This post is the latest installment about how our 4x800 team was getting gypped. On Wednesday, we were to find out the decision on whether or not we would run at state. I had been going on adrenaline since districts and this day was not different. It made me nervous as I sat in class, knowing that our athletic director was meeting with the people in charge of the district and then going to the state officials to make their decision. We knew there was a very slim chance that we would get to race at state, but we weren't going down without a fight. There was still that little part of us full of hope, believing we would run.
After school, we went to the track sendoff (which is dumb and a waste of time when we could be at practice) and the AD met us at the door, telling us that he needed to talk with us. By the look on his face, it was not going to be good news. So we sat there at a table together, as the AD gave a speech to all the state track athletes wishing us luck and telling us how special it was to run at Drake. Because I went to state last year, I know how amazing it is to run on that beautiful blue track, but it felt like he was rubbing it in. He was telling us how awesome it was while we knew that he'd probably come over afterwards and tell us that we wouldn't experience that this year.
The AD waited for the rest of the runners to leave before talking to us, our head coach, the principal, and our coach, who came in late. Nobody looked happy and we knew. We knew we weren't going to run on that beautiful blue track this year. The principal even hugged AL and JS before the athletic director explained the situation.
He had met with the people in charge of districts and watched the video. The automatic timer wasn't working so they had another timer in the video. On this timer, you could very clearly see that it said 10:23 as I crossed the line. But it didn't matter. It turns out that you had to contact the district people within 48 hours to appeal the results. That would mean we had until Sunday night, only a few hours after we found out that something wasn't right. It didn't matter that we didn't know about the wrong results because our head coach had them, that the state qualifying list came out on Sunday, that some districts were postponed until Saturday when they weren't supposed to be, or that nobody would have been at the office on Saturday or Sunday. The AD had argued these points and more but it didn't change the decision. The only way we were going to state was as a member of the crowd and not a competitor.
I had released most of my disappointment on Monday but it was still hard to listen to this. I couldn't look at any of the adults or else I would have started crying. Looking at JS and AL, they were having similar problems. We knew that our coach and the AD had done their best to fix the problem, they had kept fighting for us. The AD told us that he had yelled at the district and state officials because it wasn't our fault and we were getting punished for it. He said he had tried to get them to change the rule, explaining everything that had happened, saying it wasn't fair that four high school girls were paying for a mistake made by an adult. The AD told us that he would say nobody felt worse then him about the situation, but that he couldn't say that because he wasn't us. I believe what he said, partly because he used to be the girl's track head coach, but also the look on his face as he was telling this to us. He looked so upset, but then, it was hard not to be. No amount of apologizing could make up for what was being taken from us.
We were still going to state, except for RB, because, as they told us, we deserved to be there. We had ran the time so we should get the reward, but we were only getting part of it. The three of us went to talk to our coach outside his room about the plan, but then he led us into the office nearby. The last time I was probably in there, was a year and a half ago, after state xc when our coach was yelling at us. Our coach sat down at the table though, as we sat down across from him. We didn't know what he was going to say, but it was obviously more than just about what the plans were for state. It was a lot more.
He told us that it was his fault, that he should've called the AD instead of the head coach when JS called to tell him something was wrong with the qualifying list. That he should've noticed it before. He played the what if game, which I was refusing to participate in. It was hard watching him be so upset when I knew that it wasn't his fault. He had tried so hard, done all he could to fix the situation, he's part of the reason we had made it so far. The two laps taken away from me, the 8 laps of blue taken from our team, weren't directly taken from him. But listening to my coach, looking at how upset he was, it was taken from him too. The meeting was so hard to get through, that I had to stare at a drawer and not say anything so I wouldn't start crying. AL and I left it up to JS to tell him that it wasn't his fault, because we were all on the verge of tears. He had done his best as we had done ours at districts.
We weren't sure what to do at practice but we felt like running. JS and I stretched by ourselves because, technically, our 2009 track season was over. It wasn't like anyone was going to say anything anyways, everyone felt bad for us. We went two miles, because it was hot out. It was hard knowing that we wouldn't be doing strides, because we didn't have a track meet to run at.
Before we went on our little run, the assistant coach mentioned that she had talked to the head coach about the results on Saturday. She had told him that our time wasn't right but he didn't listen. The distance girls don't like the head coach anyways but this made it worse. He would've listened if we had been sprinters. But we aren't and that's part of what makes us good. We are the distance runners, the scampering squirrels.
The 4x800 was ran on Thursday morning, around 11:10. I do not know the results of that race and I do not intend to look them up. My coach told us that the team that qualified last, who shouldn't have raced based on correct district times, wasn't competitive. He said that he knew we would've improved. It doesn't matter if he is right or not though, what matters is that we didn't race at state. This was not just any meet we weren't allowed to run at, this was the state meet at Drake. We might get to race there again but it won't make up for our lost chance. They took it away and we aren't getting it back.
Showing posts with label districts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label districts. Show all posts
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
RACE REPORT: DISTRICTS (IV)
You would think that, at a state qualifying track meet, someone would double check all the results because they affect many people. If someone would've done that, maybe found a three that was supposed to be a two, our 4x800 relay team would be going to state for sure. We ran the time so we should get the reward. Yet we still don't know what is going on. All because of someone's mistake, one that might take away our state meet.
