Blue sky, bright sun, and just enough heat for things to feel electric. Bodies in motion all around, doing their own version of warm ups. B skips. Grapevines. Butt kicks. Sprints. Music from the loudspeaker. Let’s get it started…
I fidgeted on the edge of the track, more anxious than before a marathon. What was with the nerves? Total newbie status, that’s what. Meet #2 of Summer on the Track series at Park Tudor, and my first ever track meet. I was signed up for two events I’ve never run, the 3200 meter and a leg of a distance medley relay.
I had a small stint on the cross country team in middle school, and I vaguely recall running relays in grade school gym class, but I have zero track cred. I’m a distance runner—half marathons+ for me, thank you very much. I haven’t even ever run a 5K road race (may have to change that soon too).
I had beginner’s questions. Where do I line up? How many laps again? Thankfully, my Oiselle teammates, Danielle and Sarah, took me under their wing and got me where I needed to be.
3200m time. From the megaphone: Get set… Go! I shot out, and quickly felt sun-blind, oxygen deprived. I let go of that and focused on the soft track underfoot. Finding and steadying my breath. Welcoming the burn growing in my core and legs. One lap at a time. I thought to myself: let these laps set the tone for my marathon later this week. It will feel breezy next to this pace.
Taper energy is no joke. It fueled me through those eight laps. I nabbed a two-mile PR, 14:17. I hadn’t planned to race hard to preserve my mojo for the race this Sunday, but I got caught up in the sunlight, the energy, the rhythm.
Up next: the distance medley relay. With Missoula looming, my team mates offered me first pick of distances, so I opted for the short leg. Danielle kicked us off with the 1200, I took the baton for the 400, handed off to Tommy (a good sport for wearing an O singlet with us!) for the 800, and Sarah anchored with the 1600.
Once the baton was in hand, I couldn’t hold back. Missoula was not in my mind. Nothing much was really. There was only this one lap and as much heart as I could pour into it. Legs turning over as fast as I could make them go. I only remember asking myself: can I push a bit more? And the answer was no, not today, but it helped me at least hold steady.
1:24. For me, that’s a blazing 400. Not my fastest, but close. My watch shows a 5:56/mi pace. It ignites something. A curiosity. A hunger. Could I hold a sub-6:00 pace for an 800m? What about a six-minute mile?
There was a special magic in being done, but still getting to cheer on my team mates as they finished their laps. I don’t even know where we placed or what our time was. I didn’t care, and I don’t think anyone else did either. I really appreciated the organizers of this event for making things low key and relaxed, the perfect vibe for trying something for the first time. I’m already looking forward to the final two meets in this series.
To more new things!