florida in 1979 to begin teaching at Gulf Junior High.

He kept a meticulous log of his workouts for 20 years.

During that time he ran 10 marathons, including four Boston Marathons. He earned a personal record in Boston in '92 with a time of 2:46 and a top-50 finish.

His goal was to run 100,000 miles before he died.

At some point after his two car wrecks, he decided to throw those books in the trash.

"I didn't need that stuff," Cable said. "It lost its importance to me. I evolved into a different person."

A tragic turn

Cable had been coping with bone spurs in both feet before the first of two car crashes injured his neck.

The first accident occurred in the summer of 2000. Cable was driving on Tampa Road in Oldsmar when a car flew out of a parking lot and slammed into his truck.

"He never stopped," Cable said. "I slammed on the brakes because I saw him come flying down at me. He apologized all over the place. . . . He was upset. The truck was a mess. I didn't realize I was bleeding as I was standing there."

Cable's truck was totaled. He went to the hospital in an ambulance to get stitches in his head after it smacked into the driver's side glass.

The violent collision snapped his neck. He developed a golf ball-sized knot in the back of his neck and suffered from other spinal issues.

"I didn't miss work," Cable said. "I even went out for a run the next day. It was the following day where it really nailed me."

Cable could no longer run with his cross country athletes. He was forced to follow the pack in a truck as they prepared for meets.

"That year I got through, but I knew I wouldn't make it through track," Cable said. "So I retired from track."

Then came a second car wreck the next year where he almost lost his life.

"I have no recollection of the accident," Cable said. "I was driving down U.S. 19, and the next thing I know I'm in a helicopter."

Cable was in his truck heading south to St. Petersburg when a dump truck came into his lane.

"It hit the side of my truck and pushed me into oncoming traffic," Cable said. "I hit two vehicles head on at 40-some odd miles an hour. My truck went airborne, flipped."

When paramedics arrived, Cable was hanging from his seat belt, unconscious and not breathing. He spent three days in the hospital and was sent home.

A few months later, Cable was on his way to a Tampa Bay Buccaneers game with some friends at a barbecue. He picked up a friend and headed off. Suddenly, Cable pressed the brakes and stopped the car. He passed out. He had never passed out before.

Cable was taken to a hospital where tests discovered a brain injury.

"I came to in the hospital," Cable said. "I could tell them my name but I couldn't tell them my address."

Cable has been on medication ever since and has no more problems.

"In the midst of all this, I'm still trying to run," Cable said. "I never gave up the idea I could rehab myself."

Still strong

At 57, Cable appears to be in great physical shape.

"I'm in better shape at 57 than I was at 37," Cable said. "You could look at pictures of me at 37, and it's sad. I'm in better shape today than I was then."

Now he's staring at 60.

"Could I get myself back in shape to do it again?" Cable asks. "Could I turn 60 in a couple of years and run a race in a new age group? I still compete. . . . I can't train like I used to train. I won't risk it. I've been very fortunate. For almost a year now I haven't had pain in either foot."

Cable still swims up to five times a week and enjoyed a 5-mile run last Thursday with no pain the following day.

Though he doesn't miss coaching, he is toying with the idea of helping the Wiregrass cross country team.

What he misses are the times he spent with the kids. Watching the ones he taught blossom into stars.

"I've been very fortunate," Cable said. "I have a passion for what I do. "

Contact Izzy Gould at igould@sptimes.com

[Last modified August 6, 2006, 01:04:46]