The Shoes of Baltimore (NaNoWriMo Day 3)

“All right gentlemen and ladies,” one of the officials said. “Everyone line up, keep your hands behind the line, and follow the red course markers. Good luck!”

Charlie tried to copy the form of the other kids, but it felt awkward. He quickly glanced at Kevin, who looked like he had the form of an Olympic athlete.

You have to get that out of your head, Charlie said to himself.

He knew he shouldn’t be so hard on himself, but that’s just how he was. Charlie expected to win at everything he did, even if he lacked experience or it was his first time doing something.

The official counted down.

“Three, two, one!” He squeezed the horn in his hand after one.

Then they were off.

The more experienced kids seemed to be pacing themselves. Charlie noticed that the inexperienced kids seem to be running at full speed.

But Charlie knew from soccer practices that it was important to find a balance. You don’t want to use up everything you got right away. You needed to have a consistent performance. Then, at the end, you dig deep and finish strong.

But he also knew that if he paced himself too much, he might fall behind. And if he fell too far behind, he might not be able to catch back up. From his research, Charlie saw the best runners seemed to be near the middle of the pack most of the time or third or fourth back from the leader. They might even be second. Then, they really turn it on.

Right now, Charlie found himself right in the middle of the pack. He thought that was the right spot to be.

That’s where he stayed throughout most of the race. But as they got closer and closer to the finish line, the pack started to thin. Those in the middle had created a sizable distance between themselves and those in the back. And those in the front didn’t have that big a league. The middle pack was originally 20 kids, and had thinned down 10. Then with about a mile to go, more and more kids were behind Jimmy. He gave a quick look behind him, and looked forward. He only has three runners in front of him now. That is when he decided to pick up the pace. He started to throw his body forward, increasing his pace.

He thought Kevin was currently in third place. He confirmed it when he got right next to him. Then he was right next him. Kevin quickly looked over.

Charlie didn’t notice him look at him because he was passing him. He had his eyes set on the runner who was currently in second.

The mile post say there was about half a mile left.

Charlie gave it every thing he had. He started to gain on the second runner. And just like he had done it Kevin, Charlie passed him.

The first runner was in his sights now. Charlie’s legs looked like they were barely touching the ground as he raced towards the finish line. He was also next to his last opponent. He saw the finish line.

Second place.

Charlie just barely lost. There were only a few seconds that separated him from first place, but it was enough to keep him from winning.

Charlie was breathing heavily.

“Wow, great race,” the kid in first said while he was sucking in air.

“Thanks,” Charlie replied, a little winded himself.

Kevin came up to him next. “Dude, this can’t be your first race? I know you were fast, but gosh dang!”

A few of the other kids who had just finished walked over and shook Charlie’s hands and the kid who finished in first.

Charlie had lost, but he surprisingly wasn’t upset.

He had come in second in his first race ever. And he had accomplished his original goal of beating Kevin.

“Kevin, nice race bud.”

Charlie watched as a middle-aged man walked over to shake his hand.

“Kenny, that was impressive. You’ve def. been practicing, I can tell. You showed you know when to start kicking it in. That’s what I’m looking for in anyone trying to make the team. Keep it up.”

Charlie learned the kid who won was named Kenny. His goal now was to beat Kenny in whatever race was being held next.

Then the man turned his attention to Charlie.

“And you young man,” he said. “Where the heck did you come from?”

“This was my first race,” Charlie said, not really sure how to reply.

“Craig Kurtz,” the man said, holding out his hand. “I’m the coach of the varsity track team here at the high school. So you’ve never done track before or been in a race?”

“No,” Charlie said. “I’ve been playing soccer for the past several years. I thought I would just give this race a go.”

The coach nodded.

“That was really impressive son. This was some stiff competition you had, and you almost won. Have you thought about trying out for the team at all?”

Charlie actually hadn’t thought about it. He originally just wanted to beat Kevin.

“I actually haven’t thought about it,” Charlie said.

“Well you should,” Craig Kurtz said. “We are actually going to start having training sessions soon for the freshmen. It doesn’t mean you’re on the team, but it lets you get some work outs in, use the facilities, and get used to what practices will be like. The JV coach is also there, so we get to see what you guys got before the official tryouts start. We can also give you some tips that can help you out.”

The coach held out his hand.

“Consider joining son.”

Charlie shook it.

“I will.”

Charlie used the $5 to buy a hotdog and some chips. He waited in the stand until the other races had finished. After the final race, they had the award ceremony. They had medals for 10 spots, but they had a podium for the top three spots.

One of the official shook Charlie’s before placing a large silver medal around his neck.

Charlie picked up the medal off of his chest and looked at it. It was more impressive looking than any of the trophies or medals he had received playing any other sports.

I think I’m going to do it Charlie thought to himself. I’m going to go out for track this year.

Charlie went to the practices before school started. He got some advice from the coaches on what he needed to do to increase his endurance.

The advice helped, and he learned some tips from some of the other kids who had done track in middle school on some hacks to improve his running. They talked about their diets, how many days to run, and when to rest.

There was stiff competition, but Jimmy ended up making the team. He didn’t get to run in any races his freshman year, but it was a big deal that he made the team. Kevin and Kenny just made JV.

Charlie made Varsity which was a big deal. It had been three years since a freshman made the Varsity team.

Julie was extremely proud of him. Charlie took his other sports seriously, but he showed real dedication with running. From his diet to his training, he was fully engrossed in running. And Julie liked best of all that he wasn’t getting tackled by another kid or had the potential to get hit in the head by a baseball. She knew there were risks with running, but it wasn’t the same as playing a contact sport.

Also, she noticed that it actually seemed to calm Charlie.

Charlie earned a bigger role his sophomore year. He was running most of the races.

He started setting records in his junior year. And when he was a senior in high school, he even started to shatter those records.

When that happened, the scholarship offers started rolling in.

Julie hugged Charlie when the first offer came in and wouldn’t let him go. Things were going exactly as planned.

“I’m so proud of you.”

Charlie gently started to break away from his mom’s bear hug.

“Thanks mom,” he said. He finally got out of her grip.

Julie looked up as Charlie as he wiggled out of her grip. She couldn’t believe that just over four years ago Charlie had told her that he was going to enter the race. Now, he was getting college scholarships.

“I’m so proud of you.”

“Mom, I know. You just said that!”

“I know,” she said. “But I just wanted to make sure you knew! This is what happens when you work hard. You just have to promise me that you aren’t going to let up. This isn’t the time to take it easy. Once you pick the school, you are going to have to work extra hard this summer. You have to earn that scholarship, no matter where you go.”

After receiving 20 offers, Charlie decided to go to Florida. It was a long way from Baltimore, but it was one of the best programs in the country.

His mom told him that she would miss him, but she was glad he was going to get the opportunity to live in a different part of the country.

“You’ll meet so many interesting people and have great new experiences. Plus, it’s not that far of a plane ride. I can come down and visit when you aren’t busy.”

With the scholarship money, Charlie got a an apartment near the campus for the summer. He wanted to accustomed to the climate and the area. He wanted to find out where he should shop, run, and train.

Charlie had a hard time falling asleep before the first day of practices. His high school team had some good runners, but Charlie was the best. Running in college was going to be a whole new ball game. He was really going to need to push himself if he wanted to continue on a path to make a living from running.