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 track. Show all posts
Showing posts with label track. 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.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
RACE REPORT: DIVISIONALS
Our divisional track meet was on Friday, the last one before districts, the state qualifying meet. I had taken my A.P. U.S. History exam in the morning and relaxed after that. I was really nervous about the meet, given that it was so important. I knew our team wouldn't do well, especially with the state champion team who hasn't last a meet since 2005, being there, and I knew I probably wouldn't score any points for my team. This meet was about getting my times down and redeeming myself after my last few meets.
When I left for the meet, it was about 76 degrees outside, warmer than what we have been racing and practicing in. The A.P. exam changed my schedule because I wasn't able to drink water while testing. This was especially important on such a warm day. When I arrived at the meet, everyone seemed to be wearing shorts and tshirts, but we were still hot. There was no trees around the track and the sun was blazing down. The track itself was in terrible condition, especially in the first lane with parts of the asphalt not there. There were storms coming though, even if it didn't look like it.
I was running the 3000 and 1500 again, something that gave me a little extra confidence because my coach believed in me. AK was running the 3000m with me so we began warming up. We ran four laps before doing some stretching. My legs were feeling okay, not good but not bad. The heat was really worrying me though, and I was getting thirsty. The sky didn't look like it would storm at all, but they turned the stadium lights on.
There was to be one heat of the 3000m, with more than 20 girls running. This meant the start would be chaotic, with everyone trying to find a place, and lucky me, I was in lane 1A. Going around the curve, everybody would of course cut me off, which I was not excited about. There was also a spot where I was starting, that didn't have any of the track surface, it was just dirt. AK was in 8A, on the opposite side.
When the race began, I was only sort of boxed in, because the JV people started behind varsity. I managed slip around the inside of the corner, and was able to run next to the two girls who would go on to place first and third. This was only 50m into the race though but I soon settled into a position.
With 5 laps to go in this 7.5 lap race, I began getting tired. I was already thirsty, but with this, I started to panic. Trying to convince myself that I was not at all tired, I kept repeating that "I can do this".
There was a mile left to race when I could really feel my energy slipping away. I didn't know what to do, I had no idea how I was going to finish the race. The group of people ahead of me, slowly became farther and farther away as I struggled to maintain my pace. I could feel the sun beating down on me and kept licking my lips because they were so dry. This probably wasn't the best thing to do, because my mouth was only becoming drier.
With two laps to go, I was at 8:46, where I usually am, with hopes of a 11:30 fading away. I knew I had to speed it up but I couldn't, it just wasn't there. AK was way behind me, but first place wasn't far. One of my goals was not to be lapped and when the gun went off for the leader, I really started pushing it. Or, what felt fast but what really wasn't. Coming into the front stretch, I could hear people yelling the leader's name so I began a sort of sprint. I could feel her closing in on me, but with seconds to spare, I crossed the line and she didn't lap me.
My strategy for my races is a fast last lap. In this race though, I had nothing left, I hadn't for multiple laps. My legs were so tired as I ran the last lap just like any other. I tried sprinting, I tried going faster. The energy just wasn't in my legs. There was only 200m to go when I felt someone closing in behind me. With 100m left, I knew she was there. I sprinted with everything I had left, which wasn't much. I was already using energy I didn't know that I had. At 20m from the line, she passed me. I asked myself if I had anything left to push past her and my legs answered with a no. My legs just weren't there. I looked down at my watch and saw the time of 12:08. Before I could reflect on how I completely sucked, I had to deal with the timers who don't believe you need rest time before they ask you your name.
I waited for AK, who had finished about 10 seconds after me before we walked to the side. She sat down on the grass, so I sat down next to her. I needed something to drink, my legs were tired, and my feet had to get out of my spikes, but sitting just felt so good. When a lady came by and told us that it would feel better if we walked around, she was lucky that I had no energy to get into a fight with her. I wanted to ask her if she had ever ran the 3000m and have it feel more terrible than usual.
AK told me that she might've had a slower time a week ago, but this race felt the worst. I agreed with her, having just ran over 12 minutes, my only slower 3000 this season being my first race of the year. I knew I had just ruined my chances of a good 3000m this year, even as my coach had believed in me more than ever. I was trying not to cry as I watched the 4x800. My times just kept going up and my legs were just so tired. It was hard walking back to our clothes after sitting for almost 10 minutes.
I had taken my spikes off and was just sitting in the grass in my socks, when my coach came over. He sat down next to us and said that we had looked sluggish. AK confirmed that sluggish was what it felt like and our coach said we'd have to try something different instead of letting us go swimming like he did this week. He said that he knew we were trying and we just weren't running to get it over with. He told us he knew we were running to compete and the face that he understand made it so much better. My coach told us to cool down and told me that I still had a race to go. When he asked what he could do to make my next race go better, I told him he could make it rain, especially while I was running. With dark clouds hovering (they had suddenly appeared once our race had ended, plus it had become about 10 degrees cooler with wind), he told me that he was going to do a rain dance. He also broke up the tension by calling me a duck among squirrels (yes, he calls the distance girls the "scampering squirrels" and yes, it can get embarrassing).
While the varsity 4x800 was going on, the sky suddenly became darker and we could see lightening. They waited until about half of the teams finished the race before calling for a rain delay. The problem was that, while most of the runners had finished, our team along with another was still out there. I'm not sure why they didn't wait for the race to finish before delaying it, because people immediately began running across the track. JS was finishing the relay up while people were swarming the track, so she had to yell to clear the track during a race. It turns out that the assistant coach didn't get her time because she was too busy cussing people out on the track because they wouldn't move. AK and I waited for JS and I ran around on the metal bleachers trying to find her shirt while it was lightening out. We were one of the last groups to go to our car, but I finally felt like racing, because it was raining out.
The rain delay was supposed to only last for a half an hour but it started to pour. I waited in the car for awhile before we went to McDonalds. I ate half a salad, because I needed something to eat and it wasn't like I was going to eat real McDonalds food. The delay was about 95 minutes and it offered some much needed rest for my legs. They still felt very tired though, even while I was sitting down.
While waiting to warmup for the 1500, the meet seemed to go by quickly. This was the last meet for the JV people and the last meet for two senior distance girls. They are both very nice and I'm really going to miss them. I've ran with them for about three years and they've remained my friends as I have improved. When we finally warmed up, we did it together. They were both sad, because they were doing their last race, and excited, because it would be together. They stretched on their own while JS and I talked together. We were both really nervous because we knew this race was going to be fast and neither of us felt that way.
There was to be two heats of the 1500m, which was both good and bad. I wanted to cheer the seniors on because it was their last race but I didn't want to run with just varsity people. Cheering the seniors on was kind of sad, but we were proud of them. They've both been through a lot of injuries and they were trading last place for awhile. They managed to pull it out though, and both finished ahead of another girl. We didn't get time to congratulate them because we had to start our own race.
I was in the outside lane while JS was in the middle. The first part of the race is always full of cutting people off and elbowing, but this one was even more so. Instead of 3/4 of a lap, it took 1.5 laps for things to even sort of settle down. I was running with a group of four girls with JS a little behind me. One girl in our group spent the whole race speeding up to get ahead of us but then slowing down because she couldn't maintain the pace. It was kind of annoying because it threw off our pace.
At two laps to go, I was still within my little group. My legs didn't feel tired like they had been, but they didn't have that much energy. I was really trying to stay with those girls though, because I knew that if I fell back, I would keep going in the same direction. I was determined to have a better race than my 3000m.
With a lap to go, I had been running for 4:06, about the same time as I was on Monday. I knew I wouldn't do well with this race and this didn't really surprise me. There was still a race to finish however, and I had to beat some of those girls. So I sprinted, telling myself that I could rest when I was done, that I had to make my coach somehow proud. So I tried not to listen to my tired legs and went as hard as I could.
There was 100m and I was ahead of the girls I had been with. One came up right beside me though and with all our sprinting, she was elbowing and hitting me so I did the same to her. She moved ahead a little bit and we both caught a girl in front of us. I was next to the girl we had caught while the other one pushed past us. The girl beside me was slightly ahead of me as my legs screamed at me to stop. I tried finding something extra, something that would get me past this girl, but I didn't have much. I lunged at the line and I have no idea who beat who. I came in at 5:26, about 10 seconds ahead of JS. The same girl who won the 3000m, won the 1500m as well.
I waited a little before taking off my spikes while JS went off to hold some sprinter's blocks. I knew I hadn't done well in either of my races but my legs just weren't there. I had tried so hard, but my times continued to slip up. Because I was angry at myself for this, I did two cooldown laps instead of one. My coach stood on the other side of the fence and watched me. He didn't talk to me. I know my coach and I know what he means when he doesn't talk to you. He doesn't yell and he doesn't give lectures. He just doesn't talk. And that's what hurts more than anything at that meet, that he didn't talk to me, didn't say a thing after my race. At least I didn't have to do a team cooldown with the sprinters.
3000
me- 12:08
1500
me- 5:26
When I left for the meet, it was about 76 degrees outside, warmer than what we have been racing and practicing in. The A.P. exam changed my schedule because I wasn't able to drink water while testing. This was especially important on such a warm day. When I arrived at the meet, everyone seemed to be wearing shorts and tshirts, but we were still hot. There was no trees around the track and the sun was blazing down. The track itself was in terrible condition, especially in the first lane with parts of the asphalt not there. There were storms coming though, even if it didn't look like it.
