5AM! Wake Up! My Garmin buzzed to tell me it was time to get moving. I had already told myself that if it was raining, I would get back in bed. I peeked out the window to find that the rain had already come and gone. My clothes were stacked neatly just waiting for me to get them on and get out the door. It was Tuesday which is track day. Thanks to Kim, Tuesday is always track Tuesdays at 6AM!
This particular Tuesday looked to have a good turnout. 7 or so ladies said they would be attending even though there was rain in the forecast. It was a little humid but there was a slight chill which made it all okay. Due to some leg soreness from the running festivities the Saturday before, I decided there would be no speed work today. I popped in an ear bud and began my circles.
In 1991, my coach asked if I would participate in the mile relay. I always preferred the shorter distances, but since he asked, I agreed. The next day I found out that a friend of mine wanted to be on the mile relay team, and there were no more spots remaining. I was happy to give mine up to someone who wanted it. The coach, however, was not in agreement. I remember him having a talk with me, and somehow that led to my taking the spot on the team. He said he wanted a strong relay team. I felt like I was hurting my friend, but I acquiesced. (A year or so later, this coach would go on to say to me in class, "you would be okay if you had a lobotomy.")
A few laps into track Tuesday, I was suddenly thinking about 1991. Track Tuesdays are not new to me, but this particular morning was the first where my mind went back to high school track. It dawned on me that I was out running on a track early in the morning because it was something I wanted to do. It also dawned on me that I was out there running with people who were doing the same and were happy to be sharing the experience with others.
There were two experiences in those mile relay races that are forever engrained in my psyche. One had to do with what is referred to as a petit mal seizure. When I was in my teens and early 20s, I experienced these sometimes during times of stress or speaking directly to someone. I had no idea there was an actual name for them. They are called absence seizures for a reason. One minute I would be doing something, and seconds later it was as if someone had pulled the curtain over my brain. A few seconds later, I would be standing there and have no idea what I was doing or saying second before. This one just so happened to be right before a teammate was handing off a relay baton to me. One second I was watching her approach me. A few seconds later she was ahead of me and jumping up and down while yelling at me to run. You might be able to guess how embarrassing this could be. It was in front of multiple schools including my own. I did learn how to use this while running relay races. I found that once I began running, I could basically be detached from any pain I felt if I just let my brain go blank. The key was to wait until AFTER I received the baton.
On another race, half way around the track, I was rudely ripped from my blank brain state, by a guy who was also on the track team. He was a year or so older than I was, and he was dating someone else on the team. While we were waiting for our events, he decided to call his girlfriend some very rude names. I told him to quit calling her those things. Apparently he did not appreciate that so in the middle of my loop around the track for my race, he stepped toward the track, leaned toward me, and called me the "C" word. Nope, not Cassie. It is the word that some men like to use to greatly insult women. Once my race was complete, I went over to my coaches and told them what he had done. I had no idea what came of that, but I can only assume it was not much. The next evening, the same guy along with two of his 6 foot tall buddies decided to drive by my house (which was on a dead end street). When they saw me and my then-boyfriend sitting outside, they put the truck in reverse. As they pulled up, I told the then-boyfriend not to do anything. I knew had he tried he had no prayer of defeating 3 guys who were over 6 feet tall and played on the football team. Apparently that was how many it takes to scare a 5'6" Texas gal who is a year or two younger than they were. Once they finished with the insults and threats. I went inside and told my mom. My mother then called each of their parents. One of the boys had a parent who did not care at all, but one of the boys had a parent who thought it was a very big problem. None of them ever approached me again.
This Tuesday at the track was very different than the days at the track years ago. On this day, I was invited to run a marathon in March. (Thanks Kim!) I was also invited to be part of small church group. (Thanks Alayna!) I did not have to figure out how to blank out my brain while I ran because this day I was running on purpose and for a purpose. No one pressured me into being there. Everyone smiled at me when I arrived, and we were all happy to see each other.
I do find it amazing that after my early track experiences, I would have any desire to make weekly visits to a track before the sun comes up. It really is the company that makes the difference, and kind people have more of an impact than they can imagine.
“Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14
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