Yesterday, my dad talked to my coach, who said that something was wrong with the video so we had no proof, and therefore were not racing at state. I was devastated, I had thought we were making progress and then because of a video not working, we weren't going to state. It wasn't fair. We ran the time to qualify and because of someone's mistake, we weren't going to run at state, on the fantastic blue track. I had gotten my hopes up, which I know I shouldn't have done. It hurt though, it's not fair and we can't do anything about it.
It took me awhile but I called JS to tell her the news. That was a hard phone call to make but I knew that she should know. In that phone call though, she said something that fit our situation. JS told me that "you know, they're taking something away from us" and she's right. They are taking away something that we can't get back. This is not just a track meet that they aren't letting us run at, this is the state meet. This is RB's last chance, she's a senior so this is her last possible state meet. They're taking something away from us by mixing up our time. And it's something we have worked for, something we ran for.
JS and I talked to our athletic director this morning and he gave us different news, some that was better. He was going to talk to the people in charge of the district meet and watch two videos himself. He said he wasn't sure how much he could do, but that he could try, he was fighting for us. Our coach wasn't here but the head coach said we could go to the state meet even if we didn't run, and that he was emailing someone in charge of the state meet. Apparently these people weren't contacted because AL's dad emailed them, and they didn't know what was going on. They hadn't heard about the mixup of times and what we were doing about it. I know we don't have much of a chance of racing at state but I know that people are fighting for our chance. Knowing this makes it a lot easier because we want to do everything we can to try to run at state. We are going to do as much as we can to make sure we get there.
Yesterday, my dad talked to my coach, who said that something was wrong with the video so we had no proof, and therefore were not racing at state. I was devastated, I had thought we were making progress and then because of a video not working, we weren't going to state. It wasn't fair. We ran the time to qualify and because of someone's mistake, we weren't going to run at state, on the fantastic blue track. I had gotten my hopes up, which I know I shouldn't have done. It hurt though, it's not fair and we can't do anything about it.
It took me awhile but I called JS to tell her the news. That was a hard phone call to make but I knew that she should know. In that phone call though, she said something that fit our situation. JS told me that "you know, they're taking something away from us" and she's right. They are taking away something that we can't get back. This is not just a track meet that they aren't letting us run at, this is the state meet. This is RB's last chance, she's a senior so this is her last possible state meet. They're taking something away from us by mixing up our time. And it's something we have worked for, something we ran for.
JS and I talked to our athletic director this morning and he gave us different news, some that was better. He was going to talk to the people in charge of the district meet and watch two videos himself. He said he wasn't sure how much he could do, but that he could try, he was fighting for us. Our coach wasn't here but the head coach said we could go to the state meet even if we didn't run, and that he was emailing someone in charge of the state meet. Apparently these people weren't contacted because AL's dad emailed them, and they didn't know what was going on. They hadn't heard about the mixup of times and what we were doing about it. I know we don't have much of a chance of racing at state but I know that people are fighting for our chance. Knowing this makes it a lot easier because we want to do everything we can to try to run at state. We are going to do as much as we can to make sure we get there.
Monday, May 18, 2009
RACE REPORT: DISTRICTS (III)
The rollercoaster of emotions began after our district meet ended on Friday. The nerves were already affecting me again when I ate my french fries after my race. I was so nervous about qualifying. We just had to qualify, we wanted to so badly. We wanted to run at state, we had worked towards that goal.
On Saturday, I was up at an early 9:30. I knew that there was no way I'd find out whether we made it until after 2:00, when the postponed districts were over. I couldn't help but being nervous though, the waiting was already getting to me. Whenever I was home, I was checking the computer until I decided that they weren't going to post it at 10:30.
Sunday morning came and I checked the newspaper for the district results. Seeing that we had placed ahead of 4th place in that district, I actually believed we had a chance. So I ran downstairs and checked out the website. The tenative cut off times were posted and at 10:28, we were under. What I really felt when I saw that was relief, we had done it. We were going to state. I told my parents and then found out JS had texted me at 2:00 in the morning when she found out. We were estastic. I even had ice cream to celebrate at supper.
Checking the website to see if they had the lists of qualifiers up, was when the real rollercoaster began. I glanced at it casually, making sure we were on there. Except we weren't. I checked again, making sure I didn't overlook it. We weren't on there. Using our school name and my name, I looked to make sure they didn't put our names under the wrong spot. It wasn't on there, I was freaking out. Why weren't we on there? We had to have qualified.
I called JS and we had a 50 minute conversation. She had called our coach (she had called him) and he didn't know what was going on. We knew we had run under 10:28, we had run about 10:23. We tried to think if we had been disqualified or what could have kept us from qualifying. Both of us were very upset, we thought we were going to state and now they were telling us we weren't.
JS and I met before school to talk to our coach. He seemed upset and didn't know what was going on. Two hours later, we met with the head coach. He told us the results showed we had run 10:35. We knew that we weren't that slow, my dad, the assistant coach, and our coach had all timed us at somewhere around 10:23. The head coach told us he was talking to our athletic director, who was contacting the people in charge of our district and the state meets. They would review the video of our finish, when I crossed the line, and if the timer wouldn't work, they'd time how far I was behind 4th place. Even though my coach didn't know anything more at lunch, we felt that we were getting it worked out.
An hour before school was out, JS told me that the state qualifying list for our class had been taken down from the internet. We were excited, we were making progress. None of the coaches knew anything more at practice, but they were pretty confident that they could get the problem fixed.
JS called me a couple hours after school to tell me that the list is back up. It's not changed. We aren't on it. And now we don't know what to do. We have to depend on other people and on that video. We don't know what the people in charge are doing. The list was probably taken down to correct sprinter's times, but they don't seem to be doing anything about us.