I was running the 3000 and 1500 again, something that gave me a little extra confidence because my coach believed in me. AK was running the 3000m with me so we began warming up. We ran four laps before doing some stretching. My legs were feeling okay, not good but not bad. The heat was really worrying me though, and I was getting thirsty. The sky didn't look like it would storm at all, but they turned the stadium lights on.
There was to be one heat of the 3000m, with more than 20 girls running. This meant the start would be chaotic, with everyone trying to find a place, and lucky me, I was in lane 1A. Going around the curve, everybody would of course cut me off, which I was not excited about. There was also a spot where I was starting, that didn't have any of the track surface, it was just dirt. AK was in 8A, on the opposite side.
When the race began, I was only sort of boxed in, because the JV people started behind varsity. I managed slip around the inside of the corner, and was able to run next to the two girls who would go on to place first and third. This was only 50m into the race though but I soon settled into a position.
With 5 laps to go in this 7.5 lap race, I began getting tired. I was already thirsty, but with this, I started to panic. Trying to convince myself that I was not at all tired, I kept repeating that "I can do this".
There was a mile left to race when I could really feel my energy slipping away. I didn't know what to do, I had no idea how I was going to finish the race. The group of people ahead of me, slowly became farther and farther away as I struggled to maintain my pace. I could feel the sun beating down on me and kept licking my lips because they were so dry. This probably wasn't the best thing to do, because my mouth was only becoming drier.
With two laps to go, I was at 8:46, where I usually am, with hopes of a 11:30 fading away. I knew I had to speed it up but I couldn't, it just wasn't there. AK was way behind me, but first place wasn't far. One of my goals was not to be lapped and when the gun went off for the leader, I really started pushing it. Or, what felt fast but what really wasn't. Coming into the front stretch, I could hear people yelling the leader's name so I began a sort of sprint. I could feel her closing in on me, but with seconds to spare, I crossed the line and she didn't lap me.
My strategy for my races is a fast last lap. In this race though, I had nothing left, I hadn't for multiple laps. My legs were so tired as I ran the last lap just like any other. I tried sprinting, I tried going faster. The energy just wasn't in my legs. There was only 200m to go when I felt someone closing in behind me. With 100m left, I knew she was there. I sprinted with everything I had left, which wasn't much. I was already using energy I didn't know that I had. At 20m from the line, she passed me. I asked myself if I had anything left to push past her and my legs answered with a no. My legs just weren't there. I looked down at my watch and saw the time of 12:08. Before I could reflect on how I completely sucked, I had to deal with the timers who don't believe you need rest time before they ask you your name.
I waited for AK, who had finished about 10 seconds after me before we walked to the side. She sat down on the grass, so I sat down next to her. I needed something to drink, my legs were tired, and my feet had to get out of my spikes, but sitting just felt so good. When a lady came by and told us that it would feel better if we walked around, she was lucky that I had no energy to get into a fight with her. I wanted to ask her if she had ever ran the 3000m and have it feel more terrible than usual.
AK told me that she might've had a slower time a week ago, but this race felt the worst. I agreed with her, having just ran over 12 minutes, my only slower 3000 this season being my first race of the year. I knew I had just ruined my chances of a good 3000m this year, even as my coach had believed in me more than ever. I was trying not to cry as I watched the 4x800. My times just kept going up and my legs were just so tired. It was hard walking back to our clothes after sitting for almost 10 minutes.
I had taken my spikes off and was just sitting in the grass in my socks, when my coach came over. He sat down next to us and said that we had looked sluggish. AK confirmed that sluggish was what it felt like and our coach said we'd have to try something different instead of letting us go swimming like he did this week. He said that he knew we were trying and we just weren't running to get it over with. He told us he knew we were running to compete and the face that he understand made it so much better. My coach told us to cool down and told me that I still had a race to go. When he asked what he could do to make my next race go better, I told him he could make it rain, especially while I was running. With dark clouds hovering (they had suddenly appeared once our race had ended, plus it had become about 10 degrees cooler with wind), he told me that he was going to do a rain dance. He also broke up the tension by calling me a duck among squirrels (yes, he calls the distance girls the "scampering squirrels" and yes, it can get embarrassing).
While the varsity 4x800 was going on, the sky suddenly became darker and we could see lightening. They waited until about half of the teams finished the race before calling for a rain delay. The problem was that, while most of the runners had finished, our team along with another was still out there. I'm not sure why they didn't wait for the race to finish before delaying it, because people immediately began running across the track. JS was finishing the relay up while people were swarming the track, so she had to yell to clear the track during a race. It turns out that the assistant coach didn't get her time because she was too busy cussing people out on the track because they wouldn't move. AK and I waited for JS and I ran around on the metal bleachers trying to find her shirt while it was lightening out. We were one of the last groups to go to our car, but I finally felt like racing, because it was raining out.
The rain delay was supposed to only last for a half an hour but it started to pour. I waited in the car for awhile before we went to McDonalds. I ate half a salad, because I needed something to eat and it wasn't like I was going to eat real McDonalds food. The delay was about 95 minutes and it offered some much needed rest for my legs. They still felt very tired though, even while I was sitting down.
While waiting to warmup for the 1500, the meet seemed to go by quickly. This was the last meet for the JV people and the last meet for two senior distance girls. They are both very nice and I'm really going to miss them. I've ran with them for about three years and they've remained my friends as I have improved. When we finally warmed up, we did it together. They were both sad, because they were doing their last race, and excited, because it would be together. They stretched on their own while JS and I talked together. We were both really nervous because we knew this race was going to be fast and neither of us felt that way.
There was to be two heats of the 1500m, which was both good and bad. I wanted to cheer the seniors on because it was their last race but I didn't want to run with just varsity people. Cheering the seniors on was kind of sad, but we were proud of them. They've both been through a lot of injuries and they were trading last place for awhile. They managed to pull it out though, and both finished ahead of another girl. We didn't get time to congratulate them because we had to start our own race.
I was in the outside lane while JS was in the middle. The first part of the race is always full of cutting people off and elbowing, but this one was even more so. Instead of 3/4 of a lap, it took 1.5 laps for things to even sort of settle down. I was running with a group of four girls with JS a little behind me. One girl in our group spent the whole race speeding up to get ahead of us but then slowing down because she couldn't maintain the pace. It was kind of annoying because it threw off our pace.
At two laps to go, I was still within my little group. My legs didn't feel tired like they had been, but they didn't have that much energy. I was really trying to stay with those girls though, because I knew that if I fell back, I would keep going in the same direction. I was determined to have a better race than my 3000m.
With a lap to go, I had been running for 4:06, about the same time as I was on Monday. I knew I wouldn't do well with this race and this didn't really surprise me. There was still a race to finish however, and I had to beat some of those girls. So I sprinted, telling myself that I could rest when I was done, that I had to make my coach somehow proud. So I tried not to listen to my tired legs and went as hard as I could.
There was 100m and I was ahead of the girls I had been with. One came up right beside me though and with all our sprinting, she was elbowing and hitting me so I did the same to her. She moved ahead a little bit and we both caught a girl in front of us. I was next to the girl we had caught while the other one pushed past us. The girl beside me was slightly ahead of me as my legs screamed at me to stop. I tried finding something extra, something that would get me past this girl, but I didn't have much. I lunged at the line and I have no idea who beat who. I came in at 5:26, about 10 seconds ahead of JS. The same girl who won the 3000m, won the 1500m as well.
I waited a little before taking off my spikes while JS went off to hold some sprinter's blocks. I knew I hadn't done well in either of my races but my legs just weren't there. I had tried so hard, but my times continued to slip up. Because I was angry at myself for this, I did two cooldown laps instead of one. My coach stood on the other side of the fence and watched me. He didn't talk to me. I know my coach and I know what he means when he doesn't talk to you. He doesn't yell and he doesn't give lectures. He just doesn't talk. And that's what hurts more than anything at that meet, that he didn't talk to me, didn't say a thing after my race. At least I didn't have to do a team cooldown with the sprinters.
3000
me- 12:08
1500
me- 5:26
Thursday, May 7, 2009
RACE REPORT: IT SUCKED
So on Monday we had another track meet. And it sucked. And now my legs are super tired, my coach is disappointed, and I have to pull out something amazing in order to be good again. Let's just say the meet didn't go well.
We only had to ride a school bus for about 45 minutes to get to the town in the middle of nowhere where our meet was. Of course the bus was very crowded so I couldn't move. We had to make sure the coaches each got their own seat though because they can't sit together. I think I know why my coach drove by himself. It really was a town in the middle of nowhere though, it took us about two minutes to get to the edge of it, where the school and track was. The track had cornfields around it, it felt like stereotypical Iowa. Most of the seven teams there had a similar vibe going on, in that they were small with not very fast runners. This meant I had a chance and my main competitors would be from the next biggest team there, who were one of the top five teams in their class.
My first race of the day was the 4x800. I was running it with JS and AK which we were pretty excited about. We don't usually get to run a relay together and we wanted to prove something to the mid distance runners. That is one of the reasons we warmed up by ourselfs and did not do the team warmup. Instead we ran three laps before stretching. It was getting a little warm out, in the upper 60's, which was making me really thirsty. We haven't had much warm weather so I haven't gotten used to racing in it.
