Some days are just terrible. Some days just rock. Others are terrible and then suddenly, unexpectedly, start to rock. Today was that kind of day. It was hot, I had yet another AP test, and I was not at all excited to race. In fact, walking up the five steps to the community center for testing left me out of breath and awakened my legs to their utter exhaustion. I don't think it's the running, I think my body is just breaking down from all the taxation it's experienced. Nonetheless, I boarded the bus to the meet and dutifully cheered on all my lovely ladies until it was time to warm up. Now, sitting in the warm sun and reminiscing about past and potential summers, feeling far away from any sense of competition, and completely content to just sit on the turf soaking up some vitamin D is not conducive to any desire to race. In fact, by the time of my warm up, I just wanted to melt into the long grass and assimilate with the sun-worshiping blades of grass, forget about the world around me, and go into a complacent coma. This didn't end up happening, though, and I suddenly found myself near the starting line conversing with a sweet older woman and the girls from our competing teams. The woman herself would have made my day; she was so sweet and complimentary of the dedication of the two milers, telling us that it was "such a healthy race!" Well, it doesn't feel so healthy sometimes, but I wasn't going to rain on her parade. In addition, as one team walked up to check in, I recognized a girl I've raced with consistently for the past couple of years. She's always been slightly faster than I am, and I love racing with her because she's dependable for pacing. We said hi, talked a bit about our seasons, and compared goals for the day. It was really cool to see how tentative friendships can form in the midst of competition. Even more inspiring, however, was our interaction at the starting line. In the midst of the mayhem, I heard her ask her teammate to pray. I felt an inclination to join in, so I asked if my teammate and I could. She said a quick graceful but unadorned prayer and ewe began our race. It was such a small event but nonetheless felt very inspiring. All these seeds of kindness and connection growing in the garden of a hectic life.
The race itself went well, too. We ran consistent splits and had respectable times coming in first and second. It was even slightly fun, except for the body check aimed my way on the third lap. The real success, though, came after I got home from the meet. I was in the midst of folding some flour into a batter when I saw my phone light up. My coach's name was on the screen, so I quick tucked the phone under my chin and continued folding while I listened to see what she had to say.
I MADE CONFERENCE!!!
This isn't a huge deal in the grand scope of successful high school runners, but I am completely psyched seeing as I had no expectation of making it. It was a distant goal tucked in the back of my mind, not allowed to the forefront for fear of disappointment. But what do you know, fortune smiled and I get to run (at the back of the pack) in the conference race. And I couldn't be more excited.
I feel like I've been saying this constantly, but every time I feel on the brink of a complete breakdown, some occurrence or series of events helps me get through the next phase of the journey. These weeks have been hectic and challenging, but then a day like today comes along and reminds me that people look for a silver lining because, usually, there is one. For me, it's come in the form of running, baking, and the lovely people that keep me going.
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