It didn't seem to matter what we did, but we weren't going to stop fighting. I called my coach (this is how much I want it) but he wasn't there so he called me back. This was very awkward but state is worth it. He had noticed they put the list back up but he didn't know what they were doing about us. He said he'd talk to the athletic director and let us know that he was working on it.
The longer it takes though, the less chance we have of going to state. I thought before that it would be bad if we didn't go to state and we knew we could've gone with the other girl. That is better than our situation we are finding ourselves in, knowing that we ran the time to qualify but because of someone else's mistake, we might not get to go. We have to go though, we have fought so much for it. We don't know how much more we can do though, but we will do as much as we can.
On Saturday, I was up at an early 9:30. I knew that there was no way I'd find out whether we made it until after 2:00, when the postponed districts were over. I couldn't help but being nervous though, the waiting was already getting to me. Whenever I was home, I was checking the computer until I decided that they weren't going to post it at 10:30.
Sunday morning came and I checked the newspaper for the district results. Seeing that we had placed ahead of 4th place in that district, I actually believed we had a chance. So I ran downstairs and checked out the website. The tenative cut off times were posted and at 10:28, we were under. What I really felt when I saw that was relief, we had done it. We were going to state. I told my parents and then found out JS had texted me at 2:00 in the morning when she found out. We were estastic. I even had ice cream to celebrate at supper.
Checking the website to see if they had the lists of qualifiers up, was when the real rollercoaster began. I glanced at it casually, making sure we were on there. Except we weren't. I checked again, making sure I didn't overlook it. We weren't on there. Using our school name and my name, I looked to make sure they didn't put our names under the wrong spot. It wasn't on there, I was freaking out. Why weren't we on there? We had to have qualified.
I called JS and we had a 50 minute conversation. She had called our coach (she had called him) and he didn't know what was going on. We knew we had run under 10:28, we had run about 10:23. We tried to think if we had been disqualified or what could have kept us from qualifying. Both of us were very upset, we thought we were going to state and now they were telling us we weren't.
JS and I met before school to talk to our coach. He seemed upset and didn't know what was going on. Two hours later, we met with the head coach. He told us the results showed we had run 10:35. We knew that we weren't that slow, my dad, the assistant coach, and our coach had all timed us at somewhere around 10:23. The head coach told us he was talking to our athletic director, who was contacting the people in charge of our district and the state meets. They would review the video of our finish, when I crossed the line, and if the timer wouldn't work, they'd time how far I was behind 4th place. Even though my coach didn't know anything more at lunch, we felt that we were getting it worked out.
An hour before school was out, JS told me that the state qualifying list for our class had been taken down from the internet. We were excited, we were making progress. None of the coaches knew anything more at practice, but they were pretty confident that they could get the problem fixed.
JS called me a couple hours after school to tell me that the list is back up. It's not changed. We aren't on it. And now we don't know what to do. We have to depend on other people and on that video. We don't know what the people in charge are doing. The list was probably taken down to correct sprinter's times, but they don't seem to be doing anything about us.
It didn't seem to matter what we did, but we weren't going to stop fighting. I called my coach (this is how much I want it) but he wasn't there so he called me back. This was very awkward but state is worth it. He had noticed they put the list back up but he didn't know what they were doing about us. He said he'd talk to the athletic director and let us know that he was working on it.
The longer it takes though, the less chance we have of going to state. I thought before that it would be bad if we didn't go to state and we knew we could've gone with the other girl. That is better than our situation we are finding ourselves in, knowing that we ran the time to qualify but because of someone else's mistake, we might not get to go. We have to go though, we have fought so much for it. We don't know how much more we can do though, but we will do as much as we can.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
RACE REPORT: DISTRICTS (II)
On Tuesday, earlier this week, the mid distance coach decided that the 4x800 team would be chosen by having everyone who wanted to run the race at districts, run an 800 against each other. I can't believe my coach actually went along with this, although he did tell us about it the day before. JS and I were angry though, because we felt that we had already proved that we deserved a spot throughout the season. We had worked harder throughout the season and had raced better. We didn't think that the choice should come down to a single race between us, because you could be having a good or bad day. The mid distance coach insisted we do this however, so JS and I proceeded to kick everyone's butt, as I came in first with her right behind me in second. RB was third, as we knew she would probably be, and she was also angry at the decision. What angered us even further though, was the decision not to put the fastest 800m runner on our relay team. She had run a 2:29 before that, and we knew that with her, we'd get to state for sure. None of us liked her, but we thought she should be on our team. Apparently she did not think so, so she, along with the mid distance coach, decided she should run the distance medley and 4x400. Built in breaks would allow her to run both the 4x800 and the distance medley though, and our 4x400 team didn't have much of a chance of qualifying. They didn't give us a reason, but did tell RB that they only wanted her to run two events. We wouldn't accept these reasons but didn't have much of a choice in these decisions.
In the distance medley, the girl who should've been on our team ran a 2:27. If she would've ran a 2:33 in our race, we knew we would have definately qualified. Instead, we weren't sure if we would get to go to state, because of the stupid decision the coach had made. It was all we could talk about, as the three of us sat underneath an umbrella, watching as it rained during the meet. AL didn't seem to want to come near us so we could talk about our race as much as we wanted. We realized that if we didn't make it to state, we wouldn't be disappointed as much as mad. We could've been 10 seconds faster if the girl ran with us, so we knew that our relay could definately make it to state. We had the people, but because of a decision made that we had no choice in, we might not get the chance to go to state. Even as RB finished fourth in the 800m with 2:31, it was all we could talk about. JS and I even decided that maybe our coach would take us as alternates to state because we didn't think we would qualify.