JS agreed to go first because I didn't want to, so I was going last. Running first makes it feel harder and I like when the gaps are already established. It makes me want to race. She ran about a 2:36, but she wasn't feeling very good. AK in her first 800 this season, ran a 2:40 and the third runner did a 2:45. When the baton was handed off to me, we were in second, about 60m behind first place but only 10m ahead of third place.
The first lap didn't feel too bad, judging by 800 standards. My legs felt a little tired but when I began lapping the JV people, including my own teammate, it made me feel a little better. On the second lap, I was hearing footsteps behind me for awhile, and I couldn't figure out if that was third place or somebody I had lapped. I was really pushing it because I didn't want to be the one losing second but with 100m to go, my legs and arms were very tired. It didn't matter though, because it was someone I had lapped that I was hearing. We took second, way ahead of third place but still about 60m behind first place. My coach seemed to be a little disappointed with it but I felt like I had run pretty good. My time- 2:34 again. I seem to be good at tying my PRs.
I was really tired after my 800 and the meet was moving really fast, so I wasn't able to get as much rest. I didn't know when we would have to warm up for the 1500m, so I wasn't sure how much to eat or drink. My throat felt really dry though and I was really thirsty. I drank more water than I probably should have but I couldn't really help it. It tasted really good.
About an hour after the 4x800, it was time to warm up for the 1500m. My legs were already tired, although I didn't run over the weekend for that reason. I knew I had to get a good time though, to prove to my coach that I could improve with my 1500. I had a hard time convincing myself that I could do that though, because I was so tired. The four laps we did as a warmup for very slow because of this. I couldn't wait to get the race over with.
The winning time for the 3000m was 11:54, slow and a second slower than my Friday time. I would like to think that I would've factored into the race but judging by my 1500, that might not have been the case. The race did make me think that I could do very well in the 1500m and when I checked in, it looked like I had the fastest time out of the runners. I didn't really care about the places though, I cared about the times and how fast I could go.
There was no lane assignments so AK and I took the middle lanes. We weren't on the line for long and once we took off, I settled in at third place. The other two girls seemed to really take off and I didn't think they could keep it up for the whole race. I was going to kind of pace myself and not depend on any other runners but myself. This meant I was not running next to AK, but I usually don't in the 1500m.
The first lap felt pretty good but a struggled a bit with the second. I tried to tell myself that after this lap, I'd only have an 800 but it didn't do very much good. I could feel myself slowing down a little but I tried to resist it and catch the girls in front of me. With two laps to go, the first two girls were still ahead of me and I was getting tired. I was just trying to hold onto third place because I didn't know where the other girls were behind me.
With a lap to go, I was at 4:06, six seconds slower that Friday's slow time. I passed the girl ahead of me with 300m to go. I knew for sure that I was going slow but that I had to sort of salvage the race with the last lap. Except, with no one near me, I didn't try as hard as I should've. I didn't do what I was supposed to.
I finished in 5:28 or 5:29, my second slowest 1500 and my slowest outdoor 1500m of the season. Second place was mine but with the first girl coming in at 5:14, I knew that I could've won the race. I should have been up there but I wasn't. And it was my own fault. I lost that race. It was me.
My coach didn't say much after my race, just asked me how it felt. I told him that it was not good because I was so tired. AK finished about five seconds behind me in third place and she felt good, so I tried to refrain from talking about how I had ruined my race. What did make the day better though- free popcorn.
1500
2nd- 5:29
We only had to ride a school bus for about 45 minutes to get to the town in the middle of nowhere where our meet was. Of course the bus was very crowded so I couldn't move. We had to make sure the coaches each got their own seat though because they can't sit together. I think I know why my coach drove by himself. It really was a town in the middle of nowhere though, it took us about two minutes to get to the edge of it, where the school and track was. The track had cornfields around it, it felt like stereotypical Iowa. Most of the seven teams there had a similar vibe going on, in that they were small with not very fast runners. This meant I had a chance and my main competitors would be from the next biggest team there, who were one of the top five teams in their class.
My first race of the day was the 4x800. I was running it with JS and AK which we were pretty excited about. We don't usually get to run a relay together and we wanted to prove something to the mid distance runners. That is one of the reasons we warmed up by ourselfs and did not do the team warmup. Instead we ran three laps before stretching. It was getting a little warm out, in the upper 60's, which was making me really thirsty. We haven't had much warm weather so I haven't gotten used to racing in it.
JS agreed to go first because I didn't want to, so I was going last. Running first makes it feel harder and I like when the gaps are already established. It makes me want to race. She ran about a 2:36, but she wasn't feeling very good. AK in her first 800 this season, ran a 2:40 and the third runner did a 2:45. When the baton was handed off to me, we were in second, about 60m behind first place but only 10m ahead of third place.
The first lap didn't feel too bad, judging by 800 standards. My legs felt a little tired but when I began lapping the JV people, including my own teammate, it made me feel a little better. On the second lap, I was hearing footsteps behind me for awhile, and I couldn't figure out if that was third place or somebody I had lapped. I was really pushing it because I didn't want to be the one losing second but with 100m to go, my legs and arms were very tired. It didn't matter though, because it was someone I had lapped that I was hearing. We took second, way ahead of third place but still about 60m behind first place. My coach seemed to be a little disappointed with it but I felt like I had run pretty good. My time- 2:34 again. I seem to be good at tying my PRs.
I was really tired after my 800 and the meet was moving really fast, so I wasn't able to get as much rest. I didn't know when we would have to warm up for the 1500m, so I wasn't sure how much to eat or drink. My throat felt really dry though and I was really thirsty. I drank more water than I probably should have but I couldn't really help it. It tasted really good.
About an hour after the 4x800, it was time to warm up for the 1500m. My legs were already tired, although I didn't run over the weekend for that reason. I knew I had to get a good time though, to prove to my coach that I could improve with my 1500. I had a hard time convincing myself that I could do that though, because I was so tired. The four laps we did as a warmup for very slow because of this. I couldn't wait to get the race over with.
The winning time for the 3000m was 11:54, slow and a second slower than my Friday time. I would like to think that I would've factored into the race but judging by my 1500, that might not have been the case. The race did make me think that I could do very well in the 1500m and when I checked in, it looked like I had the fastest time out of the runners. I didn't really care about the places though, I cared about the times and how fast I could go.
There was no lane assignments so AK and I took the middle lanes. We weren't on the line for long and once we took off, I settled in at third place. The other two girls seemed to really take off and I didn't think they could keep it up for the whole race. I was going to kind of pace myself and not depend on any other runners but myself. This meant I was not running next to AK, but I usually don't in the 1500m.
The first lap felt pretty good but a struggled a bit with the second. I tried to tell myself that after this lap, I'd only have an 800 but it didn't do very much good. I could feel myself slowing down a little but I tried to resist it and catch the girls in front of me. With two laps to go, the first two girls were still ahead of me and I was getting tired. I was just trying to hold onto third place because I didn't know where the other girls were behind me.
With a lap to go, I was at 4:06, six seconds slower that Friday's slow time. I passed the girl ahead of me with 300m to go. I knew for sure that I was going slow but that I had to sort of salvage the race with the last lap. Except, with no one near me, I didn't try as hard as I should've. I didn't do what I was supposed to.
I finished in 5:28 or 5:29, my second slowest 1500 and my slowest outdoor 1500m of the season. Second place was mine but with the first girl coming in at 5:14, I knew that I could've won the race. I should have been up there but I wasn't. And it was my own fault. I lost that race. It was me.
My coach didn't say much after my race, just asked me how it felt. I told him that it was not good because I was so tired. AK finished about five seconds behind me in third place and she felt good, so I tried to refrain from talking about how I had ruined my race. What did make the day better though- free popcorn.
1500
2nd- 5:29
Sunday, May 3, 2009
PLATEAU
Even with all the training I have been doing, I've hit a plateau. My 3000m times have not decreased since I ran 11:46 on April 11. They've actually been increasing with 11:50 and 11:53. My coach thinks I can run an 11:30, but I'm not sure about that. He says I need competition, people running those times instead of the large gaps that there has been. It's hard to believe him though when whatever I'm doing doesn't seem to be working.
What's most frustrating however, is not my 3000m. It's the 1500, my favorite race. The last four times I've ran in the race- 5:23, 5:18, 5:18, 5:19. I need to improve in this race if I want to go anywhere with it. My coach keeps telling me that a big drop in time follows a plateau but with Friday's meet, it doesn't seem like it. Comparing that meet with the one on April 11, in which I ran the same races, I've gotten slower in both events. I don't know what to do about it but I want to do something. And it's not like there isn't anyone else in my races who aren't running those times, if I would have run a 5:18 on Friday, the crazy finish wouldn't have been a problem. I feel like I can get my times down except I'm too tired from practices. We haven't even been doing that much in practices though so I'm not sure. I don't like complaining about my times that much either, before this season I would've been estastic to be running like this. I just really want to get better and improve, but I don't know how.
What's most frustrating however, is not my 3000m. It's the 1500, my favorite race. The last four times I've ran in the race- 5:23, 5:18, 5:18, 5:19. I need to improve in this race if I want to go anywhere with it. My coach keeps telling me that a big drop in time follows a plateau but with Friday's meet, it doesn't seem like it. Comparing that meet with the one on April 11, in which I ran the same races, I've gotten slower in both events. I don't know what to do about it but I want to do something. And it's not like there isn't anyone else in my races who aren't running those times, if I would have run a 5:18 on Friday, the crazy finish wouldn't have been a problem. I feel like I can get my times down except I'm too tired from practices. We haven't even been doing that much in practices though so I'm not sure. I don't like complaining about my times that much either, before this season I would've been estastic to be running like this. I just really want to get better and improve, but I don't know how.
