I'm So Far Ahead

This is annoying. I'm so far ahead in APUS that I don't have any more homework I can possibly do. I'm so far ahead in economy, I don't have anything else I can do. The only class I'm not ahead in is algebra, and if I could, I probably would be. I haven't had homework for the past 2 nights. I went back and started to re-read The Ballard of Jim Shelley, cause I don't have a book with me, and I'm bored out of my mind. But I figure I might as well blog. Hmmm...about the race yesterday?

Yesterday was the first race in a long time I had been nervous. I never really got nervous once I started racing in high school. I remember once in track this year at Allen Johnson I was pretty nervous, but it all wiped away within split seconds of the gun going off. It held with me the entire race. I was shaking on the line, even though I knew we would crush the other teams. As the gun went off I expected the adrenaline burn to go away and my body to feel light as a feather...like it always does. But it didn't. That burn was still there, and I was still worried sick. I tried to hang on to the pack for about the first mile, and I kept second guessing my self. Maybe they're going out slow, and I'll be screwed in the end. Maybe I'm going out too fast. Until I slowly but surely dropped to the back on the pack. After the first loop of the course, I had grown accustomed to the burning sensation, and realized it wasn't going to go away. I tried to charge up the little rise on to the soccer field, but that damn blister on my toe cut open and started bleeding. Or I assume that's where it did.

I really lost the pack at that point. I dropped behind DV-S and the rest of the pack, and barely managed to hold my own against some lee kids. My nerves were psyching me out. I had that constant burn, and I kept trying to slow my self down. I think the only thing that really snapped me out of it was that voice that I hear at every race, spurring me on. I think if it hadn't been for Mrs. Todd I would have been screwed that race. I may not have listened to her advice for once in my entire career, but she gave me the needed boost. Coming down the hill of the tennis courts I started to prepare my self to hit the hill. Then...hey wait a second. Oh dammit! We have to go around the fence. I flat out got annoyed there, and tried to surge down the hill, and up to Banksta and DV-S. Unsuccessfully unfortunately, and when I hit the hill, I wished I hadn't taken that little surge. I couldn 't force my muscles to work any harder. Even with Mrs. Todd shouting encouragements, I couldn't bring my self to do it. When I topped that hill, it was all I could do to keep running.

I took Bair's advice and took 7 surging steps over the top of the hill and gained considerable distance on two of the guys trailing me. In an attempt to prepare for the next hill, I slowed my turn over, and lengthened my strides out, trying to catch my breath. Then I hit the two mile and heard 14:17. Oh Hell no I though. No way no way no way am I going that slow. I sped up my turn over, and went into race mode. Charging up the hill and surging over the top of it into the woods. The second I hit the trail, the wood chips gave out and I slid a considerable distance off the trail. Without even bothering to check the cuts on my legs, I made a bee line to the next part of the trail, and took the last 2 runners between DV-S Banks and me. Surging out of the woods, I held onto the back on DV-S and Banks, trying to take a seconds break, and when the hill turned down I took off. Kyle slapped me on the back, and yelled encouraging things at my back, spurring me further ahead. Until I was flying down the hill, purple and sky blue rushing beside me. I managed to catch 4 people on the down hill, and when I looked back up, I saw another navy blue jersey.

This is my lucky day I though for a second. Before taking off in a mini surge towards Bani and the 3 guys between us. Coming down the short dip I took one of them, and then up onto the baseball field, I took another. And when I finally got to Bani, that nervous feeling hit harder than ever. What if he's baiting me, I thought. And then that famous pre quote that Eric Clopper managed to mangle floated across my mind, and I took Bani and the remaining Waynesborro guy beside him. Charging up the hill and dumping everything I had into that last 50 meters. Which didn't happen to be much. As I crossed the line, I was handed a 16th place card. Yes I thought, 16th again, and hey....wait a second...I was 9th....I beat two people on the team....yes!!! I managed to pull out 7th on the team. Varsity.

Not half bad. I still don't know my time, and I won't know until friday. But I'm feeling pretty good about that race. Although I really felt it this morning when I tried to get out of bed. My calves were aching, like I'd run up a bunch of hills or something. Hmm must have been some crazy dream.