Rick’s Rants and Raves

Today Emily had her first track meet. She was to compete in the long jump and the 800m run. Because her school doesn’t actually have a track (and isn’t within walking distance of a high school that has one), her coach hadn’t been able to arrange for Emily (or other kids on the team) to actually practice several of their events.

Since the long jump actually requires skill, and the 800m requires mental stamina that isn’t always present in 7th graders, I took Emily to a high school track this past weekend. Fortunately the rain broke for just long enough to get a bit of long jumping practice in, as well as some running. I explained the mechanics of the long jump (pacing, planting, landing, etc) as well as pacing strategies for the 800m. After some practice jumps, we got on the track, and I ran the 800m with her at what I thought was close to competition pace for her. Around 300m into the race, she was convinced she couldn’t make it the whole way. I told her quitting wasn’t an option and that she would just have to pull through. At 600m we started the first phase of the kick, then encouraged her to pour everything she had into the last 100m. She finished surprisingly strongly, and felt tired but very empowered. I timed the run at 3:51 and told her she would likely improve on that over the year. She was beaming as we completed some 200m pacing runs as she realized that she really did have the strength and stamina to run the full race. I also tried to caution against going too crazy during the first 200m of the race induced by adrenaline–she needed to know her pace, and save a bit for the end.

At the meet today, the long jump was canceled due to a wet pit, so all she had to worry about was the 800m. When her race time came up, I went to the opposite corner of the track so that I could encourage her at the end of the brutal back stretch. At 200m into the race, I thought she was running just a touch fast, but not too much. I shouted generic words of encouragement that I don’t recall at this point. She finished her first lap at 1:40 and had pulled away from her teammate whom she had been keeping pace with. When she came back to my position I reminded her “Drop your arms and stretch your stride. Pour everything into the front stretch!” As I said this, I could see her alter her stride, as did a competitor that was just in front of her. By the time she rounded the bend into the final 100m, she had passed that competitor and had her sights set on the next one 10m ahead. She finished really strongly, beating both of those competitors, placing second overall. From the opposite side of the field, I had her time at 3:25. I beamed.