RACE REPORT: OUR TURN TO WIN
As I mentioned in my previous post, I was not looking forward to my race. I had spent most of the three hours in between my races sitting on a blanket, and talking with my friends and my coach. We watched AK eat a cold baked potato and just relaxed. There was a little problem because JS's shirt was stolen by a member of another team and they refused to give it back, although it did have her last name printed on it. She did get the shirt back after the meet once the coach threatened the team. They were going to have to do hills though in punishment for taking the shirt, which we thought was kind of funny.
About an hour before our race, JS and I began warming up, doing four laps. My legs were feeling very tired and I just wanted to sit down. I tried to change my outlook but it wasn't working. I didn't want to race the 1500m, it seemed like I had already done enough. There wasn't anything I could do to change it however, so I didn't tell my coach. He was already excited, because our team was tied for first, and I didn't want to disappoint him.
As we stood on the line, waiting for the gun to go off, I noticed that it had grown dark and the lights were on. Usually this is one of my favorite things about the race but it didn't really register with me throughout the race. All I could think about was how I wanted to get under 5:18 but how I probably wouldn't. I wasn't going to really pace myself though, I was just going to race.
I didn't want to start out too fast so after 3/4 of a lap, I was towards the back. As long as I didn't start out next to a girl in orange, whose team always fades back after taking a 15m lead on the first lap, I was going to be okay. My legs didn't feel very tired in the race but they didn't feel fast either. With two laps to go, I was around 2:30 and moving up. There wasn't a lot of groups, just one or two runners that were easier to pass.
With a lap to go, I remembered the advice from the coach of the girl in red in the 3000m. She said to make the last lap hurt and that's what I set out to do. There was two girls running together a little in front of me and my coach was yelling at me to pass them so I could score. With 200m to go, JS, those two girls, and I were all running together. Around that last corner, my coach (who must have ran across the field to get there) stood with the two coaches of the other girls. They were all screaming at us to beat one another as they were standing right next to each other. I thought this was kind of funny because they looked hilarious and it wasn't up to them anyways. It was the runners who had to finish the race. They weren't giving us any extra power or motivation that we didn't already have.
I moved ahead of the group with 75m to go, sprinting with all I had left. A girl in purple was slowly moving towards the lane ahead of me and I knew I had to try and get her too. There was a big gap between us and it seemed almost impossible to close it. At 15m from the line, she was still ahead of me but the crowd had faded from the sides. It was almost like having tunnel vision, I only heard myself saying "push it, push it". I could see her trying to go faster but only steps from the line, I passed her and took 4th. JS placed 6th, beating the two girls, and making us double scorers. My coach was happy with our finish and that we had scored. My time was slower at 5:23 and so was JS's time of 5:25. Our team won the meet though, which was pretty exciting. And 10 of the 125 points we scored were mine.
I ran a quick cooldown lap after the meet before taking pictures with the trophy on our two hour bus ride and eating french fries from Arby's. They actually have very good french fries, which are one of my favorite things to eat after a track meet. They made up for my slower races as did the trophy.
1500
4th- 5:23
About an hour before our race, JS and I began warming up, doing four laps. My legs were feeling very tired and I just wanted to sit down. I tried to change my outlook but it wasn't working. I didn't want to race the 1500m, it seemed like I had already done enough. There wasn't anything I could do to change it however, so I didn't tell my coach. He was already excited, because our team was tied for first, and I didn't want to disappoint him.
As we stood on the line, waiting for the gun to go off, I noticed that it had grown dark and the lights were on. Usually this is one of my favorite things about the race but it didn't really register with me throughout the race. All I could think about was how I wanted to get under 5:18 but how I probably wouldn't. I wasn't going to really pace myself though, I was just going to race.
I didn't want to start out too fast so after 3/4 of a lap, I was towards the back. As long as I didn't start out next to a girl in orange, whose team always fades back after taking a 15m lead on the first lap, I was going to be okay. My legs didn't feel very tired in the race but they didn't feel fast either. With two laps to go, I was around 2:30 and moving up. There wasn't a lot of groups, just one or two runners that were easier to pass.
With a lap to go, I remembered the advice from the coach of the girl in red in the 3000m. She said to make the last lap hurt and that's what I set out to do. There was two girls running together a little in front of me and my coach was yelling at me to pass them so I could score. With 200m to go, JS, those two girls, and I were all running together. Around that last corner, my coach (who must have ran across the field to get there) stood with the two coaches of the other girls. They were all screaming at us to beat one another as they were standing right next to each other. I thought this was kind of funny because they looked hilarious and it wasn't up to them anyways. It was the runners who had to finish the race. They weren't giving us any extra power or motivation that we didn't already have.
I moved ahead of the group with 75m to go, sprinting with all I had left. A girl in purple was slowly moving towards the lane ahead of me and I knew I had to try and get her too. There was a big gap between us and it seemed almost impossible to close it. At 15m from the line, she was still ahead of me but the crowd had faded from the sides. It was almost like having tunnel vision, I only heard myself saying "push it, push it". I could see her trying to go faster but only steps from the line, I passed her and took 4th. JS placed 6th, beating the two girls, and making us double scorers. My coach was happy with our finish and that we had scored. My time was slower at 5:23 and so was JS's time of 5:25. Our team won the meet though, which was pretty exciting. And 10 of the 125 points we scored were mine.
I ran a quick cooldown lap after the meet before taking pictures with the trophy on our two hour bus ride and eating french fries from Arby's. They actually have very good french fries, which are one of my favorite things to eat after a track meet. They made up for my slower races as did the trophy.
1500
4th- 5:23
Thursday, April 30, 2009
WHY DISTANCE?
On Monday, I had a very interesting practice. I was the only distance runner there, because three of the girls were at a fresh/soph track meet and two girls couldn't come (we are down to only six distance girls when we had about 20 in xc). My coach gave me a sort of private practice which was very weird. Very, very weird. He did have a point though, when he was analyzing the running form of the people on the track around us. While telling me how my form has improved, he also mentioned how other people could become better. As one boy ran by, my coach told me that he ran like an xc or distance runner although he was a hurdler. Because this kid also plays football (I think) there's no way this would happen, though he'd probably be pretty good. It made me wonder if I chose the right distance or if I would be better being a sprinter while in high school. Then, I couldn't help but thinking about how I chose to be a distance runner. Or how I didn't really choose, but instead how the sport chose me.
In first grade I ran my first mile in about nine and a half minutes (yes, I know all my elementary school mile times). I beat everyone in my combined first/second grade class except three or four boys. It gave me such an exhilarating feeling, I was hooked. I wanted to become faster, to get even better.
I rocked the mile throughout elementary school, continually beating almost everyone. Occasionally some boys would get ahead of me, but they knew I could run just as fast as them. This early talent led me to join YMCA track and field, which is just a bunch of little kids pretending they know how to run. In the short events, such as everything from the 60m to 400m dash, I was just one among the pack. But in the 600m (which I thought was really long), I was good. And so I became a "distance" runner in elementary school.
In middle school, I continued running the longer races, sometimes being the only one from my school. I didn't have the initial burst of speed needed to be a sprinter but I could outkick all my teammates in the last lap of the 1500m. I still don't have that speed, which is evident by our workout yesterday, but I do have that kick.
I wasn't really a "distance" runner though, until I went to high school. Now I feel the urge to just go for a seven mile run, not thinking much of it. My race distances have become a little longer and I'm a lot faster but I still run the distance events. A decision that went back to elementary school. I think I made the right choice.
In first grade I ran my first mile in about nine and a half minutes (yes, I know all my elementary school mile times). I beat everyone in my combined first/second grade class except three or four boys. It gave me such an exhilarating feeling, I was hooked. I wanted to become faster, to get even better.
I rocked the mile throughout elementary school, continually beating almost everyone. Occasionally some boys would get ahead of me, but they knew I could run just as fast as them. This early talent led me to join YMCA track and field, which is just a bunch of little kids pretending they know how to run. In the short events, such as everything from the 60m to 400m dash, I was just one among the pack. But in the 600m (which I thought was really long), I was good. And so I became a "distance" runner in elementary school.
In middle school, I continued running the longer races, sometimes being the only one from my school. I didn't have the initial burst of speed needed to be a sprinter but I could outkick all my teammates in the last lap of the 1500m. I still don't have that speed, which is evident by our workout yesterday, but I do have that kick.
I wasn't really a "distance" runner though, until I went to high school. Now I feel the urge to just go for a seven mile run, not thinking much of it. My race distances have become a little longer and I'm a lot faster but I still run the distance events. A decision that went back to elementary school. I think I made the right choice.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
RACE REPORT: RUNNING IN THE SUN
On Friday, I had my third track meet in seven days and fourth in two weeks. Needless to say, I was a little tired. I had taken Wednesday off and didn't run much on Thursday, but running hard all the time is not a good recovery. It was a nice 70 degrees for our track meet but a little warm, considering it was 20 degrees warmer than the previous week. There was only five teams but it was coed and both jv and varsity.
