When you've seen it all...

Just when you think you have seen everything there is to see in at track meet, come to Idaho.  I have been going to track meets for over 20 years and thought that nothing could surprise me.  Until two weeks ago, we were at the state qualifying meet near Idaho Falls, Idaho.  The wind was consistently blowing at 30 miles an hour, with gusts up to forty and above.  That is a lot of wind.  As spectator, I got so used to bracing myself by leaning into the wind that if it let up I almost fell over.  Needless to say, it was extremely difficult to run in.  

But the really interesting part came when the hurdle crew set up the hurdles on the track.  The hurdles were all in their tidy little rows, for a second or two.  And then the wind started pushing them down the track.  It would be nearly impossible to run a hurdles race with moving hurdles.  (Although now that I think about it, that could be an interesting event....) As the crew would fix one or two hurdles, another one or two would get blown out of line.  So the solution was to have people stand and hold the hurdles in place until the runners got close, then run to the side at the last possible second.  It was like a game of chicken within the race.  I've never seen anything like it.  The strong guys with razor sharp spikes on their shoes are barreling down the track toward you.  How long do you dare to stay put? It actually worked surprisingly well, though.  Racers, and hurdle holders, finished the race without incident.  And everyone else got a good laugh while experiencing another first at the track.  

Happy Mother's Day

Everyone has times in their lives when they learn important lessons about life.  And many of these important lessons can be traced to running.  For me, one of these defining experiences happened my senior year of high school, and I have my mom to thank for pointing me in the right direction.  

Through my senior year of high school track I had a nagging pain in my foot.  But the pain would go away after I started running so I ignored it.  Until I couldn't anymore.  I ran the state qualifier meet, finished my race, and when I stepped off the track, I couldn't walk on that foot anymore.  A visit to the doctor the next day confirmed that I had had a stress fracture in my foot all season that broke completely when I ran the last race.  Adrenaline had gotten me through but could get me no farther. The doctor, though kind, was also a practical man who knew that if he let me leave the office without a cast, that I would attempt to run on that foot again at state.  So he cut the leg of the jeans I was wearing (the first thing of many that brought tears to my eyes that day) and put on a cast then and there.  I would be in a cast and on crutches for at least 3 months.  I was heartbroken for a number of reasons.  I had one more race in high school that I wasn't going to be able to run.  My graduation was two weeks away.  And it was two days until my senior prom.  

I cried a lot.  I am ashamed to admit that I wanted to sit at home and not go out until I could walk on two feet.  Enter mom. Moms have the sometimes unpleasant job of telling us what we need to hear, however unwilling the listener.  After letting me wallow for a while, she insisted that I go out and get my nails done and get myself ready for the prom.  She even made bows to adorn my crutches that matched my dress.  I owed it to my date to be pleasant and have fun, she said.  So reluctantly at first, I went. But you know what? In the end, she was right.  It was a memorable prom and I had a wonderful time. 

Here is what I needed to learn.  When unexpected and bad things happen--and they will-- it is okay to cry for a minute, but then you have to pick yourself up, carry on, and make the best of things.  So thanks mom, for teaching me how to keep running, even on crutches.