It was steadily raining on and off throughout our conversations. The sky was gray and the blue track was covered in puddles. Despite sitting underneath an umbrella, I was all wet. I left my spike bag out in the rain, so my socks and spikes were soaked. My wet clothing made me shiver but I didn't want to put different clothes on, because I knew they would just get wet. JS and I had to run the 1500m though, so we couldn't dwell on it for long.
It rained as JS and I warmed up, running three laps. My pants, socks, and shoes were soaked. It didn't seem to matter because I knew that unless I somehow dropped 10 seconds off my PR, this would be my last 1500m of the season. It knew it could also be my last race of the track season. So I ignored the cold weather and the 4x800 problems, I was going to go out there and run my best. I would do what I could because I had already gave most of my energy to the 4x800, I decided while stretching on the wet sidewalk.
I stood next to JS at the starting line, the sky gray but no longer raining. The race began a little faster than I would've liked, but I wasn't really running for a time, I didn't even think about my PR. I wanted to compete in my race, and that is what I did. There was a puddle I splashed through with 2.5 laps to go and I could see JS was running well. Whenever she made a move, I followed her but I stayed on the inside. My coach just encouraged us, and AK cheered us on.
With 100m left, JS was right beside me. I tried to follow her sprint but she had more than me. She did lose out to another girl that were caught but beat me in 5:21 while I took 5:22. The fact that she beat me didn't even bother me that much. My mom told me before to run for myself, not my teammates or my coaches. I ran for myself in that race and did all I could. I raced and that's what matters.
1500
JS- 5:21
Me- 5:22
The PR is as elusive as ever. I competed more than anything though.
In the distance medley, the girl who should've been on our team ran a 2:27. If she would've ran a 2:33 in our race, we knew we would have definately qualified. Instead, we weren't sure if we would get to go to state, because of the stupid decision the coach had made. It was all we could talk about, as the three of us sat underneath an umbrella, watching as it rained during the meet. AL didn't seem to want to come near us so we could talk about our race as much as we wanted. We realized that if we didn't make it to state, we wouldn't be disappointed as much as mad. We could've been 10 seconds faster if the girl ran with us, so we knew that our relay could definately make it to state. We had the people, but because of a decision made that we had no choice in, we might not get the chance to go to state. Even as RB finished fourth in the 800m with 2:31, it was all we could talk about. JS and I even decided that maybe our coach would take us as alternates to state because we didn't think we would qualify.
It was steadily raining on and off throughout our conversations. The sky was gray and the blue track was covered in puddles. Despite sitting underneath an umbrella, I was all wet. I left my spike bag out in the rain, so my socks and spikes were soaked. My wet clothing made me shiver but I didn't want to put different clothes on, because I knew they would just get wet. JS and I had to run the 1500m though, so we couldn't dwell on it for long.
It rained as JS and I warmed up, running three laps. My pants, socks, and shoes were soaked. It didn't seem to matter because I knew that unless I somehow dropped 10 seconds off my PR, this would be my last 1500m of the season. It knew it could also be my last race of the track season. So I ignored the cold weather and the 4x800 problems, I was going to go out there and run my best. I would do what I could because I had already gave most of my energy to the 4x800, I decided while stretching on the wet sidewalk.
I stood next to JS at the starting line, the sky gray but no longer raining. The race began a little faster than I would've liked, but I wasn't really running for a time, I didn't even think about my PR. I wanted to compete in my race, and that is what I did. There was a puddle I splashed through with 2.5 laps to go and I could see JS was running well. Whenever she made a move, I followed her but I stayed on the inside. My coach just encouraged us, and AK cheered us on.
With 100m left, JS was right beside me. I tried to follow her sprint but she had more than me. She did lose out to another girl that were caught but beat me in 5:21 while I took 5:22. The fact that she beat me didn't even bother me that much. My mom told me before to run for myself, not my teammates or my coaches. I ran for myself in that race and did all I could. I raced and that's what matters.
1500
JS- 5:21
Me- 5:22
The PR is as elusive as ever. I competed more than anything though.
RACE REPORT: DISTRICTS (I)
Our district (state qualifying) track meet was held on Friday. Last year, I ran the 4x800 at districts and our team qualified with a time of 10:18, a second before the cutoff time. I was the slowest on the team, at 2:37 or 2:38 and I was extremely nervous, even throughout the race, because I didn't want it to be my fault that we didn't make it to state. We did make it though, and it was lots of fun. This year, I knew what I had to do and what I would miss out on if we didn't make it to state.
The day started off okay until our teacher brought doughnuts in my second hour class. Of course I refrained from eating one, I did have a track meet afterall, probably the most important of the year. It was hard watching everyone stuff their faces with delicious doughnuts but all I could think was "what would AK do?" because she's always getting mad at us for eating junk food or having an extra cookie during the season.
We left class two hours early and rode a school bus for about an hour until we reached the meet site. It was at a middle school, but shared by both high schools in the city. There was lots of bleachers to sit at and enough room on the opposite stands for my coach to sit by himself (he usually does this, it's kind of weird but we're used to it). The track was a wonderful blue. It reminded me of Drake, where the Drake Relays and the state meet are held, which has the most beautiful track. This track was wonderful but not nice as Drake's, but then, it is hard to top that.