I ran the 3000, the first race, in which we only had to stand on the line for more than five minutes. When we were lined up, our lanes were decided by time. I was third from the left, meaning only two girls (two of the big four) had faster times. This was pretty cool because that meant I had beat the more than ten girls to my right. It also meant I had a chance to do well in this race.
It wasn't a very exciting race because the gaps were very large. I ran by myself in third place for practically the whole race, and second and fourth place were so far that there wasn't really anybody to race. That doesn't mean I didn't try my hardest, it just means that I had no one to push me extra hard.
The rest of the meet was spent playing on the playground with my teammates and sitting on the bleachers watching my friends run. I stayed until the end of the meet at 10:30 (it started at 5:00). There was some inspirational moments from some of my teammates but my legs were just so tired that the meet wasn't that exciting.
3000
1st- 10:31
2nd- 11:29
Me (3rd)- 11:50
JS- 12:02
This is the first race of the year that I haven't PRed in (not counting the 800's) which is kind of disappointing but it's not like I thought that I could continue that. I beat JS by a lot which is kind of nice but there was a big gap between the first four places. I was able to work on pacing myself and my coach liked the race so overall, I'm okay with it.
I ran the 3000, the first race, in which we only had to stand on the line for more than five minutes. When we were lined up, our lanes were decided by time. I was third from the left, meaning only two girls (two of the big four) had faster times. This was pretty cool because that meant I had beat the more than ten girls to my right. It also meant I had a chance to do well in this race.
It wasn't a very exciting race because the gaps were very large. I ran by myself in third place for practically the whole race, and second and fourth place were so far that there wasn't really anybody to race. That doesn't mean I didn't try my hardest, it just means that I had no one to push me extra hard.
The rest of the meet was spent playing on the playground with my teammates and sitting on the bleachers watching my friends run. I stayed until the end of the meet at 10:30 (it started at 5:00). There was some inspirational moments from some of my teammates but my legs were just so tired that the meet wasn't that exciting.
3000
1st- 10:31
2nd- 11:29
Me (3rd)- 11:50
JS- 12:02
This is the first race of the year that I haven't PRed in (not counting the 800's) which is kind of disappointing but it's not like I thought that I could continue that. I beat JS by a lot which is kind of nice but there was a big gap between the first four places. I was able to work on pacing myself and my coach liked the race so overall, I'm okay with it.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
RACE REPORT: TIRED LEGS
On Tuesday, I had my third track meet in one week. Due to the fact that I am not a machine and that I have to recover sometime, it was not a good one. At least in my opinion. I have no idea why they expect us to be able to run faster with only two or three days of recovery between meets because you can't. Especially if you run the 3000 and 1500. The people in charge need to realize that hey, not everybody runs two 200's so maybe we should give a couple more days between meets (although I haven't run 200's before so I'm not sure how long it takes to recover but it's probably less tiring than the 1500). Because I had just run the 1500 and 3000 on Saturday, I did take the day off on Sunday and ran three miles on Monday. My legs were incredibly tired going into the meet, I could barely do the three miles in 25:30, about 1.5 minutes slower than Friday. I was not expecting good things from the meet, but apparently I did alright.
Our team got out of school early which is always a plus for track meets. Except than we had to go on a hour long bus ride in a school bus because, being only the track team, we don't get charter buses. I have ran on the track we went to once before. I remember about three things from that meet: it was cold and windy, I placed second in the JV 1500, and I almost missed my race because we were in the bathroom. The track is kind of weird; it's backwards, meaning the finish line is opposite where you enter at.
I ran the team warmup, doing two laps and stretching. AK was running the 3000 by herself so I spent some time with her. I waited a little longer than usual, waiting to see if my 4x800 relay team would warmup but they didn't and I didn't know where they were, so I did two more laps by myself. About twenty minutes before the race, my teammates run one lap and call it a warmup with minimal stretching. Considering that two of them run xc, they should know better.
The JV teams ran first, and then our race began. I was running second and I received the baton with only two people behind me, which meant there was a lot of teams ahead of me. My legs were feeling pretty good so I was able to take off and catch a girl on the back stretch. Because we were going about the same pace, I looked to see if her teammates were on that side, so I could pass her in front of them. Yes, this is not the best racing technique and kind of mean, but it discourages the runner. I wasn't sure which team was hers and I waited until after the curve to pass her, near my team.
On the second lap, I passed one more girl. With 100m to go, my legs were tired and my kick wasn't there. I was hoping nobody was right behind me because I wouldn't be able to hold them off and fortunately, I handed the baton off with nobody passing me. I'm not sure what time or place we ended up getting but the 4x800 didn't seem as important to me. I don't like the race very much because you have to sprint two laps and there is not really any racing, just sprinting.
4x800 split- 2:37
JS was supposed to run the 1500 with me but she wasn't there because she was sick. AK decided she would try the big double and run the 1500m along with the 3000m (which she placed third in with a time of 12:00). The meet was anywhere from 25 to 35 minutes ahead so we weren't exactly sure when to warmup. We ran three or four laps as a warmup before stretching. Although my legs were very tired and tight, the adrenaline was flowing because this was the 1500 (my favorite race) and we were running under the lights. My coach talked to us and told me he wanted to see me run 5:15 although he wasn't sure how I'd be after running the big double on Saturday. The weather was a little chilly but nice so I thought this would be possible.
We had a bit of trouble checking in, for some reason they weren't doing this at the starting line or the finish line, or announcing where they were doing this. We went to check in right before the JV 1500 but the guy was ignoring us so we had to have our teammates do this. It seems like we have this problem a lot although I'm not sure how to fix it, except to have the people organize the meets better.
Since we didn't check in, we weren't sure what the lane assignments were, and it turns out there was none. There wasn't really any options except lane one which I took because although it is the worst lane, it also seems to be my lane. I was having to push another girl over even before the race because she was pushing me off the track. We were allowed to cut in immediately, so of course, as soon as the race began I was cut off. After a bit of shoving and elbowing, I went around the pack and moved up towards the front. I usually start at the back but since I had been doing okay, I was feeling confident that I could run in the front. Not a good idea. Don't change your racing tactics during a race.
I was running in 4th place behind 1st and 2nd who were running a little farther up. I wasn't sure how fast I was going but I was feeling good. Then I crossed the line with two laps to go and realized that I was tired. So incredibly tired. I knew I was in trouble because I immediately fell back and a gap opened up. I tried to close it but my legs just wouldn't move fast. A couple of girls became even with me and I tried to push it. It just wasn't there. The entire lap was like this, my coach knew I was getting slower and he was yelling at me to move up. I was trying so hard but it wasn't working.
The last lap was not good. My racing tactic of a fast lap was gone, all I wanted to do was finish the race. I tried my hardest because I knew that it wasn't going well. I was running as fast as I could but my legs were heavy. With 200m to go, my coach told me to catch some girls that had moved ahead of me so I could score, not like he cares about that anyways. I tried because I didn't want to disappoint him but it wasn't there. With 100m left, all I could do was hope nobody was behind me because I had no more energy.
I crossed the line as someone was saying 5:17, 5:18. I had only cut a second off my time. I'm not sure what place I came in but it didn't really matter. AK came in about 20 seconds after me but that didn't matter either. I felt terrible, not only because I had only improved by a second, been passed by a couple of people, and used bad racing techniques, but I didn't do what my coach told me to do. I had disappointed myself and him, and I'm not sure which was worse.
We ran two laps as a cooldown as my coach watched us from the fence. He made no attempt to talk to us, and judging by my previous experiences with him, he was in a bad mood. I gave him chances to talk to me but I left for home with my dad without talking to my coach. I knew I had disappointed him and I felt bad, my legs had been so tired but I had tried my hardest.
Yesterday, I had an arguement with my mom about whether or not I should go to practice. I had arrived home at 11:00 the night before, had a lot of homework, and was very tired. After a compromise, I agreed to skip practice and make up my Spanish test that I had missed. I felt bad for missing practice, although I realized I needed to. This meant that I had to talk to my coach before school.
I really don't like talking to my coach outside of practices and meets because he sometimes scares me. I was nervous going into his room because all I could think about was the meet the day before. How he reacted though, was different that what I expected. He was in a good mood and told me that I had done a good job at the meet. My coach also compared me to the legend of distance running at my school, which is a huge compliment. He said that I had done a great job running over the winter and that I was the one who improved. That I had done all the hard work and that he was only guiding me along at practices.
This meant so much to me because I knew he meant every word. He doesn't give fake compliments or many compliments at all. I'm not sure how he felt about the meet after I had ran but I think he realized that I was tired and had given it my all. I'm not happy with the meet though, and I want to improve on those results.
1500- 5:18
This was surprising because I thought I was going a lot slower, but I guess I wasn't. It's a PR but it wasn't fun.
Our team got out of school early which is always a plus for track meets. Except than we had to go on a hour long bus ride in a school bus because, being only the track team, we don't get charter buses. I have ran on the track we went to once before. I remember about three things from that meet: it was cold and windy, I placed second in the JV 1500, and I almost missed my race because we were in the bathroom. The track is kind of weird; it's backwards, meaning the finish line is opposite where you enter at.
I ran the team warmup, doing two laps and stretching. AK was running the 3000 by herself so I spent some time with her. I waited a little longer than usual, waiting to see if my 4x800 relay team would warmup but they didn't and I didn't know where they were, so I did two more laps by myself. About twenty minutes before the race, my teammates run one lap and call it a warmup with minimal stretching. Considering that two of them run xc, they should know better.
