RACE REPORT: THE BIG DOUBLE

I had my third track meet in nine days yesterday. Because one of my teammates was not able to make it, my teammate JS and I were both assigned the biggest and probably the hardest event combination possible. We were going to run both the varsity 3000m and the 1500m. Of course, that made us incredibly not excited for the meet. Some of the best distance running teams in the area were supposed to be there along with the state champion team.

Going into the meet though, it didn't seem that bad. It was supposed to be a beautiful running day- 60 degrees and sunny. I knew the 3000 would only have one heat with about 25 girls in it, which would take a little pressure off me. The track was not in the best shape but it had given me good results before. There was one thing I was worried about however, my coach had talked to JS and I about how whoever did better at doubling up at this meet would probably get the chance to do it again. This was because he was moving another girl down to 800's so we would have a opening for at least one of the 3000 or 1500 spots. To prove myself as the better runner, I would have to finish ahead of JS in both events. I could also beat her in one and finish close behind in another. I hadn't beat JS directly in a race before either. Some of my times this season have beat hers but not when we have raced each other.

Needless to say, I was freaking out a bit, but I thought the meet would go alright. The meet was supposed to begin at 11:00 so I arrived a little before 10:00. The 3000m is the first race so JS and I started warming up at 10:00. The only other people on the track were the other 3000 runners and not many people had arrived yet. We ran four laps as our initial warmup and did some stretching. I didn't have to participate in the team warmup which was nice, but what was not so nice was the bathroom stall's doors which you could see over when standing up. It created a lot of awkward moments but also a lot of laughs. There was also an incident involved a couple of little girls later on which was hilarious.

JS and I ran two more laps around the track before heading over to the starting line to do some more stretching and get ready for the race. At about 10:55, my coach comes over to tell us that he doesn't think the 3000 will be run at 11:00 because they hadn't called to check in yet. We weren't sure what to do so we did a little more stretching. A couple of minutes after 11:00, someone came over the loudspeakers and announced that while the field events are starting now, the running events begin at 12:00.

When they announced this, my prerace schedule was obviously messed up. How much I ate, my warmup and stretching, my preparation for the race was all based on the untrue fact that the race began at 11:00. This made JS and I angry because the little mistake of when the meet started was going to mess up our race. My coach knew this to, and came over to make sure we had heard the announcement. He was angry too, not only because of what it would do to our race, but because we had arrived a whole hour earlier than neccessary. The mistake wasn't his fault, because he only coaches distance, it was our head coach's fault. My coach already does not get along with the head coach because of how he constantly says that we are a team but always overlooks the distance runners. This mixup did not help the relationship. It did seem that most other teams made the same mistake, except the girls from the state champion track team. They really should've announced this before though, when they could see that everyone was warming up too early, so we could've adjusted our warmup earlier.

Since we couldn't just warmup again, we were running the two longest races in the meet afterall, we walked a couple of laps and ran one but I'm not sure it helped. We weren't sure what to do though and I'm not sure the other runners did either.

There were 20-22 girls in the 3000 with only four being JV. Stepping to the starting line, I knew that the top four spots were almost guarenteed to a certain four girls on the same line. The big four were from three different teams and they were all very good. Distance runners all over the state know their names and discuss them in hushed voices when they see them. I was both terrified and honored to be racing them. One of my goals was to make sure they didn't lap me as they were running spectacularly.

Throughout the 3000m, JS and I used our tactic of running together. This helps immensly because although you can ignore the others, you will follow your teammate if they move up. We were using this technique of running together when we passed a girl about halfway through the race. I recognized this girl's name because she is very good in xc which gave me another boost. I also lapped some runners which made me run faster.

With about two laps to go, I was running right in front of JS. I knew that to beat her I was going to have to run even faster so I pushed the pace. With a lap to go, I took off, trying to work on another tactic my coach had talked to us about. He wanted us to have a fast last lap not just the last one hundred meters. We had specifically practiced this on Thursday and I liked the idea of it.

During the last lap of the 3000, I wasn't sure how far behind JS and two other girls were. I didn't want anyone passing me in the last few meters so I went even faster. I finished in 7th place and JS was right behind me in 8th. My coach liked our times but I think he was hoping for a faster race. I had wanted to improve more but I did beat JS. It turned out to only be by a half second which meant that prove myself as better than her, I was going to have to beat her in the 1500m. We couldn't cross the finish line holding hands, as my coach suggested we do in the 3000, I was going to have to be a couple of seconds ahead of her.