The bathrooms were awesome. And as a cross country and track runner, I've seen a lot of bathrooms. One side of the bathrooms had more stalls than any other outdoor track we've been to. And there were two sides. The doors were long enough, there was soap, and there were enough paper towels. This place was very nice, except the barbed wire on the top of the fence surrounding the track made it feel a little like a prison.
The meet was to begin at four, with the 4x800 at 4:25, after the boy's 4x800. I ate half of my butterfinger granola bar for good luck and sat with my teammates while watching AK warmup for the 3000m. Our relay team consisted of me, JS, RB, and another girl who doesn't usually run varsity, AL. JS and I have ran 2:34 and under which is where we needed to be. RB hasn't been doing as well this year with a 2:36, but I knew she would give everything because she was a senior and this was her last chance. AL was our weakest link, as I was last year, because she's not consistant and she runs a lot slower than us. We were ranked 5th in our district with a time of 10:26. We needed to be in at least the top 6 but we didn't know how fast we could go because we hadn't run together yet. This was districts though, so it didn't matter what we did before, it mattered what we could do at that meet.
We ran two warmup laps with the team and did some stretching before doing two more laps. It was cloudy out so the stadium lights were on. Rain was expected but only on and off showers. Two other district meets were postponed until Saturday which meant that we wouldn't find out whether we qualified for state on Saturday morning. This was my kind of weather though, in the low 60's with rain. Bad weather to watch a track meet in, great weather to race in.
Our district was much easier than last year's and the 3000m was really slow. AK came in third though, with 11:34, about 20 seconds faster than her fastest this season. She always manages to pull out a great performance at districts. I didn't realize how long the race actually was though, until I watched the beginning, went to the bathroom, and watched her finish. It doesn't seem that long when you're running.
JS was starting our relay off, because I refused to and my coach wanted me to anchor it. She was racing against seven other girls, and we had to get in the top six to have a chance to qualify. The top two in each district automatically made it, and then the next fastest twelve teams qualified. We knew we wouldn't get first or second so not only were we racing against the other people in the race, we were racing against others in the state.
The race did not start out well. A few seconds after they began, the gun was shot off again and everyone had to start over. We couldn't figure out what was going on, you wouldn't think anyone would false start a distance race but we didn't see anyone fall either. Somebody nearby thought one of the girls had cut over too soon, but we were worried that it would throw JS off because it appeared to have happened around or to her. According to my parents, a girl had cut too soon which made another girl fall right in front of JS. She managed to dodge the fallen girl, probably due to her experience dodging people at the last track meet.
After the race began again, JS was in the back and a little boxed in, one of the reasons I don't like starting a relay. She managed to get around some girls though and handed off the baton to RB in 4th place. She had ran a 2:33, right what she needed to do. RB ran a 2:33 also, and kept us in 4th place, when the baton was handed off to AL. We knew that AL was our slowest girl but she is extremely hard working. She let a girl slip past her though and started falling back. Both RB and JS were on the track screaming at her to speed it up, districts is probably the only place where you can do this and get away with not saying anything nice. Her PR for an 800 was 2:37, but she ran a 2:41.
The baton was given to me in 5th place. It was up to me, everyone had already done what they could. My coach was yelling at me to get the 4th place girl, as were my teammates. RB and JS were actually screaming at me more than my coach was. We had agreed before the race to remember what state was like when we began slowing down, because except for AL, we were all on last years 4x800 team. I did this throughout the race, whenever my legs felt tired, I would think about how much I wanted to go to state. Districts are a different meet because of this, you run as much on emotions as anything else.
On my second lap, the girl was only a few seconds closer, but at districts, everything counts. With 200m left to go, I sprinted with everything I had left. I realized that I was the one finishing this, my time would depend on our team time. I was not going to let them down. So when I had 100m left, where I usually become tired without enough energy to sprint, I pushed it harder. I told myself that I had to run at state, I wanted to race at Drake so badly. And I crossed the line using energy I didn't know I had.
My PR for an 800 is 2:34, which I have run three times. Once last year, at divisionals, when my coach told me that if I ran fast than I could run at districts. That performance really surprised him and it's one of my favorite 800's. I ran the same time twice this year and I was ready to beat it. So, following the pattern of our first two runners, I ran a 2:33. Our relay time was 10:23, four seconds slower than last year's cutoff time. This was obviously not good, not only because we were ranked 25th in our class with a time of 10:26 and only 24 teams ran at state, but also because we were on the edge. AL looked like she was ready to cry and didn't cooldown with us, although we kept reassuring her that it wasn't her fault. We weren't mad at her, we were just really worried that we would make it. The three of us knew we had done our best out there and we had done what we needed to do. AL was trying to make excuses, which kind of bothered me because excuses aren't a real reason. We were not in a good mood but we were coming together against one of the real causes that we might not make it.
The day started off okay until our teacher brought doughnuts in my second hour class. Of course I refrained from eating one, I did have a track meet afterall, probably the most important of the year. It was hard watching everyone stuff their faces with delicious doughnuts but all I could think was "what would AK do?" because she's always getting mad at us for eating junk food or having an extra cookie during the season.
We left class two hours early and rode a school bus for about an hour until we reached the meet site. It was at a middle school, but shared by both high schools in the city. There was lots of bleachers to sit at and enough room on the opposite stands for my coach to sit by himself (he usually does this, it's kind of weird but we're used to it). The track was a wonderful blue. It reminded me of Drake, where the Drake Relays and the state meet are held, which has the most beautiful track. This track was wonderful but not nice as Drake's, but then, it is hard to top that.