The JV teams ran first, and then our race began. I was running second and I received the baton with only two people behind me, which meant there was a lot of teams ahead of me. My legs were feeling pretty good so I was able to take off and catch a girl on the back stretch. Because we were going about the same pace, I looked to see if her teammates were on that side, so I could pass her in front of them. Yes, this is not the best racing technique and kind of mean, but it discourages the runner. I wasn't sure which team was hers and I waited until after the curve to pass her, near my team.
On the second lap, I passed one more girl. With 100m to go, my legs were tired and my kick wasn't there. I was hoping nobody was right behind me because I wouldn't be able to hold them off and fortunately, I handed the baton off with nobody passing me. I'm not sure what time or place we ended up getting but the 4x800 didn't seem as important to me. I don't like the race very much because you have to sprint two laps and there is not really any racing, just sprinting.
4x800 split- 2:37
JS was supposed to run the 1500 with me but she wasn't there because she was sick. AK decided she would try the big double and run the 1500m along with the 3000m (which she placed third in with a time of 12:00). The meet was anywhere from 25 to 35 minutes ahead so we weren't exactly sure when to warmup. We ran three or four laps as a warmup before stretching. Although my legs were very tired and tight, the adrenaline was flowing because this was the 1500 (my favorite race) and we were running under the lights. My coach talked to us and told me he wanted to see me run 5:15 although he wasn't sure how I'd be after running the big double on Saturday. The weather was a little chilly but nice so I thought this would be possible.
We had a bit of trouble checking in, for some reason they weren't doing this at the starting line or the finish line, or announcing where they were doing this. We went to check in right before the JV 1500 but the guy was ignoring us so we had to have our teammates do this. It seems like we have this problem a lot although I'm not sure how to fix it, except to have the people organize the meets better.
Since we didn't check in, we weren't sure what the lane assignments were, and it turns out there was none. There wasn't really any options except lane one which I took because although it is the worst lane, it also seems to be my lane. I was having to push another girl over even before the race because she was pushing me off the track. We were allowed to cut in immediately, so of course, as soon as the race began I was cut off. After a bit of shoving and elbowing, I went around the pack and moved up towards the front. I usually start at the back but since I had been doing okay, I was feeling confident that I could run in the front. Not a good idea. Don't change your racing tactics during a race.
I was running in 4th place behind 1st and 2nd who were running a little farther up. I wasn't sure how fast I was going but I was feeling good. Then I crossed the line with two laps to go and realized that I was tired. So incredibly tired. I knew I was in trouble because I immediately fell back and a gap opened up. I tried to close it but my legs just wouldn't move fast. A couple of girls became even with me and I tried to push it. It just wasn't there. The entire lap was like this, my coach knew I was getting slower and he was yelling at me to move up. I was trying so hard but it wasn't working.
The last lap was not good. My racing tactic of a fast lap was gone, all I wanted to do was finish the race. I tried my hardest because I knew that it wasn't going well. I was running as fast as I could but my legs were heavy. With 200m to go, my coach told me to catch some girls that had moved ahead of me so I could score, not like he cares about that anyways. I tried because I didn't want to disappoint him but it wasn't there. With 100m left, all I could do was hope nobody was behind me because I had no more energy.
I crossed the line as someone was saying 5:17, 5:18. I had only cut a second off my time. I'm not sure what place I came in but it didn't really matter. AK came in about 20 seconds after me but that didn't matter either. I felt terrible, not only because I had only improved by a second, been passed by a couple of people, and used bad racing techniques, but I didn't do what my coach told me to do. I had disappointed myself and him, and I'm not sure which was worse.
We ran two laps as a cooldown as my coach watched us from the fence. He made no attempt to talk to us, and judging by my previous experiences with him, he was in a bad mood. I gave him chances to talk to me but I left for home with my dad without talking to my coach. I knew I had disappointed him and I felt bad, my legs had been so tired but I had tried my hardest.
Yesterday, I had an arguement with my mom about whether or not I should go to practice. I had arrived home at 11:00 the night before, had a lot of homework, and was very tired. After a compromise, I agreed to skip practice and make up my Spanish test that I had missed. I felt bad for missing practice, although I realized I needed to. This meant that I had to talk to my coach before school.
I really don't like talking to my coach outside of practices and meets because he sometimes scares me. I was nervous going into his room because all I could think about was the meet the day before. How he reacted though, was different that what I expected. He was in a good mood and told me that I had done a good job at the meet. My coach also compared me to the legend of distance running at my school, which is a huge compliment. He said that I had done a great job running over the winter and that I was the one who improved. That I had done all the hard work and that he was only guiding me along at practices.
This meant so much to me because I knew he meant every word. He doesn't give fake compliments or many compliments at all. I'm not sure how he felt about the meet after I had ran but I think he realized that I was tired and had given it my all. I'm not happy with the meet though, and I want to improve on those results.
1500- 5:18
This was surprising because I thought I was going a lot slower, but I guess I wasn't. It's a PR but it wasn't fun.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
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.
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.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
RACE REPORT: A FANTASTIC 15
Sometimes there are days when you amaze even yourself. When you finish a race and you don't need anyone else to tell you how good you did, because you know that it was good. You realize that this was part of what you were training for, and that all the pain and harsh conditions was worth it. That these special moments in running are why you keep on going. It's why you run.
On Tuesday, April 7th, our team had a varsity only track meet about a half an hour away. The bus ride passed uneventfully as I tried to do some homework while speeding down the interstate. I wasn't running the 3000, although two of my teammates were (AK and JS). I was instead running the 4x800 and the 1500. It was going to be my first time doubling up on races this year and it wasn't going to be easy due to the temperature. When we arrived, it was in the 40's, so I actually wished I was running the 3000. I knew the sun would be down and it would get colder which meant the 1500 would be really cold.
After running the team warmup and stretching, I talked a bit with JS and AK, who were warming up for the 3000. I was apparently freaking them out because I kept asking them if they were ready. I wasn't sure when the girl's 4x800 would be ran, because it was a coed meet and we didn't have a schedule. Since two of the girls who would be on my 4x800 team were sprinters, I knew that they probably wouldn't do much of a warmup so I did a few laps on my own. It didn't feel that cold out by the time I was stretching so I decided to run my 800 without any underamour or running tights. Besides, the 3000 runners had 7.5 laps to run and they weren't wearing any extra clothing.
I watched the 3000m, cheering on my teammates, but secretly hoping that they wouldn't beat my last time of 11:52 by that much. I wanted them to do well but not too well which is kind of selfish. AK actually ended up beating JS, which is kind of an upset given how fast JS is, but it was only by a second. Final times for them were 12:02 and 12:03.
I both like and dislike the 4x800. I like how it's a warmup for the 1500 but I don't like how it's an all out sprint for two laps. I also don't like that I had to anchor the relay but that was better than being the first runner. The race went okay, when our third runner got the baton we were in last place and she moved us up one spot. Being in the back was okay with me because then it wouldn't be my fault we did so bad and I'd get the credit if we did good. Kind of selfish reasons again but I also had to deal with the fact that the sprinters didn't like that I was anchoring the relay without having run an 800 that year. I ended up passing another person and moving us up in the race. My coach congratulated me on "getting us back into the race" but I only ran 2:40, the same as the first leg and two seconds slower than the third leg. While running the relay though, I concentrate more on the actually racing part rather than what time I may get.
I had more than an hour wait before I began to even warmup for the 1500, so I did a quick cooldown and began to bundle up. With the sun going down, the temperature was going down fast and sitting down doesn't help either. As my teammates ate all kinds of junk food around me (because their races were done, so polite) I put on more and more layers. By the time I finally began my warmup for the 1500m, I was wearing, along with my uniform, running tights and two pairs of pants, an underamour shirt, a short sleeved shirt, two long sleeved shirts, a sweatshirt, my headband, and my gloves. All this and I was still really cold.
I was running the 1500 with my teammate RB, who I haven't ran a race with yet this year. We ran 4 laps around the track and my warmup made me a little worried. My legs were tired from my previous race, and they had cramped up and tightened with the cold. My feet felt frozen and they were a little numb, which made me wonder how I was going to run almost a mile as fast as I could. I also couldn't find my coach, and we were thinking he might have left and no longer was the "nice" coach. I really needed to know where he was at though and since we didn't know what time the race was at, our warmup was really a guess.
I had calmed myself down a little by the beginning of my race. Although the sky was now dark, the cold wasn't bothering me as much. The stadium lights were on which greatly excited me because one of my favorite things about the 1500, is running under the lights. I was just getting relaxed when we heard the final call for the 1500 (the first call we heard) and they were getting ready for the race while I was still tying the shoelaces of my spikes. I didn't even have time to do strides but I did do some stretching.
We were standing on the starting "waterfall" line in the outside lane (lane 7) when I noticed my coach standing outside the fence next to us. He hadn't left although he didn't talk to us before the race either. I wished RB good luck and then we were off.
During the first 100m, in which everyone sprints and cuts each other off (which I'm used to with xc), the one thing I really noticed was that my ears were cold. I was also wondering when we could cut in because I wasn't listening during the directions, but apparently it was immediately because everyone ran sideways into lane one to step in front of each other.
The first 300m is really a sprint and I didn't really settle in until I realized that we only had three laps left. It seemed so short compared to the 3000m. The second lap felt the longest however and with 2.5 laps to go I was talking to myself, telling myself that this was my race, the one I loved so much. That it was under the lights so it was going to be mine.
