On my way home from work, I pass by West High in Salt Lake City. Today, as I passed by, I saw that their track across the street was hosting a track meet. Happiness brushed through me quickly. Then I saw the hurdles set up, taunting hesitant runners as they fought the mental battle of preparing to run 300 meters of hurdles. It took me back to my glory days. Unfortunately I don't recall any glory during my glory days. In fact, it was all rather un-glorious.
I ran the 300 hurdles for half of my Junior year, through Senior year. The hurdles made me cry more than any boy ever has (which, by powers of deduction, means I cried at least once. Probably twice, though. Which equates to about 100 times for the average girl with correctly functioning tear ducts). I was pretty good at them, but the 300 hurdles is just tough because the hurdles make the race feel so long. It's like running a mile, at as much of a sprint as you can for the whole time. I stressed myself out before every race, laughed with the other stressed out girls pre-race, and then fumed after bad races and laughed my head off after good races.
I felt a small pit in my stomach for those about to run, and then I thought that most of them probably liked running that race, the weirdos. They probably agreed to it, instead of fighting their coach for weeks about it. But hey, they can have their race. I'll just keep up a good face about it, now that it's all in the past.
But I was really happiest to see the track meet because that means it's SPRING! I loved track in high school, and I realize much of that had to do with warm weather coming back. The smell of grass and flowers. The sunshine. The lighter evenings. Yeah, there were still plenty of freezing track meets (I lived in Wisconsin - the reality of Spring didn't really match up with the concept of it), but I also have some fond memories of keeping warm under the cozy arm of a boy keeping a blanket around me, or the warming of my hands by some other boy. Yes, track meets were good to me. Who doesn't want to be in a sport that does almost everything co-ed?? There is hardly a track meet that I can remember that doesn't hold a great memory of either an event I excelled in or a fun experience with a fellow "trackie." Of course, that's probably because I wouldn't remember the ones that don't hold one such memory. But I'm going to go with the fact that they really were all just fun.
I still think back about some moments that I wish had gone differently, but perhaps that's why I can consider them my Glory Days - because I still reminisce about them. But I can gladly say I'm not stuck in them, because I realize that, even if the moments I would change were actually changed, I would still be exactly where I am right now, sitting on the couch I'm on, watching the movie I'm watching. But maybe I'd be bragging a little more in this post than I can right now. So it's probably good that things worked out exactly as they did. Because I would brag a lot more than I already do if I actually had something to brag about...
All this to say, Welcome Spring! I can't wait until you decide to be here to stay! But I had to suffer some unbearably cold Spring meets, so maybe we should let these kids go through it as well. Because they may have the same feelings toward those cold nights as I do about the hurdles, but I've heard that character building is a really good thing.
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