The Joy of Running

A Memoir

I was wearing my red track sweats and a track t-shirt; my hair was in its usual braid down my back. It was the day of District track, and I was incredibly nervous. I was a part of the 4 x 100 meter relay team, and we were supposed to be a shoo-in for state. I could not focus the whole day--nothing was important enough to take the place of track in my thoughts. Districts was at Sioux Center, and we would be on the bus for about an hour and a half. I put in my headphones and let the music excite me to run. When we finally got to the track, I forced myself to choke down a peanut butter and jelly sandwich as I watched my best friend long jump.

“Let’s go, Glor!” I cheered.

Later, I ran a 200 in the Distance Medley with Gloria and three other girls. Our hand off almost had us disqualified. I was one step away from being out of our exchange zone when Gloria gave me the baton. That was a nerve-racking experience, and I hadn’t even run the race that really mattered yet!

Oh, my nerves! I thought the time for the race would never come, and yet it was still coming too fast. I warmed up with my three other teammates. As I stretched, I tried to quiet my mind. It kept screaming at me, YOU RUN SOON! DON’T MESS UP! RUN FAST! HAVE PERFECT HANDOFFS! MARK YOUR STEPS!

We practiced our hand-offs until they were perfect. Our race was approaching fast, and it was finally called on the loud-speaker.

“Girls 4 x 100 meter relay, please report to the North side of the track.”

I felt like puking. Hearing our race called brought me back to reality. I would find out my fate shortly.

We walked over to the check in station as a team and got our lane number. We were in lane four. In the East corner of the track Bailey, Paige, Taylor, and I all huddled together and prayed for our race. I can not even say how many other times I prayed that day. My faith kept me sane, that I am certain of. We then parted our ways, each to our own stretch of the track. I was the third leg, so I ran the curve. When you run the curve, it is extremely important to run as close to the inside as you can without touching the line. It was also crucial for me to already be running fast before Paige handed me the baton. All of these thoughts were going through my head as I marked out my steps.

Then came the waiting, the waiting before the gun went off.

BAM!

The race started. Bailey shot out of the blocks like a bullet, and Paige had the baton.

Focus, focus. Lord, help me.

Paige reached my marker and I took off. She slapped the baton into my hand perfectly, and I was going full speed. I let the momentum of the curve take me away, ahead of the other runners.

Speed, speed, speed.

My legs performed without thinking, as if someone else was controlling them. I saw Taylor waiting in her stance as the curve ended. I came up on her at top speed and handed off the baton.

“Go Taylor!” I screamed as I slowed down, my heart fluttering because I knew I had run well.

Taylor bolted out of our exchange zone with the ferocity of a lion chasing its prey. She flew past the finish line, leading the stampede of runners. A wave of relief washed over me. We made it to state! My mind was everywhere at once. I was ecstatic. A huge smile spread across my face, where it stayed the rest of the night. I ran to the other side of the track to find Paige, and we hugged in the middle of a puddle on the football field. We were panting and laughing, still trying to catch our breath. The rain water soaked right through my spikes, but I didn’t care. I didn’t care about anything, because after three years of hard work I had finally made it to state track.

I saw my cousin and coach, Trish, beckoning to me from behind the chain link fence enclosing the track. I ran towards her and gave her a hug over the fence.

“You broke my record!” she exclaimed enthusiastically.

“Are you serious?” I asked, in shock.

“Yes! You ran a 52.06, and that breaks my team’s record in the 4 x 1. I’m so happy for you!”

I went to find my family in the bleachers; my mom, dad, siblings, grandpa, and great aunt and uncle were all waiting to tell me congratulations.

“Thank you!” I told them. “I’m overjoyed!”

I left the bleachers to congratulate the rest of my teammates and ran into my head coach, Mr. Rachuy. He gave me a side-hug and asked, “Are you excited?” with a huge grin on his face.

“Yes, very excited!”, I exclaimed with glee.

I was absolutely thrilled, and so blessed. My relay team was going to state and my name would be on the record board at school, replacing my cousin’s. I could not have asked for a better track meet.

When I am feeling miserable or in a dismal mood, I like to go back to this moment in my mind. I like to soak up the joy that running that race gave me. It reminds me that with the Lord’s guidance, I can accomplish what I set out to do. It gives me such a thrill and is a great comfort to me. I will treasure this memory for decades to come. Who knows, maybe I will return to state this year.