The bathrooms were awesome. And as a cross country and track runner, I've seen a lot of bathrooms. One side of the bathrooms had more stalls than any other outdoor track we've been to. And there were two sides. The doors were long enough, there was soap, and there were enough paper towels. This place was very nice, except the barbed wire on the top of the fence surrounding the track made it feel a little like a prison.
The meet was to begin at four, with the 4x800 at 4:25, after the boy's 4x800. I ate half of my butterfinger granola bar for good luck and sat with my teammates while watching AK warmup for the 3000m. Our relay team consisted of me, JS, RB, and another girl who doesn't usually run varsity, AL. JS and I have ran 2:34 and under which is where we needed to be. RB hasn't been doing as well this year with a 2:36, but I knew she would give everything because she was a senior and this was her last chance. AL was our weakest link, as I was last year, because she's not consistant and she runs a lot slower than us. We were ranked 5th in our district with a time of 10:26. We needed to be in at least the top 6 but we didn't know how fast we could go because we hadn't run together yet. This was districts though, so it didn't matter what we did before, it mattered what we could do at that meet.
We ran two warmup laps with the team and did some stretching before doing two more laps. It was cloudy out so the stadium lights were on. Rain was expected but only on and off showers. Two other district meets were postponed until Saturday which meant that we wouldn't find out whether we qualified for state on Saturday morning. This was my kind of weather though, in the low 60's with rain. Bad weather to watch a track meet in, great weather to race in.
Our district was much easier than last year's and the 3000m was really slow. AK came in third though, with 11:34, about 20 seconds faster than her fastest this season. She always manages to pull out a great performance at districts. I didn't realize how long the race actually was though, until I watched the beginning, went to the bathroom, and watched her finish. It doesn't seem that long when you're running.
JS was starting our relay off, because I refused to and my coach wanted me to anchor it. She was racing against seven other girls, and we had to get in the top six to have a chance to qualify. The top two in each district automatically made it, and then the next fastest twelve teams qualified. We knew we wouldn't get first or second so not only were we racing against the other people in the race, we were racing against others in the state.
The race did not start out well. A few seconds after they began, the gun was shot off again and everyone had to start over. We couldn't figure out what was going on, you wouldn't think anyone would false start a distance race but we didn't see anyone fall either. Somebody nearby thought one of the girls had cut over too soon, but we were worried that it would throw JS off because it appeared to have happened around or to her. According to my parents, a girl had cut too soon which made another girl fall right in front of JS. She managed to dodge the fallen girl, probably due to her experience dodging people at the last track meet.
After the race began again, JS was in the back and a little boxed in, one of the reasons I don't like starting a relay. She managed to get around some girls though and handed off the baton to RB in 4th place. She had ran a 2:33, right what she needed to do. RB ran a 2:33 also, and kept us in 4th place, when the baton was handed off to AL. We knew that AL was our slowest girl but she is extremely hard working. She let a girl slip past her though and started falling back. Both RB and JS were on the track screaming at her to speed it up, districts is probably the only place where you can do this and get away with not saying anything nice. Her PR for an 800 was 2:37, but she ran a 2:41.
The baton was given to me in 5th place. It was up to me, everyone had already done what they could. My coach was yelling at me to get the 4th place girl, as were my teammates. RB and JS were actually screaming at me more than my coach was. We had agreed before the race to remember what state was like when we began slowing down, because except for AL, we were all on last years 4x800 team. I did this throughout the race, whenever my legs felt tired, I would think about how much I wanted to go to state. Districts are a different meet because of this, you run as much on emotions as anything else.
On my second lap, the girl was only a few seconds closer, but at districts, everything counts. With 200m left to go, I sprinted with everything I had left. I realized that I was the one finishing this, my time would depend on our team time. I was not going to let them down. So when I had 100m left, where I usually become tired without enough energy to sprint, I pushed it harder. I told myself that I had to run at state, I wanted to race at Drake so badly. And I crossed the line using energy I didn't know I had.
My PR for an 800 is 2:34, which I have run three times. Once last year, at divisionals, when my coach told me that if I ran fast than I could run at districts. That performance really surprised him and it's one of my favorite 800's. I ran the same time twice this year and I was ready to beat it. So, following the pattern of our first two runners, I ran a 2:33. Our relay time was 10:23, four seconds slower than last year's cutoff time. This was obviously not good, not only because we were ranked 25th in our class with a time of 10:26 and only 24 teams ran at state, but also because we were on the edge. AL looked like she was ready to cry and didn't cooldown with us, although we kept reassuring her that it wasn't her fault. We weren't mad at her, we were just really worried that we would make it. The three of us knew we had done our best out there and we had done what we needed to do. AL was trying to make excuses, which kind of bothered me because excuses aren't a real reason. We were not in a good mood but we were coming together against one of the real causes that we might not make it.
Friday, October 24, 2008
I DID MY BEST
Well, my miracle didn't happen. We didn't make it to state, we got 6th out of 9 teams. I'm not that disappointed but I still am a little. You always have this hope at the back of your mind that you will do whatever you set out to do. What I'm most upset about is that xc is over. Sure, I hate it sometimes but I really love it. I can barely walk right now, my right hamstring hurts so bad, but I'd give almost anything to go to state and continue practice. Right now my life seems empty. A week without running is basically empty. So to make it seem like xc hasn't ended yet, I must do my race report.