Running under the lights gives the race a special atmosphere. The crowd tends to disappear and their cheers are almost background noise. It really gets me in my zone and I can focus on just the ponytails of the girls in front of me. It doesn't make running effortless but sometimes my strength does seem to flow. The lights make it a completely different race.
Crossing the line with two laps to go, I realized that I only had an 800m to run, which I had done earlier. The previous lap was hard for me but I had dropped RB and was closing in on a girl ahead of me. When I passed my coach where we had started, he yelled something at me that stuck with me through the entire race. "You are so much faster than you were last year, so go get that girl". The part about the girl was irrelevant, my coach had just given me a huge compliment during a race. I knew that what he said was true, before he even said it, but hearing him say it made it real. Every time I wanted to slow down, I thought of what he had said and knew that I was going to rock this race. Because, afterall, I was so much faster than I was last year.
On the last lap, I tried picking up the pace because I still hadn't caught the girl ahead of me and I knew there was someone coming up behind me. When I passed my coach, he was on the track and had somehow climbed over the 10ft tall fence. He didn't offer me advice but just gave me encouragement. With 250m to go, a girl passed me. I tried hanging on behind her but she was really moving. With less than 100m, she passed the girl ahead of me who was suddenly very close. And then I knew that I had to get that girl, who had been running ahead of me the whole race. She had been passed once and I was going to make it twice. So I picked up my legs and pushed myself faster. There was no crowd and no other runners except myself and that girl racing to the line. With about 5m to the line, I passed her. At the same time I looked at the electronic timer next to the track. I saw the time of 5:25 and sprinted across the line in 7th place.
I had finished within 100m of the leaders and was in the top half of a varsity meet. But most of all, I had broken 5:30. My unwritten and unofficial goal this season was to break 5:30. I had somehow just done that, and I was estastic. My legs were tired and I needed to sit down, but I was good. I had always thought that being under 5:30 would make you good, and now I had done that. With my final time of 5:26, I had PRed by 10 seconds but accomplished so much more than that.
I ran my two lap cooldown alone, with a smile on my face. I was proving to myself, my team, and my coach that I can run. It was incredibly.....awesome.
My coach was waiting for me as I walked to the bleachers. After looking like he was ready to hug me, he told me that I had done a fantastic job and that I had improved so much. He also said that I had done a great job training over the winter and now it was paying off. He gave me a couple of high fives and couldn't keep the grin off his face. But this time, I didn't need him to like the results, although it did make the experience even better. That race was amazing though, and it was why I ran.
4x800 split- 2:40 (should've been faster)
1500- 5:26 (it felt like a sprint the entire race which somewhat explains the very wonderful result)
On Tuesday, April 7th, our team had a varsity only track meet about a half an hour away. The bus ride passed uneventfully as I tried to do some homework while speeding down the interstate. I wasn't running the 3000, although two of my teammates were (AK and JS). I was instead running the 4x800 and the 1500. It was going to be my first time doubling up on races this year and it wasn't going to be easy due to the temperature. When we arrived, it was in the 40's, so I actually wished I was running the 3000. I knew the sun would be down and it would get colder which meant the 1500 would be really cold.
After running the team warmup and stretching, I talked a bit with JS and AK, who were warming up for the 3000. I was apparently freaking them out because I kept asking them if they were ready. I wasn't sure when the girl's 4x800 would be ran, because it was a coed meet and we didn't have a schedule. Since two of the girls who would be on my 4x800 team were sprinters, I knew that they probably wouldn't do much of a warmup so I did a few laps on my own. It didn't feel that cold out by the time I was stretching so I decided to run my 800 without any underamour or running tights. Besides, the 3000 runners had 7.5 laps to run and they weren't wearing any extra clothing.
I watched the 3000m, cheering on my teammates, but secretly hoping that they wouldn't beat my last time of 11:52 by that much. I wanted them to do well but not too well which is kind of selfish. AK actually ended up beating JS, which is kind of an upset given how fast JS is, but it was only by a second. Final times for them were 12:02 and 12:03.
I both like and dislike the 4x800. I like how it's a warmup for the 1500 but I don't like how it's an all out sprint for two laps. I also don't like that I had to anchor the relay but that was better than being the first runner. The race went okay, when our third runner got the baton we were in last place and she moved us up one spot. Being in the back was okay with me because then it wouldn't be my fault we did so bad and I'd get the credit if we did good. Kind of selfish reasons again but I also had to deal with the fact that the sprinters didn't like that I was anchoring the relay without having run an 800 that year. I ended up passing another person and moving us up in the race. My coach congratulated me on "getting us back into the race" but I only ran 2:40, the same as the first leg and two seconds slower than the third leg. While running the relay though, I concentrate more on the actually racing part rather than what time I may get.
I had more than an hour wait before I began to even warmup for the 1500, so I did a quick cooldown and began to bundle up. With the sun going down, the temperature was going down fast and sitting down doesn't help either. As my teammates ate all kinds of junk food around me (because their races were done, so polite) I put on more and more layers. By the time I finally began my warmup for the 1500m, I was wearing, along with my uniform, running tights and two pairs of pants, an underamour shirt, a short sleeved shirt, two long sleeved shirts, a sweatshirt, my headband, and my gloves. All this and I was still really cold.
I was running the 1500 with my teammate RB, who I haven't ran a race with yet this year. We ran 4 laps around the track and my warmup made me a little worried. My legs were tired from my previous race, and they had cramped up and tightened with the cold. My feet felt frozen and they were a little numb, which made me wonder how I was going to run almost a mile as fast as I could. I also couldn't find my coach, and we were thinking he might have left and no longer was the "nice" coach. I really needed to know where he was at though and since we didn't know what time the race was at, our warmup was really a guess.
I had calmed myself down a little by the beginning of my race. Although the sky was now dark, the cold wasn't bothering me as much. The stadium lights were on which greatly excited me because one of my favorite things about the 1500, is running under the lights. I was just getting relaxed when we heard the final call for the 1500 (the first call we heard) and they were getting ready for the race while I was still tying the shoelaces of my spikes. I didn't even have time to do strides but I did do some stretching.
We were standing on the starting "waterfall" line in the outside lane (lane 7) when I noticed my coach standing outside the fence next to us. He hadn't left although he didn't talk to us before the race either. I wished RB good luck and then we were off.
During the first 100m, in which everyone sprints and cuts each other off (which I'm used to with xc), the one thing I really noticed was that my ears were cold. I was also wondering when we could cut in because I wasn't listening during the directions, but apparently it was immediately because everyone ran sideways into lane one to step in front of each other.
The first 300m is really a sprint and I didn't really settle in until I realized that we only had three laps left. It seemed so short compared to the 3000m. The second lap felt the longest however and with 2.5 laps to go I was talking to myself, telling myself that this was my race, the one I loved so much. That it was under the lights so it was going to be mine.
Running under the lights gives the race a special atmosphere. The crowd tends to disappear and their cheers are almost background noise. It really gets me in my zone and I can focus on just the ponytails of the girls in front of me. It doesn't make running effortless but sometimes my strength does seem to flow. The lights make it a completely different race.
Crossing the line with two laps to go, I realized that I only had an 800m to run, which I had done earlier. The previous lap was hard for me but I had dropped RB and was closing in on a girl ahead of me. When I passed my coach where we had started, he yelled something at me that stuck with me through the entire race. "You are so much faster than you were last year, so go get that girl". The part about the girl was irrelevant, my coach had just given me a huge compliment during a race. I knew that what he said was true, before he even said it, but hearing him say it made it real. Every time I wanted to slow down, I thought of what he had said and knew that I was going to rock this race. Because, afterall, I was so much faster than I was last year.
On the last lap, I tried picking up the pace because I still hadn't caught the girl ahead of me and I knew there was someone coming up behind me. When I passed my coach, he was on the track and had somehow climbed over the 10ft tall fence. He didn't offer me advice but just gave me encouragement. With 250m to go, a girl passed me. I tried hanging on behind her but she was really moving. With less than 100m, she passed the girl ahead of me who was suddenly very close. And then I knew that I had to get that girl, who had been running ahead of me the whole race. She had been passed once and I was going to make it twice. So I picked up my legs and pushed myself faster. There was no crowd and no other runners except myself and that girl racing to the line. With about 5m to the line, I passed her. At the same time I looked at the electronic timer next to the track. I saw the time of 5:25 and sprinted across the line in 7th place.
I had finished within 100m of the leaders and was in the top half of a varsity meet. But most of all, I had broken 5:30. My unwritten and unofficial goal this season was to break 5:30. I had somehow just done that, and I was estastic. My legs were tired and I needed to sit down, but I was good. I had always thought that being under 5:30 would make you good, and now I had done that. With my final time of 5:26, I had PRed by 10 seconds but accomplished so much more than that.
I ran my two lap cooldown alone, with a smile on my face. I was proving to myself, my team, and my coach that I can run. It was incredibly.....awesome.
My coach was waiting for me as I walked to the bleachers. After looking like he was ready to hug me, he told me that I had done a fantastic job and that I had improved so much. He also said that I had done a great job training over the winter and now it was paying off. He gave me a couple of high fives and couldn't keep the grin off his face. But this time, I didn't need him to like the results, although it did make the experience even better. That race was amazing though, and it was why I ran.
