Adventures in Guangzhou!

It should come as no surprise to anyone that I took the meet very seriously and was dying to win. Besides the fact that I just generally hate losing, I also wanted to represent myself, PiA, and the U.S. for these races. This, after all, is my sport. Sure I played basketball for years, soccer for a couple, and did TaeKwonDo for an entire decade, but if I had to pick, track & field would definitely be my best sport. It had better be, after all the hours I spent on the track freezing in zero degree blizzards or sweating away in one hundred degree heat. I'll be damned if I was going to let anyone beat me in my sport!

Now I can't say that I really gave my all in training for the meet. I did a handful of workouts, but I have so much else going on here that it was difficult to focus like I would have in the past. During high school especially, everything went on hold when it came to championship season. I ate, drank, and slept track. I dreamed about my races over and over again. I talked about the competition with my teammates at school. I ignored review sessions for tests in favor of spending more time on the track, even if it was only to cheer on my friends in a workout. In other words, everything revolved around that 400m oval.

I'm worlds away from that now but yet everytime I step on to the track to do a workout, I see flashes of it in my head. I have to say, I miss it. Not only do I miss the camaraderie of struggling through a tough workout together, but I also miss pushing myself to the limit. Once you graduate from university, the opportunities for competitive sprinting are more or less non-existent. Sure, I enjoy the challenge of a long distance road race, but it simply does not compare to the adrenaline of running the quarter mile.

Anyhow, ready or not, it was game day and I had to get ready to leave it all out on the track. I headed out about half an hour earlier than everyone else and took my time warming up. Though we have had a couple days of cooler weather, Saturday was back up to around 80. Well, at least I didn't have to worry about contending with the cold! I jogged a couple of laps and got a good, long stretch in. People started to filter into the stadium and eventually I walked over to join the crowd. I don't know if people thought I was being antisocial or not, but I was listening to my iPod while stretching and didn't really make as much small talk as everyone else.

One of my major concerns was locating a pair of spikes. Sure, everyone scoffed back in the U.S. when I told them I was considering bringing a pair of racing spikes, but here I was on raceday with only my trainers! At first I thought I'd be fine--that no one would take it seriously enough to wear spikes but I was dead wrong on that one. So a couple days earlier I went out in search of a pair to buy. I located a cheap pair but they were just a couple sizes too small for me. Damn my American-sized feet! Just when I was starting to panic, my friend David took me to the back room where there was a whole pile of spikes to borrow. After a few minutes of searching, I found two that were close enough to my size. Game on!

I jogged outside and saw that everyone was lined up and starting to do a big group stretch. Wow. One of the P.E. teachers ran us through a series of active stretches, which I found mildly ridiculous (click the link to my pictures below), and then we were off. I had been asking for a couple days about the order of events and no one had an answer for me. Sure enough, as I went off to do some pick-ups, I see the starting judges setting up blocks for the 100m. Well, at least there was no wait! I was excited to have the 100m first because I like having a warm-up race before my main event (in this case, the 400m). I figured I'd have a decent shot to place in top 3 or 4 for the 100m but since I never once ran the open 100m in competition, I had no real expectations. They set us up into lanes and I was slightly disappointed to have the outside line. When you're on the very edge, you sometimes can't feel where the other runners are until it's too late.

The starter called what I can only assume was "runners take your marks" because everyone started to get into the blocks. I only had a chance to take one practice start so my goal was to get out as fast as possible without falling over. The guy called what I guess was "set," and then I heard the gun. We were off! I must say, there is really nothing like the feeling of anticipation you have when you get into the set position. Your adrenaline is pumping. Your blood is flowing. You have a thousand thoughts going through your head and yet none, all at the same time.

