Track Season (Distance Running)
Hello everyone!
Welcome back to the blog!
Today, I am going to talk about my high school track career.
Let me start off by saying that running for me was a gift from God. As stated in one of my previous posts, I started running Cross Country in sixth grade. In sixth grade, I also developed self esteem issues, my mind starting playing games with me, and I became really stressed for no reason. I was taking a ride on The Struggle Bus.
Side Note: "The Struggle Bus" is an abstract concept (you can't touch it). It is a state of being where a person is basically not enjoying life for completely valid reasons (i.e. being broke, failing a test, having no friends, not talking to God, etc.). If you ride The Struggle Bus for too long, you may become depressed. I rode The Struggle Bus for a long time.
Anyway, my participation in Cross Country and Track came at the perfect time. When I was running, I was not thinking about how much I thought God did not love me, I was not thinking about how lonely I felt, I was not thinking about how ungifted and boring I thought I was. I was just running. Over the years, I actually became a pretty decent runner in both Cross Country and Track
However, In this post, I will not be talking about Cross Country. I will be talking about Track.
My First Track Season (Spring 2013)
I started running track in seventh grade (I did not run track in sixth grade for various reasons). I had finished up my second cross country season, running my first 5k in 22:42 and becoming the fifth scorer on the team. After my last race, I decided to keep training for track season. My coach said that if we ran each day for most of the week, we would get faster. I believed him. Throughout the winter of 2012-2013, I made it a habit to run 4-5 days a week. I don't remember how long I ran each day, I just remember that I ran.
When our first track practice came around, Coach asked if anyone had been running over the winter. Some of us raised our hands. He was pleased.
Now, because I had never run track before, Coach did not know what group of runners to put me in. He had me practice with the sprinters for half of our conditioning season (two months before track season). I liked sprinting, but I really wanted to practice with the distance runners--the people that ran the 800, 1600, and 3200. I wanted to run more, but I did not know how to tell Coach that.
Finally, Coach decided one practice to let us choose which workout we wanted to do that day: Distance or Sprint. My friend and I decided that we would try the distance workout. I forgot what we did, but I know I liked it, and I was not the slowest runner. From that day on, Coach let me practice with the distance runners.
The day before my first track meet, Coach sent an email with our running event assignments. I would be running the Junior Varsity Girls' 1600 and the 800. I was really excited and nervous. I did not know what to expect.
Side Note: A 1600 is 4 laps around a track. An 800 is two laps around the track.
The day of the track meet, some of my teammates asked me how fast did I want to run the 1600. I calmly told them that I wanted to run a 5:30 1600. A few of them laughed at me. I had never run that fast before. However, one of them said "I think she can do it."
5 minutes before my first race, the 1600, Coach told me and my teammate (I try not to give out names for privacy's sake) how we should run the race and what he thought we would run. This is kind of how the conversation went:
Coach: "Leah, I want you to pace yourself. Don't run hard the first lap like everyone else. I think you can run 6:10."
Me: "Yes sir."
Now, I had NEVER run a 1600. I didn't know how to run a 1600, but I knew that I did not want to run a 6:10 1600. I lined up on the starting line ready to run fast--er.
Then gun went off, and I shot out with about 15 other junior varsity girls. After we made it around the first turn, I remember Coach's instructions and slowed down some. However, I made sure that the girls in front did not get to far ahead of me. I ran two laps in fifth place. My teammates were cheering for me, and my Coach continued to give me necessary instructions (because I still did not know what I was doing).
Finally, after two laps of running slower than I wanted, Coach yelled "GO!" as I ran around the first turn of the third lap. That was all the instruction I needed for the rest of the race. I started sprinting. It took me about a minute to catch up with the leading girls, but I did. I was so excited when I passed four girls as we came around the second curve. I was leading the race!
I tried to run faster and get away from the other girls (because if they caught me, I would lose). I was still leading as we entered the last lap. Coach was yelling at me, but I could not hear what he was saying. I felt like I was flying and I loved it.
As I came into the final turn of the race, I noticed that another girl was trying to pass me. I tried to speed up. We were running side by side for about 10 seconds. She finally got ahead of me, and I could not catch back up. She beat me to the finish line by about two seconds. I finished second.
I was kind of disappointed that I did not win the race. That is, until I got this really cool mini-trophy for placing second. I had never gotten a trophy for a sport. I was really happy. I would try and beat the girl in the next race.
A few seconds later, Coach came up to me and said that I had run the 1600 in 5:56. I was surprised. I wanted to run 5:30, but I thought that 5:56 was pretty great, too.
Coach was also surprised. He told me that he never gets surprised. I smiled. I was very glad that I had made Coach surprised and happy.
I did run the 800 later, and I placed fourth. However, that was irrelevant. I was a 1600-meter runner for pretty much the rest of track season.
All of the Other Track Seasons
After my first track meet, I fell in love with track and got better and better as the years went on. Running was medicine for me, and track meets were outlets to display God's gift. Looking back, His gift of running to me showed me that I was loved by Him. As I got better, I learned that I represented the Father (God) and Jesus Christ (since I am a Christian) in the way I performed at races. After learning this, I ran each race to the best of my ability, trying my best to give glory to the Father for the gift He had given me.
I ran other races. In eighth grade, I started running the 3200. In 10th grade, I ran the 3200, 1600, and 800. In 12th grade, I developed senioritis and started just running for fun (I was tired). I also competed against some really amazing girls that I enjoyed getting to know before and after races.
Also, I ran a 5:30 1600 in ninth grade, and finished my high school track career with a personal best of 5:22 (see earlier notes in post for relevance). Praise the LORD!
1 Corinthians 10:31- "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God (KJV)."
Exercise the gifts that God has given you, and glorify Him!
Thanks for reading my blog! Comment below and tell your friends!
