TRACK <333

Hello there again. So I haven't been as faithful to this blog as I'd originally planned. Oh well. I've gotten distracted with other "projects" you could say.. so anyway, this last month has been fantastic. I won't recap the entire month because you would probably get bored and to be perfectly honest.. I don't want to type for that long. I'll just say that so far april has been great.. and the band trip was awesome... no, beyond awesome =).

The catalyst for my writing on here again is track. Today we had a home meet against harbor fields, and although we lost, I had quite an amazing day. It was beautiful outside today; nice and warm with just a little bit of a breeze. Instead of running 2 events like usual, I ran 3: 400m, 400m hurdles, and 400m relay (yes I kindof run 400 meters a lot =P). The newest addition to the events I participate in is the 400m hurdles. I had been wanting to try the hurdles since literally last spring (when I was stuck doing lacrosse). Today I was thrilled to actually have the opportunity to try them. And the result = awesomeness. I ended up not only doing well, but also winning the race, with 78 seconds.. great for a first try (oh and also the accomplishment of NOT falling on my face =D). A lot of people have told me they hate the 400 hurdles, but I actually had a lot of fun with them today. It makes the race a lot more interesting. Instead of just *sprint, sprint, sprint, sprint* .. its *sprint, sprint, HURDLE, sprint, sprint sprint, HURDLE* Oh! Also today I won the regular 400m race, which was really close, and I ran last leg in our 400m relay.... which we also won!! In addition, that race was extremely close and I didn't think I'd be able to pass the girl... but I did.. and everyone kinda went crazy. So overall it was an amazing day for track and I had a lot of fun. I feel... elated right now. And yes, I am a nerd; I got so excited that I came home and couldn't wait to write about track in my blog =P

Track is just so... it feels so amazing to run in track, especially the 400m. Its not as short as the 100, yet not as impossibly long as the 1500. In my opinion it's the perfect distance.. well for my body anyway. Running in track is different for me than it was in cross-country. Cross-country had the relaxing, long fluid motions, where you could feel the muscles working in your body and pay attention to your surroundings. In cross country I'd pay attention to the nature sounds, listen to my breathing, hear how my footsteps hit the earth, and reflect on all the things that happened during the day (or work through things that were bothering me). Running track, or the events I do, is a totally different caliber of running. It's this thrilling, high-speed, adrenalin pumping race. It's something that you just throw your whole body, mind, and soul into... concentrating and almost losing yourself in it.

When I'm racing in track, I don't hear the nature sounds; I don't hear any of the surroundings. It's just me and the track and the girl I'm racing against. Out on the track, its either you have what it takes, or you don't, as simple as that. I don't think about the homework that I have to do, or the things that are bothering me. For those 66 seconds the only things I think about are energy, speed, and the drive to win. And for those 66 seconds, it's as if you escape; you escape to somewhere only other runners would understand. And then there's the finish line; that moment where you see the it just beyond that last 100m stretch. It's at that point where you just give it everything you've got, and put it all out there on the track. That last stetch is my favorite part of the race, all high-speed and blood pumping, using that last explosive burst of energy you have. At that point something in my head just snaps and I just have to takeoff as fast as I possibly can, no matter how tired I am. It's like a reflex, like I'm on autopilot and I've lost all physical control. And maybe that's what I love about it, to let loose for once, to lose all control and go crazy for just a moment. And lastly, there's that feeling when you cross the finish line. The finish line is the place where all your hard work and sweat has paid off. It's where you know you've tried your hardest and your a winner, no matter if you've won the race or not. It's the moment where your breath finds its way back to you, where you find relief, and where you discover that your body is so incredibly tired that you actually feel amazing... exhilarated.

I love that feeling. I could live for that feeling and every time I race I love track more and more. The sport where I can be myself. The sport where I can work hard and it will actually pay off, and where my efforts will take me somewhere. The sport where politics aren't involved, where you can come out of woodwork and still have as much of an opportunity as someone whose father has been involved with the league for years. It's the sport where you push yourself, where you exhert the effort and succeed if and only if you want to. In track, you can be part of a team and have their support, yet still remain independent and feel the achievement of your goals on a personal level. But most important to me; this is the sport where you're not really racing against anyone else, or even a stopwatch. As Bill Persons once said, "A runner runs against himself, against the best that's in him. Not against a dead thing of wheels and pulleys.That's the way to be great, running against yourself. Against all the rotten mess in the world. Against God, if you’re good enough." So running is a way to be yourself, explore your own limits, discover who you are, and even who you want to be.

"When people ask me why I run, I tell them, there's not really a reason, it's just the adrenalin when you start, and the feeling when you cross that finish line, and know that you are a winner no matter what place you got. -Courtney Parsons"