4x800

One thing I have found that I truly enjoy about sports is how much they can teach a person about themselves. While all of the details may be slightly unclear I still remember the feeling of my very first track meet in high school. I was just a freshman and decided to join track on a whim. No one in my family or my friends had really ever done track but something about the idea of it really intrigued me. I knew that I was not a fast person, definitely not a sprinter of any sort, but distance seemed like something I would enjoy.

Our first meet was a relay meet somewhere a good distance away. I cannot recall the place but I remember the nerves I felt the entire bus ride there. My coach had put me in the 4x800 as the second leg of the race. The three other girls in the race were seniors at my school and although they were extremely nice during the entire time I could feel their apprehension as to how I would perform. I figured I would be the one to hold our relay back in this meet even if I tried my hardest.

As the race began our first runner took the lead, she was fast and maintained that pace the entire time. She put a great deal of distance between her and the other teams. As I awaited the baton I thought her lead would ease my nerves but it just made me more anxious. I figured now there would be nothing that could cause us to lose except for me.

I exhaled as I exited the passing zone with the baton in hand, at least I had done one thing correctly. With no one in front of me I did not know what to strive for or how to pace myself. I did not want to go too fast too soon and tire myself out before I finished the second lap, but I just kept going. I have no idea what was truly going on in my head, all I can remember was thinking about my breathing, and that I was still breathing and so I figured I could try to go faster, and I think I did.

I was almost in shock as I approached the third girl in our relay. She took the baton out of my hand and exhaustion took over my entire body. The lead we had was not great any longer, but we still had it. I exited the track towards my other teammates and watched the rest of the race in amazement.

The fourth girl in our relay ended several seconds before the trailing teams, we had taken first place. After the excitement settled down my coach approached me. He said I had actually managed to finish my 200 in the race in the same time as one of my teammates. I was so pleased, and thankful that I had joined the team. It showed me that I was actually capable of doing things I did not think were possible for myself. That understanding even transferred over into other aspects of my life. Whereas before I would tend to doubt my abilities, I then felt both hopeful and interested to see what I actually could accomplish.