Welcome back to the blog!
Today, I am going to talk about my high school track career.
Let me start off by saying that running for me was a gift from God. As stated in one of my previous posts, I started running Cross Country in sixth grade. In sixth grade, I also developed self esteem issues, my mind starting playing games with me, and I became really stressed for no reason. I was taking a ride on The Struggle Bus.
Side Note: "The Struggle Bus" is an abstract concept (you can't touch it). It is a state of being where a person is basically not enjoying life for completely valid reasons (i.e. being broke, failing a test, having no friends, not talking to God, etc.). If you ride The Struggle Bus for too long, you may become depressed. I rode The Struggle Bus for a long time.
Anyway, my participation in Cross Country and Track came at the perfect time. When I was running, I was not thinking about how much I thought God did not love me, I was not thinking about how lonely I felt, I was not thinking about how ungifted and boring I thought I was. I was just running. Over the years, I actually became a pretty decent runner in both Cross Country and Track
However, In this post, I will not be talking about Cross Country. I will be talking about Track.
My First Track Season (Spring 2013)
I started running track in seventh grade (I did not run track in sixth grade for various reasons). I had finished up my second cross country season, running my first 5k in 22:42 and becoming the fifth scorer on the team. After my last race, I decided to keep training for track season. My coach said that if we ran each day for most of the week, we would get faster. I believed him. Throughout the winter of 2012-2013, I made it a habit to run 4-5 days a week. I don't remember how long I ran each day, I just remember that I ran.
When our first track practice came around, Coach asked if anyone had been running over the winter. Some of us raised our hands. He was pleased.
Now, because I had never run track before, Coach did not know what group of runners to put me in. He had me practice with the sprinters for half of our conditioning season (two months before track season). I liked sprinting, but I really wanted to practice with the distance runners--the people that ran the 800, 1600, and 3200. I wanted to run more, but I did not know how to tell Coach that.
Finally, Coach decided one practice to let us choose which workout we wanted to do that day: Distance or Sprint. My friend and I decided that we would try the distance workout. I forgot what we did, but I know I liked it, and I was not the slowest runner. From that day on, Coach let me practice with the distance runners.
The day before my first track meet, Coach sent an email with our running event assignments. I would be running the Junior Varsity Girls' 1600 and the 800. I was really excited and nervous. I did not know what to expect.
Side Note: A 1600 is 4 laps around a track. An 800 is two laps around the track.
The day of the track meet, some of my teammates asked me how fast did I want to run the 1600. I calmly told them that I wanted to run a 5:30 1600. A few of them laughed at me. I had never run that fast before. However, one of them said "I think she can do it."
5 minutes before my first race, the 1600, Coach told me and my teammate (I try not to give out names for privacy's sake) how we should run the race and what he thought we would run. This is kind of how the conversation went:
Coach: "Leah, I want you to pace yourself. Don't run hard the first lap like everyone else. I think you can run 6:10."
Me: "Yes sir."
Now, I had NEVER run a 1600. I didn't know how to run a 1600, but I knew that I did not want to run a 6:10 1600. I lined up on the starting line ready to run fast--er.
Then gun went off, and I shot out with about 15 other junior varsity girls. After we made it around the first turn, I remember Coach's instructions and slowed down some. However, I made sure that the girls in front did not get to far ahead of me. I ran two laps in fifth place. My teammates were cheering for me, and my Coach continued to give me necessary instructions (because I still did not know what I was doing).
Finally, after two laps of running slower than I wanted, Coach yelled "GO!" as I ran around the first turn of the third lap. That was all the instruction I needed for the rest of the race. I started sprinting. It took me about a minute to catch up with the leading girls, but I did. I was so excited when I passed four girls as we came around the second curve. I was leading the race!
I tried to run faster and get away from the other girls (because if they caught me, I would lose). I was still leading as we entered the last lap. Coach was yelling at me, but I could not hear what he was saying. I felt like I was flying and I loved it.
As I came into the final turn of the race, I noticed that another girl was trying to pass me. I tried to speed up. We were running side by side for about 10 seconds. She finally got ahead of me, and I could not catch back up. She beat me to the finish line by about two seconds. I finished second.
I was kind of disappointed that I did not win the race. That is, until I got this really cool mini-trophy for placing second. I had never gotten a trophy for a sport. I was really happy. I would try and beat the girl in the next race.
A few seconds later, Coach came up to me and said that I had run the 1600 in 5:56. I was surprised. I wanted to run 5:30, but I thought that 5:56 was pretty great, too.
Coach was also surprised. He told me that he never gets surprised. I smiled. I was very glad that I had made Coach surprised and happy.
I did run the 800 later, and I placed fourth. However, that was irrelevant. I was a 1600-meter runner for pretty much the rest of track season.
All of the Other Track Seasons
After my first track meet, I fell in love with track and got better and better as the years went on. Running was medicine for me, and track meets were outlets to display God's gift. Looking back, His gift of running to me showed me that I was loved by Him. As I got better, I learned that I represented the Father (God) and Jesus Christ (since I am a Christian) in the way I performed at races. After learning this, I ran each race to the best of my ability, trying my best to give glory to the Father for the gift He had given me.
I ran other races. In eighth grade, I started running the 3200. In 10th grade, I ran the 3200, 1600, and 800. In 12th grade, I developed senioritis and started just running for fun (I was tired). I also competed against some really amazing girls that I enjoyed getting to know before and after races.
Also, I ran a 5:30 1600 in ninth grade, and finished my high school track career with a personal best of 5:22 (see earlier notes in post for relevance). Praise the LORD!
1 Corinthians 10:31- "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God (KJV)."
Exercise the gifts that God has given you, and glorify Him!
Thanks for reading my blog! Comment below and tell your friends!
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