First off, it was a good day for a race. Only 42 degrees, pretty windy (although the wind was mostly gone by the time we had our race), and it was misty with only a little rain as I made my way to the starting line. It had raining before though so the ditch we usually run through twice was now a stream. They had to change the course so we went over another little bridge instead of through the ditch, which adds around 20 seconds to your time. I would rather have run through the ditch, we could have just jumped over the stream. They should let the runner's make these choices, it would have been around 3/4 of a mile with wet spikes which I would willingly go through to get a better time.
We actually warmed up as a team for the first time this year and we had 9 people warming up because, also for the first time this year, we were running a full varsity team (with 2 alternates). We warmed up 50 minutes instead of an hour before, which is what I usually do, because it gives me more time to stretch and do all my stuff. My right ankle was hurting a little bit but my hamstring felt pretty good. I was wearing all my under armour so I wouldn't freeze although I liked the weather. As I walked over to the finish line, it was beginning to rain. But around 3 minutes later it stopped. We did the usual strides but we didn't do a cheer or have a pep talk like the other teams.
So we take the sweats off at the last minute of course and right away the gun goes off. I was going to try to keep track of my teammates so I could try to keep up with them. I was actually trying to pace myself this time, but at the beginning you don't pace yourself. You run with everyone else who has to sprint the first 800m. My first 800m was in 3:07 before I settled into the pace I wanted. I was going to try and run 6:30's throughout which on a normal course would get me around 16:15 but around 16:35 on this course. Before we went over the bridge to get to the other side of the course, we always go through this huge crowd of people. When the race started it seemed like no one was there, and although the crowd was a little smaller it seemed a little louder. After we cross the bridge, we go up a slight hill and there is usually people lining the sides. I kind of like this part, because even though it's a hill, it makes me feel like I'm in the Tour de France riding up a mountain. As I went up that hill, I kept repeating to myself that this might be the most important race I have ever run, so I must run fast now and breathe at the end. It also helped that another coach was screaming at his runners that they weren't going fast enough. Our coach is more supportive during the meets, although he's not always the greatest at practices. My first mile was in 6:30, right on the mark.
I really don't like the middle part of the course. It seems long and it's pretty hilly although it doesn't really look that way. There's a bunch of trees too where people tend to bunch up around. The second mile, my hamstring started to hurt. I had put some Bio Freeze stuff on it so I tried to make it feel better. What really helped me during the second mile was the fact that the guy's team cheered for my by name. They've cheered before but this time they called me by my name which mattered more than the other people cheering for me (we also had more people cheering for us this time). I also passed this girl who I really wanted to beat, we kind of have this friendly rivalry thing going on, so I told myself to beat her. I also kept telling myself that I could rest later. At the 2 mile mark, I didn't look at my watch but a coach yelled out 13:30. I started sprinted around this point.
Around 500m to the finish, I started slowing down a little. This girl I had been running with (from a different team) told me that I could do this, that I could keep up with her. Besides wondering why she would tell an opposing runner this when we are all trying to beat each other so we can go to state, it really inspired me. I immediately sprinted and I tried to keep up with her as long as possible. At about the 400m mark there was a lot of people yelling and cheering. On the left side I could see the finish line and people cheering. I knew that I had to make these last 400m good. Then there was almost nobody and everyone was sprinting. I sprinted the straightaway, but the last 100m I was exhausted. I was running myself into the ground, I wasn't standing tall. It was a weird feeling. Around 10m from the line, me and the girl who talked to me caught a member of the team that runs together. My coach had told me to try and catch these girls and now 3 of us were sprinting for the line. I accidently (and it truly was an accident) elbowed the other girl. The fact that I was sprinting and I was tired was making my form get sloppy. All of a sudden the other girls elbow each other and we all started elbowing each other. The other girls beat me across the line, but I really gave it all. My time was 16:46 which was only 2 seconds faster than last week but they had made the course around 20 seconds longer. I think I could have dealt with wet shoes though to maybe get a new PR. My coach was happy with me and another girl and even though we didn't make it to state I still am proud of my team. I beat the girl I wanted to win against and it helped the fact that I got caught at the finish line. I think I improved a lot mentally and physically in this race though. I'm going to miss xc. I tried my hardest and I did pretty good.
On the plus side, after my race when I got into the car one of my new favorite songs, "Gotta be Somebody" by Nickelback comes on. They always make you feel better.
First off, it was a good day for a race. Only 42 degrees, pretty windy (although the wind was mostly gone by the time we had our race), and it was misty with only a little rain as I made my way to the starting line. It had raining before though so the ditch we usually run through twice was now a stream. They had to change the course so we went over another little bridge instead of through the ditch, which adds around 20 seconds to your time. I would rather have run through the ditch, we could have just jumped over the stream. They should let the runner's make these choices, it would have been around 3/4 of a mile with wet spikes which I would willingly go through to get a better time.
We actually warmed up as a team for the first time this year and we had 9 people warming up because, also for the first time this year, we were running a full varsity team (with 2 alternates). We warmed up 50 minutes instead of an hour before, which is what I usually do, because it gives me more time to stretch and do all my stuff. My right ankle was hurting a little bit but my hamstring felt pretty good. I was wearing all my under armour so I wouldn't freeze although I liked the weather. As I walked over to the finish line, it was beginning to rain. But around 3 minutes later it stopped. We did the usual strides but we didn't do a cheer or have a pep talk like the other teams.