I got out to a decent start but I could see that the two guys directly to my right got out ahead of me. No reason to panic though--the 100m is not won in the first 20m but rather the last 20. I remembered Coach Butterfield shouting out "relax!" to me. In a short sprint like the 55m or the 100m, if you tighten up while attempting to gain speed, you lose the race almost immediately. I was pumping hard and could feel my speed picking up. With about 25 meters to go I hit top speed and reached my coasting form. With about 10 meters to go, I pulled ahead and crossed the finish line about .2 ahead of Mr. Huang, my toughest competitor. Victory! I was pleasantly surprised to see that I ran 11.6, possibly a personal best in the event. It was more than I could have hoped for and I was feeling pretty good going into the next race.

I had no idea how much time I had in between so I got right into a stretch and combination cool down/warm up. Diana and Kelly came to cheer me on and came over to congratulate me on my win. I think they probably thought I was kidding when I told them I ran track and that they should come watch me race. Ha! It was great to have a cheering section though. After I thanked them for coming, David asked me if my muscles were tight and told me he had some Chinese medicine for me. Sure, why not? I rubbed some sort of ointment on to my hamstrings and was floored by the effect. It was some sort of icy-hot mixture that loosened my muscles up in a flash. Excellent!

After the women and senior division finished up the 100m, we went right into the quarter mile. I took my sweats off and approached start/finish. I was crossing my fingers that I would not be in lane 8 (the outside line in the 400m means you don't see anyone until the home stretch). Turns out I was worried for no reason because they weren't putting us in lanes at all. A waterfall start for the 400m? Umm, okay. After inquiring when I could cut in (right away) they set us up and fired the gun.

I stumbled a bit trying to cut in to lane 1 from lane 3 but I got off without a problem and took the lead right away. While it hurts like hell at the end, you have to go out with everything in 400m. You never have the energy and speed you have at the beginning of the race ever again. My strategy was to try and build an insurmountable lead in the first 200m and then hold on. I felt like I had a comfortable lead in the back stretch and attempted to accelerate into the turn at the 200m mark. About midway through the turn I sensed someone on my shoulder and could hear footsteps--a terrifying thing when you're in the lead. Coming off the turn into the final straightaway, I could not only hear steps, but could also see a shadow out of the corner of my eye. Aaah! I gave it everything I had but finally saw Mr. Huang right next to me with about 20 meters to go. Once again, I tried to stay relaxed as much as possible and just pump my arms and get my knees up.

We both leaned into the finish, but I knew I had him by a half step or so. As I crossed the line I strided out and hunched over with my hands on my knees. It had been almost three years since I raced the 400m and I forgot the pain that follows the end of the event. Not only is there tons of lactic acid buildup in your hamstrings and quads, but your brain also goes a little fuzzy due to the pain. It wasn't uncommon for me in high school or college to throw up and collapse for a few minutes after racing the quarter. Just part and parcel of the territory. When they told me my time I chuckled--56.2. That probably would have gotten me kicked off the team at Wesleyan, but what are you gonna do. At least I broke 60!

Despite the pain, I was psyched to have achieved my goal-- W's in the 100m and the 400m. It is quite satisfying to work hard for something and then have it all come together in the end. I also received hearty congratulations from both fellow teachers and students who were watching. The school track team was there as well and they came over to shake my hand which was nice. I had been chatting with them about racing over the past month or so and it was cool that they came early to watch (before their workout). Before my day was done, I was also selected to anchor the relay. At first I didn't think I could handle another race, but then David explained that it was more of a shuttle relay with a large number of participants-- you know, the ol' 16x50m coed relay. Luckily I got the baton with a comfortable lead so our team cruised to an easy victory, which was nice.

All in all, an excellent day on the track! After the meet, Meggie invited us over for a home-cooked Mexican dinner which was excellent. I brought David with me and I think he enjoyed his first taste of quesadillas. We feasted on Meggie's enormous meal and then headed out to see Harry Potter! I had high hopes since Book 4 is my favorite, but I have to say I was slightly disappointed. The book is way too long to include everything, but I was hoping for a bit more. Still fun though. And yes, you can buy it here on DVD already. Gotta love China...

For anyone interested in pics from the meet: http://www.flickr.com/photos/awolfe03/sets/1409556/