I wasn't sure exactly when the 1500 was going to be, but I knew that it was going to be awhile because the meet was going slow. We made sure to eat a lot so we wouldn't get hungry during our race, which had happened slightly because of the delayed 3000m. Our coach advised us on our warmup, just a few laps because we had already did a warmup and cooldown but with lots of stretching. For some reason my legs didn't feel as bad as they usually do after the 3000. I was actually ready to do this. Of course I was nervous because my heat was all varsity and the big four from the 3000m were going to be in my race again.

I received a lane assignment of the inside of lane one. I don't get why I've been getting such bad lanes because it's not by time. We weren't allowed to cut in though until after the straightaway to make sure nobody got cut off. It didn't help that much though once we were off because everyone always cuts each other off, with flying elbows and people getting kicked. After 3/4 lap, when we reached the finish line, I still wasn't in a position that I liked so I had to keep moving up.

Besides JS, there was someone else I really wanted to beat in the race. I met her in middle school although we went to different schools. We've had a sort of friendly rivalry between us and we have both improved this season. With 2.5 laps to go, I was running right beside her, following her every move. My mom told me later that she knew I wasn't going to let her beat me. She was right.

When there was two laps to go, I didn't know how fast I was going or what place I was in. I had noticed though, that I hadn't seen JS throughout the race. It wasn't like I was going to look back but judging by the cheers I knew she wasn't right behind me. I kept moving up, trying to put in a fast lap. I didn't feel the 3000m in my legs but I had to catch more people.

With a lap to go, no more and no less, I started sprinting using the same tactic of a fast last lap. I pushed the pace faster and faster, forgetting all of the miles done earlier in the week. When I came around the last corner there was a girl in orange. As I passed her, I recognized her as the girl who had passed me in the last 100m in the same race on Tuesday. I was not going to let her beat me this time, because she had already gotten her chance to do so earlier in the week. In the last 100m, I recognized one of the girls finishing ahead of me as one of the big four. She is probably the fastest distance runner in my city and I was watching her finish, she was that close. This was simply amazing to me.

During the last 10m of the race, I was passed by a girl. I tried to go faster once this happened but I had nothing left, I had left myself on the track on the previous 11.25 laps. You would think that getting beaten at the line would lessen the good race but it didn't really register. I had finished only three seconds behind a girl whose name is recognized by distance runners all over the state. Of course, she had beaten my by 58 seconds in the 3000m but that was a different race. It astounded me, how her finish was so close to my own.

I placed 6th in the 1500, scoring one point for my team. Besides the big four, the only other person who had beaten me was the girl who had passed me near the line. I had placed in the top third of the varsity runners and beaten JS by three seconds. My coach congratulated both of us and he told me again how much I had improved from last year. He also talked to JS, who was a little upset, and kind of comforted her. He did compliment my finish and told me I just keep getting better at it.

I only did a one lap cooldown and I did it by myself after JS had left. After I left the meet, I realized that I was badly sunburnt. As a redhead, I've had plenty of sunburns and I know what they feel like. I knew during the meet that I was getting sunburnt so I tried to wear a sweatshirt and block the sun , which was only on one side. I didn't want half my face to get burnt and it turns out that I didn't have to worry about that. My whole face is red, as are my ears. The backs of my hands are also burnt which usually doesn't happen, and so are my arms. This would be bad enough, but on my left arm I have a white strip where my watch and LiveSTRONG wristband were at. The red shade hasn't seem to have faded either which would be nice.

I ran the longest two events in the meet and PRed in both but it really doesn't seem as big as it should. I think I need to work on improving in both my events but I'm liking the techniques that I've been using. What I liked about this meet was how I competed in both races, how I compared to the other runners, and how I didn't count on JS to lead us through the race. I learned that I could run too. That although I can run with my teammates, I shouldn't let them dictate how I run my races, because I'm learning how to do it.

3000
Winning- 10:40
JS- 11:46.59 (8th)
Me- 11:46.02 (7th)

The top 5 were all under 11 minutes. Sixth place was 11:41. That's a big gap between them.

1500
Winning- 4:54
JS- 5:22 (8th)
Me- 5:19 (6th)

I just found a website that lists the results of the meet and it listed me as getting 3rd, while ignoring the top three runners in the race. That's fine with me, but they could've spelled my name right while they were at it.

I improved by seven seconds in the 1500 and six seconds in the 3000, which means my 3000m could've been faster. According to my coach's math, I did run the 1500 faster than the 3000. This is somewhat surprising because the 1500 was after the 3000m but the little warmup mixup could've affected it.