4x800 split- 2:40 (should've been faster)
1500- 5:26 (it felt like a sprint the entire race which somewhat explains the very wonderful result)
Monday, April 6, 2009
RACE REPORT: BREAKING TWELVE
On Friday April 3rd, I had the honor of running the 3000m at our first outdoor track meet. I've come to terms with the fact that the 3000 is very long compared to every other race, and that I run more than everybody else, in just one race. One good thing about the race though, is that it is the first. This means I get to relax the rest of the meet and eat delicious popcorn because I only have to run one race. It also means that nobody watches it, because it is the first race, and because it is the 3000, and who has the attention span to watch a couple of girls run around the track 7.5 times for over 10 minutes.
We had to be at the track at a ridiculously early time which wasn't a good idea because it was windy, although it was about 50 degrees. During the "team" warmup, my legs were feeling a little tired but okay. After stretching, I held a serious conversation with two of my favorite teammates about running. It was very interesting to hear their views about running but I'll save that for another post.
For our real warmup, I ran a mile with my friend and teammate AK. Besides the usual race nervousness dealing with not only a meet, but it being the first outdoors, and people I know actually being there, I was also nervous about running with her. She's always been faster than me until the beginning of track season this year, and I'm still a little intimidated by her. She looks like a fast runner and has done triathalons before, but she is very nice.
After the warmup and some stretching, we went for our traditional prerace bathroom break. I was waiting for AK outside the bathroom when one of my teammates runs up to me and tells me that they just announced the final call for the 3000. Obviously I freaked out, because it was 4:34 and our race was supposed to begin at 5:00. I still had to get my spikes, do some more stretching, make sure my parents had arrived, check in, find AK, and much more. My coach and teammates were considerably more calm than I or AK was, which helped a lot, because the race was now going to start at 4:45. We didn't officially ever check in for the race, because we couldn't find anybody, but apparently it didn't matter. We also had enough time to get ready because they started it a little later.
I received the right side of lane one for my lane assignment. The only worse position in any race but most of all this race, would be the left side of lane one. In the 3000, you are able to cut in immediately, as long as you don't cut anyone off. So of course, after the race started, I took two steps and was in last place because everyone else just slides in around the corner. That meant, since I was planning on running faster than most of the people ahead of me, that I had to go around a huge group of people in order to make it to the middle pack.
During the race, I ran with pretty much the same 4 or 5 girls. One of them happened to have the same name as me (which usually happens although my name is not that common, it seems to be a runner thing), so it seemed as though everybody was calling my name. Her coach was standing on the side and every time he'd yell at her, he'd say something but usually with her name. While he was saying things, it felt like he was talking to me, so I'd do what he was telling her. It is very motivating to have all these people cheering your name although you don't know half of them.
With about 3.5 laps left, my teammate AK suddenly showed up beside me. She had been running behind me the entire race, and one of my goals was to beat her. This wasn't anything personal, it was just a way of proving to myself that I had improved. She scared me a little though, because she had made of a gap and seemed to be running strong. After a lap though, the two girls I was running with sped up a little, and I stayed directly behind them. AK slipped back a little, because of the faster pace but she had made me more determined to pass these girls.
With two laps left, I knew that I was going to PR. My coach had been yelling at me that I was running a good race, and my watch was confirming that. I still had some running to do however, and I was determined to beat the girls I had been running with, especially the one I shared my name with. With one lap to go, but not a step before the line, I started finishing the race I had began over ten minutes earlier. One girl ahead of me took off even faster and the gap between us quickly grew large. Yet I also took off and I seemingly left the others behind. Sprinting the entire last lap is actually easier when you've done 6.5 laps beforehand.
With half a lap left, I passed a girl who looked like she was struggling. I didn't know this at the time, but I was lapping her. I know I shouldn't enjoy it but because I used to be one of those girls, I do.
I sprinted all out the last 100m although I knew nobody was near me. At the finish line I found out that I had gotten fourth(!) which was awesome. AK finished in fifth, a few seconds behind me. When the person filling out my results on a card was asking me to spell my name though, I couldn't believe it. I had just run a PR 3000m and they were asking me to spell out my name. So I did it the only way I could, two breaths, a letter, and repeat.
My coach congratulated us afterwards and told us our times. He was really proud of both of us, because we had improved so much and we had double scored. After cheering on my fellow distance runners in the 4x800 and having an interesting discussion about clouds, I began my cooldown. During this, an announcer came on the speaker and welcomed everyone to the meet. He talked about a police officer in our city who had been severely injured and named all the teams. Then the national anthem was sung and the meet officially began. Officially began after two races had been run. And I know they were boring and long distance races that nobody watches anyways. This was why my race started early, because the meet officially began at 5:00. I've gotten used to being overlooked, I run cross country which is as overlooked as you can get in high school sports, but this still really bothered me. It was like our races didn't count or something.
I did well at the meet and I enjoyed it although I had to leave early because I had my ACT test the next day. My coach seemed to be happy with us and sometimes that's really all that matters.
Time: 11:52 (PR and improvement by 28 seconds)
Place: 4th
We had to be at the track at a ridiculously early time which wasn't a good idea because it was windy, although it was about 50 degrees. During the "team" warmup, my legs were feeling a little tired but okay. After stretching, I held a serious conversation with two of my favorite teammates about running. It was very interesting to hear their views about running but I'll save that for another post.
For our real warmup, I ran a mile with my friend and teammate AK. Besides the usual race nervousness dealing with not only a meet, but it being the first outdoors, and people I know actually being there, I was also nervous about running with her. She's always been faster than me until the beginning of track season this year, and I'm still a little intimidated by her. She looks like a fast runner and has done triathalons before, but she is very nice.
After the warmup and some stretching, we went for our traditional prerace bathroom break. I was waiting for AK outside the bathroom when one of my teammates runs up to me and tells me that they just announced the final call for the 3000. Obviously I freaked out, because it was 4:34 and our race was supposed to begin at 5:00. I still had to get my spikes, do some more stretching, make sure my parents had arrived, check in, find AK, and much more. My coach and teammates were considerably more calm than I or AK was, which helped a lot, because the race was now going to start at 4:45. We didn't officially ever check in for the race, because we couldn't find anybody, but apparently it didn't matter. We also had enough time to get ready because they started it a little later.
I received the right side of lane one for my lane assignment. The only worse position in any race but most of all this race, would be the left side of lane one. In the 3000, you are able to cut in immediately, as long as you don't cut anyone off. So of course, after the race started, I took two steps and was in last place because everyone else just slides in around the corner. That meant, since I was planning on running faster than most of the people ahead of me, that I had to go around a huge group of people in order to make it to the middle pack.
During the race, I ran with pretty much the same 4 or 5 girls. One of them happened to have the same name as me (which usually happens although my name is not that common, it seems to be a runner thing), so it seemed as though everybody was calling my name. Her coach was standing on the side and every time he'd yell at her, he'd say something but usually with her name. While he was saying things, it felt like he was talking to me, so I'd do what he was telling her. It is very motivating to have all these people cheering your name although you don't know half of them.
With about 3.5 laps left, my teammate AK suddenly showed up beside me. She had been running behind me the entire race, and one of my goals was to beat her. This wasn't anything personal, it was just a way of proving to myself that I had improved. She scared me a little though, because she had made of a gap and seemed to be running strong. After a lap though, the two girls I was running with sped up a little, and I stayed directly behind them. AK slipped back a little, because of the faster pace but she had made me more determined to pass these girls.
With two laps left, I knew that I was going to PR. My coach had been yelling at me that I was running a good race, and my watch was confirming that. I still had some running to do however, and I was determined to beat the girls I had been running with, especially the one I shared my name with. With one lap to go, but not a step before the line, I started finishing the race I had began over ten minutes earlier. One girl ahead of me took off even faster and the gap between us quickly grew large. Yet I also took off and I seemingly left the others behind. Sprinting the entire last lap is actually easier when you've done 6.5 laps beforehand.
With half a lap left, I passed a girl who looked like she was struggling. I didn't know this at the time, but I was lapping her. I know I shouldn't enjoy it but because I used to be one of those girls, I do.
I sprinted all out the last 100m although I knew nobody was near me. At the finish line I found out that I had gotten fourth(!) which was awesome. AK finished in fifth, a few seconds behind me. When the person filling out my results on a card was asking me to spell my name though, I couldn't believe it. I had just run a PR 3000m and they were asking me to spell out my name. So I did it the only way I could, two breaths, a letter, and repeat.
My coach congratulated us afterwards and told us our times. He was really proud of both of us, because we had improved so much and we had double scored. After cheering on my fellow distance runners in the 4x800 and having an interesting discussion about clouds, I began my cooldown. During this, an announcer came on the speaker and welcomed everyone to the meet. He talked about a police officer in our city who had been severely injured and named all the teams. Then the national anthem was sung and the meet officially began. Officially began after two races had been run. And I know they were boring and long distance races that nobody watches anyways. This was why my race started early, because the meet officially began at 5:00. I've gotten used to being overlooked, I run cross country which is as overlooked as you can get in high school sports, but this still really bothered me. It was like our races didn't count or something.
I did well at the meet and I enjoyed it although I had to leave early because I had my ACT test the next day. My coach seemed to be happy with us and sometimes that's really all that matters.
Time: 11:52 (PR and improvement by 28 seconds)
Place: 4th
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
