The other night I watched the 800m individual semi-finals for the Olympics. Can I just say- track and field is awesome. And of course it brings back lots of memories for me, having run track for four years in high school. Although the 3200m (2 mile) was "my race," I also ran the 1600m, the 800m individual, and the 4 x 800m relay.
Anyway, back to the Olympics, the USA runner in the first heat was Nick Symmonds. He won his heat and ran a good race, never getting boxed in and keeping in a good position in the pack. He did have to scoot out at the end in order to pass a guy, but that's okay on the last straightaway.
The second heat also had a US runner, a rookie on the international level, Andrew Wheating. I think the poor guy psyched himself out a bit and forgot all of the basic strategies of the 800m event. He did a lot of things wrong, probably because he was a little star-struck being at the Olympics for the first time. I'm sure that would be very distracting and he was undoubtedly under a lot of pressure. He started out slow, letting the pack get away from him. He had a lot of ground to make up, which isn't easy when you've only got 2 laps around the track. He basically had to run on the outside of the pack, and consequentially a farther distance than the rest of them, to make up for the lost position. When everyone started kicking in at about 300m to go, he had wasted a lot of energy making up ground, and couldn't really keep up. He did have a good kick for the last 100m, but it was a little too late. I felt bad that this guy didn't qualify for the finals. Hopefully he'll get another shot someday.
I was explaining all the these strategies to Peter as we watched the race. It was really exciting remembering the feeling of racing. Running is one thing, but competing just brings such a high. I know a lot of people who aren't runners think that running is easy; just go fast and you'll win. Well that may be true if you are a sprinter, although there are strategies there too. But distance running requires a game plan. You have 2, 4 or 8 laps and you can't just run your fastest the whole time. There are definitely techniques to learn and apply.
So as I have been reflecting on my short-lived high school running career, I dug up some pictures of track. I couldn't find any action shots of track- just cross country. Our track uniforms were awful. Here is our 4 x 800m team:
I wish we could have had some outfits like the US team's. But back in the day, we wore those ugly baggy things with spandex underneath. Don't you think we would have looked better in these?
I love the aerodynamic sleeves for the sprinters. Ha ha! Those are rad.
Anyway, I have lots of fun and fulfilling memories of track (and cross country). Very fun times! Of course, we worked really hard and had a lot of cases of shin splints.
State Runners-up in 1995(I have raccoon eyes in this picture- my mascara sweated off)
State Champs in 1996 and 1997!
9 comments:
3 words- Keel is hot.
Haha....those are good pictures. You guys rocked and you did it all in super ugly outfits! I think you would've been better off without the white spandex and without the lame cursive "Lady Pirates" -I mean, how intimidating is that?!
Haha true that Kira! Wow your outfits were ugly! Haha cool pics!
Fun post! I was a runner in high school too (though nowhere near as good as you. I only did JV). I have so many fond memories of waiting on that start line for the gun to go off. Oh, the anticipation. I can still feel the butterflies in my stomach.
And often I miss the days of being that IN-SHAPE. Of course if I was running a few hours every day, I might look like that again!
Oh, the memories! I've been feeling the same nostalgia towrds track while watching the Olympics.
Keel is HOT, I hope no no one reads this and tells him ha ha! I don't think the outfits are that bad, I've seen a few too you know. Man, remember when you and I got all amped up about track and cross country and we couldn't hardly control ourselves?! Racing is so awesome. Believe it or not if in HS it was just running and you didn't get to race, I don't think I would have done it. Racing, there is nothing like it! Especially after you pass your own teamate that you didn't really like in the last 50 Meters of your home cross country meet right in front of the bleachers for everyone to see! whew...good times. I could go on and on talking about it all so I guess I'll just sign out...
yeah and I forgot to say that Peter is not alone, sad but true...track and running and racing and everything is a whole different language that certain people like yo and it was kinda cute anyway...u and I speak. Sharrid asked me last night why the runners were starting from different places on the track. It was a sprint like the 200 or something. I explained that it wouldn't be fair since the guy in the was lateto figure out but it
Love the pictures of you with your track stars. You guys had cute track outfits. Oh how I admire how in shape those who ran track were/are. I danced through H.S and was NEVER in that good of shape.
I loved that you posted about track. I have thinking back to high school and feeling the same excitment, especially with Olympics being on. Just the other day I started rummaging through my track pics! So, I watched the men's and women's 4X100m relay the other night...poor Chad! I went on and on complaining about the dropped baton by both teams. He listened to a good 30 minutes of "How in the world do you drop the baton?" or "How can you screw up on a hand off? All you have to do is put it in their hand and make sure it stays there! How hard is that!" I even got out my baton from track and started showing him the techniques we used during our relay races in high school. (How sad is that.) I don't think anyone can understand the passion that comes with running in races and relays. Like you said....there is running, and then there is racing. Oh the glory days. And of course, then there are those days when I start panting after walking up a flight of stairs. Pathetic!
Wow, this was fun to read. I can't believe that we wore spandex... I would kill to get those legs back and show them off!!
I really missed running with you guys after I moved. And like Cami, I was all over the track hand offs! I was showing Steve with a spoon what a hand off should look like. I knew what to do and how to do it right and I think I only ran on one relay team!!
I ran with the Bingham team, but I think I will always be a Pirate at heart. Thanks for the flash back. (wish I was there)
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