blahgaghhh.
yeah, we had a race today.
yeah, it was extreme.
the rowland-hall team was there. we all had some laughs. i enjoyed myself. and then i ran.
pretty fast, actually. it was only a 2 mile, and it was a relay race, but we didn't have a full team for varsity today, so it was more training and posting a time. it was just going to be luke and myself--at first i was going to run the first leg, but luke decided he wanted to run with some kids in the first wave, so we switched.
it meant that he would get a great head start for me. and that he did. a good 150m, and he passed me the baton after two laps of the little park. i ran really hard for about the first 250m, and didn't even feel anything for the first mile. THEN i felt something. wow. i was able to concentrate, it was really nice, there wasn't a whole lot of yelling and screaming, but then i noticed that when there was yelling and screaming, it was coming from behind me. "TYLER! C'MON, YOU CAN CATCH HIM!" ...hmm, this might be a cause for concern. every turn i glanced behind--and he wasn't getting too close, though his throngs of classmates were probably giving him that extra boost of sideline support--meanwhile the few people goodly enough to cheer for me were doing their best--"do what you did in the mountains, boy!" yelled coach dupri, "this is yours, push it!" from the mcmillians. just after mile one, that stupid baton was really bothering me--i wished i could just drop it and run like a normal person, instead of a person with a diploma in their hand. anyway, i slow a little on the track, take it easy across the top of the hill...and then i hear the frenzied screaming again, and the mcmillians tell me to speed up. well, no reason to look back. i just kept running. and i looked back at a turn--only about 100m now. well, just try to hold the lead, i thought. about 500m to go, dupri is at the sideline. "make this a personal victory, peter." i heard him say, over the screams of "CATCH HIM TYLER, 400 METERS TO GO!!!" well, around the chainlink fence, only a few meters away from the entrance to the passing area, tyler passes me. but a little leech that's been on his back this whole time tries to pass me, too, and wilson leaning on the fence says with a sigh "don't let him pass you, peter..." and i thought. hell. no. don't pass me. don't start edging me into the fence. you know what? i almost got clipped on the fence, this kid was getting a little too close for comfort. i was pissed. therefore? i shoulder-checked him, and exploded down the last 40m. went through the finish line. and then heard a race official that i can't STAND--he's always a bitch about clothing and hair and jewelry and always says "now let's have a nice clean, slow start, with no restarts" and he was responsible for the unbelieveable 5 restarts at the murry invitational varsity race last year. i hear him say--"why's the runner still have the baton?" i angrily yelled back--"WE ONLY HAVE 2 RUNNERS." exhausted, i handed my sticker to the race officials, and let them sort it out--they put me behind this tyler kid, and in front of the kid i shoved. good decision on their part.
i let the baton slip from my exhausted fingers into the firm hands of dupri.
jogged my cool-down in socks.
and slept on the ride home.