So we take the sweats off at the last minute of course and right away the gun goes off. I was going to try to keep track of my teammates so I could try to keep up with them. I was actually trying to pace myself this time, but at the beginning you don't pace yourself. You run with everyone else who has to sprint the first 800m. My first 800m was in 3:07 before I settled into the pace I wanted. I was going to try and run 6:30's throughout which on a normal course would get me around 16:15 but around 16:35 on this course. Before we went over the bridge to get to the other side of the course, we always go through this huge crowd of people. When the race started it seemed like no one was there, and although the crowd was a little smaller it seemed a little louder. After we cross the bridge, we go up a slight hill and there is usually people lining the sides. I kind of like this part, because even though it's a hill, it makes me feel like I'm in the Tour de France riding up a mountain. As I went up that hill, I kept repeating to myself that this might be the most important race I have ever run, so I must run fast now and breathe at the end. It also helped that another coach was screaming at his runners that they weren't going fast enough. Our coach is more supportive during the meets, although he's not always the greatest at practices. My first mile was in 6:30, right on the mark.
I really don't like the middle part of the course. It seems long and it's pretty hilly although it doesn't really look that way. There's a bunch of trees too where people tend to bunch up around. The second mile, my hamstring started to hurt. I had put some Bio Freeze stuff on it so I tried to make it feel better. What really helped me during the second mile was the fact that the guy's team cheered for my by name. They've cheered before but this time they called me by my name which mattered more than the other people cheering for me (we also had more people cheering for us this time). I also passed this girl who I really wanted to beat, we kind of have this friendly rivalry thing going on, so I told myself to beat her. I also kept telling myself that I could rest later. At the 2 mile mark, I didn't look at my watch but a coach yelled out 13:30. I started sprinted around this point.
Around 500m to the finish, I started slowing down a little. This girl I had been running with (from a different team) told me that I could do this, that I could keep up with her. Besides wondering why she would tell an opposing runner this when we are all trying to beat each other so we can go to state, it really inspired me. I immediately sprinted and I tried to keep up with her as long as possible. At about the 400m mark there was a lot of people yelling and cheering. On the left side I could see the finish line and people cheering. I knew that I had to make these last 400m good. Then there was almost nobody and everyone was sprinting. I sprinted the straightaway, but the last 100m I was exhausted. I was running myself into the ground, I wasn't standing tall. It was a weird feeling. Around 10m from the line, me and the girl who talked to me caught a member of the team that runs together. My coach had told me to try and catch these girls and now 3 of us were sprinting for the line. I accidently (and it truly was an accident) elbowed the other girl. The fact that I was sprinting and I was tired was making my form get sloppy. All of a sudden the other girls elbow each other and we all started elbowing each other. The other girls beat me across the line, but I really gave it all. My time was 16:46 which was only 2 seconds faster than last week but they had made the course around 20 seconds longer. I think I could have dealt with wet shoes though to maybe get a new PR. My coach was happy with me and another girl and even though we didn't make it to state I still am proud of my team. I beat the girl I wanted to win against and it helped the fact that I got caught at the finish line. I think I improved a lot mentally and physically in this race though. I'm going to miss xc. I tried my hardest and I did pretty good.
On the plus side, after my race when I got into the car one of my new favorite songs, "Gotta be Somebody" by Nickelback comes on. They always make you feel better.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
NOOOOOO
I have hamstring tendonitis, starting last Wednesday, the day before our divisional meet. Besides the fact that it sucks for me, it sucks for my team, because it lessens our chance of placing highly at districts. To get to state, my coach said we'd all have to have our perfect race and my perfect race isn't going to happen if I can't straighten my right leg without pain.
This is my first real running injury though. I had runner's knee in middle school and slight shin splints earlier this season, but I don't count those as real injuries because I could still run. I ran 3 miles on Friday but I was in an extreme amount of pain. My coach even told me not to run at all this weekend, which is difficult to do. Difficult to do until I accidently straighten my leg or somehow stretch it and feel how hurt I really am.
This injury also makes me question what right I have to run at districts on Thursday. I could only run 9 minute miles on Friday, so how am I going ro run 2.5 miles in under 16:30? We don't have much chance of making it to state, but as one of five varsity runners, I have to run. My friend ran with a stress fracture in her femur earlier this year, so I think I might have to borrow some of her bravery and use it for my race.
After this week, if we don't make it to state, our xc season is over. If I am still hurt then I won't be able to run, and I won't be able to surround myself with running related things. I need to run though, or else I will fall apart. All these problems make me want to go for a run, but I can't which is the problem in the first place. I think my goal for track season will not to get hurt at all.
This is my first real running injury though. I had runner's knee in middle school and slight shin splints earlier this season, but I don't count those as real injuries because I could still run. I ran 3 miles on Friday but I was in an extreme amount of pain. My coach even told me not to run at all this weekend, which is difficult to do. Difficult to do until I accidently straighten my leg or somehow stretch it and feel how hurt I really am.
This injury also makes me question what right I have to run at districts on Thursday. I could only run 9 minute miles on Friday, so how am I going ro run 2.5 miles in under 16:30? We don't have much chance of making it to state, but as one of five varsity runners, I have to run. My friend ran with a stress fracture in her femur earlier this year, so I think I might have to borrow some of her bravery and use it for my race.
After this week, if we don't make it to state, our xc season is over. If I am still hurt then I won't be able to run, and I won't be able to surround myself with running related things. I need to run though, or else I will fall apart. All these problems make me want to go for a run, but I can't which is the problem in the first place. I think my goal for track season will not to get hurt at all.
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